During the early 1960s, singer Dean Reed tried and failed to achieve stardom in the U.S. music scene. But he found a surprising level of popularity in South America, particularly in Chile, and for most of the ‘60s he was a ubiquitous figure in the continent's entertainment industry. Miguel Ángel Vidaurre's documentary traces Reed's unlikely stellar rise in South America, presenting rare recordings and film and TV appearances that show the handsome performer being perfectly at ease with Spanish-language lyrics. But as the decade progressed, Reed's penchant for left-wing politics became more pronounced and strident, and even his considerable popularity could not shield him from the repressive authoritarian political authorities that took control in South America during that era. Deported from Argentina in 1968, Reed left Chile prior to the 1973 Pinochet coup and relocated to Rome, where he appeared in a few spaghetti Westerns before permanently settling in East Germany and becoming a major music star, until his mysterious drowning death in a lake near his East Berlin home in 1986 at the age of 47. The film offers ample evidence of the charismatic Reed's abilities as a singer and a film actor, and it's hard to comprehend why he failed to click in his own country. A fascinating tribute to an idiosyncratic artist, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
Red Gringo
(2016) 68 min. In Spanish w/English subtitles. DVD: $99: public libraries; $425: colleges & universities. PRAGDA. PPR. September 4, 2017
Red Gringo
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