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Romance Tropical
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Wikipedia article
'Romance Tropical' is the first-ever Puerto Rican film with sound and the second feature length Spanish-language film with sound in the world. It was photographed, directed and produced by Puerto Rican film pioneer, Juan Emilio Vigui, written by illustrious poet Luis Pals Matos, and scored by renowned band-leader Rafael Muoz. The wardrobe design was done by Vigui's wife, Mara.[http://www.cinemovida.net/historia_del_cine_en_puerto_rico Historia del Cine en Puerto Rico] [https://web.archive.org/web/20090815193420/https://www.cinemovida.net/historia_del_cine_en_puerto_rico Archived.][http://www.cinemovida.net/biografias 'Biographies.'] CineMovida. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080121072002/http://www.cinemovida.net/biografias Archived.]
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), the film was a huge blockbuster success upon its premiere in theaters throughout Puerto Rico and cities with dense Hispanic communities within the US mainland. But shortly after premiering, under mysterious circumstances, the reels of the film disappeared.[https://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/11/11/movies/landmark-puerto-rican-film-restored-romance-tropical-was-presumed-lost/3182.html Landmark Puerto Rican Film Restored: "Romance Tropical" was Presumed Lost]
Legendary lost and found film
For years many people sought to locate the lost film, and it seemed as if it had met the fate of so many movies from that era, relegated to a few photos, a poster and newspaper articles from its initial release.
It was not until 2017, more than eight decades after its release, that a copy of the film was finally found at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, where its director Jan-Cristopher Horak, in conjunction with the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, confirmed its authenticity.[https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/blogs/archival-spaces/2017/11/10/romance-tropical-how-to-find-lost-film How to Find a Lost Film]
After an extensive restoration of the copy, the film had its big screen premiere for the first time in 83 years on November 4, 2017 at the Billy Wilder Theater in Los Angeles as part of UCLA Film and Television Archive's ongoing exhibition 'Recuerdos de un cine en espaol: Latin American Cinema in Los Angeles, 1930-1960'. In its home Puerto Rico, the film's big screen premiere was organized and presented on September 24, 2020 by Vigui's own descendants who today carry the family's film legacy; his grandson, John E. Vigui III, and his great-grandchildren Michelle, Stephanie and Jon-Emile Vigui (collectively known as TheRaccoonteurs.com).[https://theraccoonteurs.com/legacy The Vigui Legacy] The private screening took place at 'CinemaBar 1950s' in Old San Juan.[https://letagemagazine.com/romance-tropical-puerto-rican-legacy-in-the-history-of-hispanic-cinematography/ Romance Tropical: Puerto Rican Legacy in the History of Hispanic Cinematography]
Cast
The cast of actors included Jorge Rodrguez, Raquel and Ernestina Canino (daughters of the film's main investor Manuel Canino), Sixto Chevremont, Cndido de Lorenzo and Lotty Tischer.
See also
* Cinema of Puerto Rico
* List of Puerto Ricans
References
Category:1934 films
Category:Puerto Rican films
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