No Spanish Version of ‘Old Gringo’ for Latinos

“Old Gringo,” a romantic period film about an American writer and an American spinster who get caught up behind the lines of the Mexican Revolution, would seem to be a perfect mainstream studio picture to subtitle and turn loose in cities with large Latino populations.

But Columbia Pictures, which scored big on subtitled prints of “La Bamba” two years ago, has apparently decided to release “Old Gringo” in the English version only--at least for the initial run.

The $24-million film, adapted from the Carlos Fuentes’ novel “Gringo Viejo,” opens Friday in more than 200 theaters nationally and some exhibitors with theaters in Latino communities think Columbia is missing a good opportunity.

“(‘Old Gringo’) is similar to ‘The Milagro Beanfield War,’ but it also has romance and the action of the Revolution,” said Joe Peixoto, head buyer for Metropolitan Films, which operates several theaters that cater to Spanish-speaking audiences. “We hope to book it for four screens and have requested subtitled prints. But Columbia hasn’t given us an answer on their availability yet.”

“Old Gringo” opened throughout Mexico in early September with 55 Spanish-subtitled prints, after earlier openings with subtitled prints in Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina. The film is now playing in only a handful of theaters in Mexico, but despite the apparent availability of subtitled prints, the movie is opening here strictly in English.

Columbia’s decision not to release subtitled prints for its initial release in the United States was apparently based on advice it got from marketing consultants.

“It’s an upscale picture that will appeal to middle-class Latinos, people who are already in the mainstream,” said Santiago Pozo, head of the Arenas Group marketing agency hired by Columbia. “It doesn’t have blue-collar appeal.”

Peixoto disagrees. He said “Old Gringo” would “definitely” play well in his company’s downtown L.A. theaters where he is still hoping to show subtitled prints.

The trend toward subtitled mainstream pictures in large Latino communities has been productive for the studios. Such films as “Batman,” “Ghostbusters II,” “Lethal Weapon 2,” “Black Rain,” “Pet Sematary,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Star Trek V,” and “Major League”--none of which had a Latin theme--opened with Spanish-subtitled prints.

(Another Latin-themed film, “Romero,” with Raul Julia starring as El Salvador’s martyred Archibishop Oscar Romero opened Sept. 8 in two Southland theaters only with English versions. It has since expanded locally to 16 theaters, four of which are showing the movie with Spanish subtitles, according to its distributor, Four Seasons Entertainment.)

Columbia’s limited release of “Old Gringo” in the United States, after its postponement from a scheduled Christmas release last year, has caused speculation that the studio may not have faith in the film’s box-office potential--hence, a wait-and-see attitude regarding the distribution of subtitled prints.

Lois Bonfiglio, Fonda’s partner and co-producer, conceded that monolingual Spanish-speaking moviegoers may not get to see “Gringo” with subtitles unless early box-office returns warrant a wider release. But she defended the strategy.

“Columbia is telling us that Hispanic theater audiences generally prefer English during the first run of the movie,” she said. “And even in those cases where they may only be Mexican-speaking (sic), they use it as a vehicle to learn English. We’re conforming to the way theaters function. After all, these (exhibitors) know what their audience wants to see.”

Why, then, has Columbia been promoting the film in English and Spanish advertising?

“Actually, most studios advertise their English language product in the Hispanic media,” Pozo said. “Latinos will go see the latest films in English because they want entertainment just like anyone else. All we have to do is make them aware of it.”

Placing a few subtitled prints to capitalize on a bilingual media blitz can be risky, he added.

“Spanish prints are a double-edged sword,” Pozo said. “If we use Spanish prints and they don’t make at least the average or double” of first-run per-screen box-office receipts, “that will be the studios’ excuse to say, ‘The market is not there. Hispanics are not interested in films.’ ”

Spokespeople for several Latino organizations have expressed disappointment with Columbia’s marketing approach, while others seem unsurprised or unconcerned. A number of benefit screenings of the film are planned by nonprofit Latino groups, with Columbia’s cooperation.

The issue reportedly surfaced when Fonda appeared during a recent taping of “Cara a Cara (Face to Face),” a public affairs program that airs Friday on the national Spanish-language TV network Telemundo (locally, KVET-TV, Channel 52).

Armando Duron, chairman of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, also addressed the issue in a prepared statement that questioned Columbia’s alleged “tampering” with director Luis Puenzo’s script, and with the studio’s final cut of the movie, which excised much of the original footage and a crucial Latin point of view, according to complaints by Puenzo at a Buenos Aires film seminar last month.

“What is Columbia afraid of by not releasing this film in our native language to our community, which is faced daily with questions about the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico?,” Duron asked. “How can a real dialogue occur if many in our community can’t partake in any dialogue until weeks after this film is released?”