MovieChat Forums > The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004) Discussion > Why no Spanish or Latin actors?

Why no Spanish or Latin actors?

posted 19 years ago by ccmiller1492
22 replies | jump to latest

I've been watiting for years for someone to refilm this classic, fascinating story. The 1944 version was just a bit too stodgy for this very interesting story. When I saw the ad for it's opening at Bethesda Landmark I was going to go see it until I read the listed cast members. DeNiro (notably miscast as a Spaniard in "The Mission" and Keitel who couldn't even be mistaken for a Latin from Manhattan? Can somebody explain to me why, with all the wealth of Spanish and Latin actors the U.S.now has and plenty from Spain and Mexico, that a more appropriate cast couldn't be employed? This strikes me as another ruination of a great story such as "House of the Spirits." All it's lacking is Jeremy Irons perhaps as a meztizo character? I now feel that I shouldn't see it unless I can get a dubbed in Spanish with English subtitles DVD.

[–] HammurabiIII 19 years ago

De Niro, thought not being actually italian, is usually casted as an italian, and spaniards look much more like italians as "mestizos" do.
Furthermore, De Niro is among the greatest actors of our time.

[–] bhaktigirl 19 years ago

Actually, one of his grandfathers was Italian, so he IS Italian, even if it is only 1/4....And the Polish Brothers are half Mexican. But I totally agree about Keitel- WHY cast him?....or DeNiro, for that matter? Just because someone is a big star or an actor of some esteem doesn't mean they can automatically fit in anywhere and play any character convincingly....Neither of them seem to fit in anywhere other than New York....

[–] max-217 19 years ago

Why cast Kathy Bates or Murray Abraham or Gabriel Byrne? Neither one of them is Hispanic? Why do people prefer to see Brits in period pieces that aren't necessarily set in England? Does anyone bring up the fact that Sean Connery sounds the same no matter what nationality he plays? Or Anthony Hopkins, a great actor, for that matter? Meryl Streep is a great actress, but it's always distracting to hear her try a different accent no matter how accurate sounding it is. Does it really matter if the accents are accurate when they're going to be dubbed or subtitled internationally, anyway? What is good acting?

[–] bhaktigirl 19 years ago

Very true. I guess I just don't have the same problem with Bates, Byrne or Abraham playing other nationalities- they don't seem as woefully out of place. On the one hand I don't think any actor should be limited to playing their own race, but on the other hand there are so many "minority" actors who don't get work because bigger white stars are getting the roles they should have got....

[–] TommyDeMoore 19 years ago

Keitel has played a lot of times an Italian and F Murray Abraham (Antonio Salieri from Amadeaus) also.
Italians are like Spaniards. It's nonsense that they are miscasted, the movie is bad, but it's not the fault of those actors.

[–] melchior6 19 years ago

The last rime I cecked Spaniards were europeans just like Italians or French..not mestizos. Whats all this about Deniro being miscast or palying someine of a different race?? Italian and spanish are pretty darn close.

[–] w1dgeteye 19 years ago

Same old political correctness crap. A European is a European.
JUst because they are spaniards doesn't make them brown with brown eyes.
For your information spaniards are the same color as italians and French and any other European. White.

The idiot that is complaining is thinking Spaniards are like Mexicans but
they aren't. Spaniards have no Indian blood in them to make them Brown skinned, black haired and brown eyed.

Just more political correctness crap by some bleeding heart idiot who "really cares more than you".

yeeech

[–] RedGuitar81 19 years ago

STUDY YOUR SPANISH HISTORY YOU IDIOTS!!!!

ONE WORD:MOORS MOORS MOORS MOORS!!!!!!!!!!

[–] melchior6 18 years ago

What are you saying..that because the Spaniards have some moorish ancestry they cant be protrayed by Italians?!! How ignorant is that? This is about looks you dolt! If Italians look similar there is no reason why they cant play the part. And for your information, much of Itay was invaded by the moors as well especially in the south, as well as Greece and parts of France. Have you ever wondered why sicilians were so dark..? So I guess that puts them all in same the bag doesnt it. I could go on and talk about who the moors actually were..many were enslaved franks and slavs and some were even blond with blue eyes..but thats another story. But one more thing you should know is that the spaniards expulsed most of the moors sending them back to North Africa. It is not true that most Spaniards are mixed with moorish blood. There is some moorish ancestry in the south of Spain, for what is worth..hardly any in the north.

[–] eljuma_1 18 years ago

*Do you know what is a moor, assh*le?
*Did you know that the "moors" (actually, a mixed army of Syrians, Arabs, North Africans and renegade Byzantines) who invaded Spain in the VIII century were only 40,000 in a country of at least 4 million of Hispano-Romans and 200,000 Goths?
*Did you know that many died in battles and did not settled the country?
*Did you know that never occurred a massive migration from North Africa to Spain, and there are more cities in North Africa founded by Muslim SPANIARDS (f.e. Oran, in Algeria) than cities in Spain founded by moors?
*Did you know that moors also invaded Italy and ruled Sardinia and Sicily during two centuries, and the Vatican walls were built to protect the Pope residence against they?
*Did you know that until the X century, around 75% of people in Al-Andalus were christians (mozarabs)?
*Did you know that most of muslim inhabitants were expeled from the lands conquered by christians, and the remnants pesisted as a separate and unmixed ethnic group, the Mudejars and (after Christian conversion) the Moorish?
*Did you know that all Spanish muslims that refused Christian conversion were expelled to North Africa in 1502?
*Did you know that all remnant Moorish were expelled in 1609?
*Did you know that according to DNA tests (see http://www.geocities.com/racial_myths/) there are more Middle East/North African blood in Germany than in Spain?

Do you know SOMETHING about Spanish History, stupid retarded?

[–] guely55 18 years ago

Did you know that you sound like a sad racist? Half of the spaniards i've seen could pass like arabs and viceversa. Are you afraid of been compared with not so white skin people? Why are you so mad about it? If you are white so be it But don't come here and try to convince us that all the spaniards are some kind of aryan.

[–] eljuma_1 17 years ago

Racism? What racism? He said that the Spaniards are mulattos that can't be confused with Italians or French, and that is a lie. It's like if he said that the Eiffel Tower is in Italy instead of France. He isn't correct, but he has the daring of writting that in capital letters along insults. Can't I be offended after seeing that? Are you sure that the "racist" is me? There is any wrong or really "racist" comment in the list of facts that I made, or are they just in your imagination?

By the way, who said anything about "aryans"? What is an "aryan" for you in the first place? And an "Arab"? Today most "Arabs" are just people with Arabian culture and language, not "real" Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula.

[–] HotRod_SC 12 years ago

WTF?? I always thought they were called MOOPS.

now this is acting: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2458172160/tt1528718

[–] HotRod_SC 12 years ago

Wtf are you people talking about????

Spaniards are white, tho some are a mix with middle easterners, same thing with italians and portugueses. You just can't say someone doesn't look convincingly of that race or crap like that. Latinos or hispanic people are different than being spaniards, since latinamericans are a blend of spaniards and native south americans, in most cases.

Antonio Banderas might "look" latino, but he doesn't have an ounce of latinamerican blood at all, he's 100% spanish, maybe he has some italian or arab blood.

Since most of the main characters are Spaniards or mestizos, I don't have a problem believing those big name actors in the flesh of spanish royalty, what bothers me about them is their lack of willingness to even try a spanish accent at least.

The only one that really "LOOKS BAD FOR HER PART" is Pilar López de Ayala as "La Perricholi". For those of you who don't understand what does that nickname means, it derives from "Perra" (dog) and "CHOLA" (half-breed), which means that altough Micaela Villegas had some mestizo blood in her, she had undoubted native southamerican traits, maybe a darker skin, darker eyes and darker hair than an average white spaniard. These traits were the main reason of why the spanish aristocrats were rude and mean to her, because they thought she wasn't worthy of the Spanish Viceroy's attention because of her peasant blood, something obvious because of her mixed racial traits.

Pilar is a white spaniard, she could never pass for the real Perricholi, unlike Salma Hayek, who does have the Perricholi look and even can work out a more latino accent. You see, The Perricholi's race is a big deal regarding her background, so I found that particular point the worst misstep of this film, other than the accents. About the adapted screenplay, it's actually quite good and touching, but the actors should have polished the deliver a bit more.

If I'm willing to believe that the Perricholi was white and that everyone in Perú spoke weird sounding English in the past, this movie is not that bad, it just needs a couple of things to get to be as good as the book.

now this is acting: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2458172160/tt1528718

[–] gian55 19 years ago

1. This was not a U.S. made film. It is a European conglomerate.
2. It was made in Spain and has a lot of Spanish actors, four of them in the main cast.
3. As a Latin I detect some "typing"; of course, DeNiro and Keitel can pass for Spaniards. Peruvian Indians, no; Spaniards, yes. Especially in The Mission, DeNiro was playing a character from Spain, as he is in this film.
4. Spanish language version is available on the DVD.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] AlmaDuende 18 years ago

I am from Andalucia, spain. I have black hair, dark brown eyes, and tan/slightly dark skin and so do other spaniards. Spaniards come in all colors. My grandfather had green eyes, light skin and so do other of my relatives.
And yes I am tired...TIRED of other non-spanish people playing spaniards or other Latinos. Except for De Niro, because he is the greatest actor on earth.
There are several great spanish actors. Look up Eduardo Noriega.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] eeleyebrown 18 years ago

Boy it didnt take long for this to turn racial. haha. Personally, I would have preferred that the actors at least use accents, though I agree there are plenty of at least latin-looking actors who could have given this movie more authenticity. To hear period pieces in plain American english makes this sound like high school theatre. I was waiting for Paul Newman to come walking out and performing a line from Silver Chalice. Not a bad movie though. F. Murray Abraham always brings class to his roles no matter what accent he;s using.

[–] AlmaDuende 18 years ago

I hate it when actors use accents in movies. What for? Why the accent? People don't speak with accents in their original language, only when they are speaking a foreign language. Actors that do so lose total credibility, like Al Pacino in Scarface. I think an accent is only appropiate when it is an English accent, since it is in English and can be done faithfully. If it cannot be done faithfully, it should not be done. I've never read a book that has a German speaking in English, "I vood.." for "I would".

[–] HGLovecraft 18 years ago

I haven't seen this movie, but I really like the idea of De Niro and Keitel together again. Do they have large roles in the movie (especially De Niro)?

[–] tlimof-1 18 years ago

I'm a 6'4'' white (and I'm sure many more races) peruvian, I saw the movie and although some of the actors where not well cast. Kathy Bates was great she's white, but latinos come in every color and size, she plays an aristocrat so she's supposed to be white AND peruvian, then Harvey Keitel plays also a son of spanish parents born in Peru, so he's supposed to be white (in those years it was called criollo or creole). De Niro is great as usual, the only one that I didn't get was "The Perricholi" she's supposed to be dark skinned, she was mixed indian and spanish, she was not white as the movie portrays her, and she was called "The Perricholi" as an insult meaning Perri for Dog and Choli for Chola a despective insult for those of mixed race.
Then the other thing that bother me a little bit is why isn't this movie shot in Lima, it has more beautiful sites than those showed in the movie.