Jose de Vega Movies

In this costume epic, the last days of Julius Caesar are chronicled. The film was shot in the Tunisian desert and the cinematography is especially notable. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

To qualify for state aid to build a children's day camp, Convent San Tanco must increase their community's popular by 444 residents. Spunky Sr. Bertrille immediately embarks upon a recruiting drive for new citizens-and with equal immediacy, runs afoul of a land-grabbing business tycoon. Pedro Gonzales Gonzales, Hilarie Thompson, Julio Medina and Naomi Stevens appear in supporting roles. First telecast on March 27, 1970, "Operation Population" was written by Arnold Horwitt. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mark (Don Mitchell) comes face to face with the Blue Berets, a group of Chicano dropouts turned freedom fighters. The leader of the group is Manolo Rodriguez (played by former UCLA drama student A Martinez in his first important TV role), who is determined to fight for the rights of his people--even if it means using a cache of stolen weapons to back up his rhetoric. Should Ironside (Raymond Burr) arrest the Blue Berets on a charge of conspiracy to commit treason, or should he wait the group out until wiser heads prevail? (Intriguingly, the word "machismo" was so little known in 1969 that the original TV Guide synopsis for this episode had to provide a definition!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) heads to Los Angeles to deliver a gold shipment worth $50,000. At the same time, Mexican teenager Juan Molinera (Jose DeVega) dreams of reviving the memory of notorious bandido Joaquin Murietta. To do this, Juan intends to steal the gold in Jason's possession--a task in which blood must inevitably be spilled. Heading the guest cast as Juan's grandmother is celebrated Mexican actress Dolores Del Rio, still dazzlingly beautiful at the age of 60. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this courtroom drama, a Mexican American judge must preside over the case of the town ne'er-do-well, who is accused of killing his wife. The film is set during the 1920s in the Southwest. The murderer is convicted and sentenced to hang, but on execution day, he has a fight and kills the hangman. At the same time, another man confesses. While this gets the first man freed for the first killing, he must now stand trial for the hangman's death. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Romeo and Juliet is updated to the tenements of New York City in this Oscar-winning musical landmark. Adapted by Ernest Lehman from the Broadway production, the movie opens with an overhead shot of Manhattan, an effect that director Robert Wise would repeat over the Alps in The Sound of Music four years later. We are introduced to two rival street gangs: the Jets, second-generation American teens, and the Sharks, Puerto Rican immigrants. When the war between the Jets and Sharks reaches a fever pitch, Jets leader Riff (Russ Tamblyn) decides to challenge the Sharks to one last "winner take all" rumble. He decides to meet Sharks leader Bernardo (George Chakiris) for a war council at a gymnasium dance; to bolster his argument, Riff wants his old pal Tony (Richard Beymer), the cofounder of the Jets, to come along. But Tony has set his sights on vistas beyond the neighborhood and has fallen in love with Bernardo's sister, Maria (Natalie Wood), a love that, as in Romeo and Juliet, will eventually end in tragedy. In contrast to the usual slash-and-burn policy of Hollywood musical adaptations, all the songs written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim for the original Broadway production of West Side Story were retained for the film version, although some alterations were made to appease the Hollywood censors, and the original order of two songs was reversed for stronger dramatic impact. The movie more than retains the original choreography of Jerome Robbins, which is recreated in some of the most startling and balletic dance sequences ever recorded on film. West Side Story won an almost-record ten Oscars, including Best Picture, supporting awards to Chakiris and Rita Moreno as Bernardo's girlfriend, Anita, and Best Director to Robbins and Wise. Richard Beymer's singing was dubbed by Jimmy Bryant, Natalie Wood's by Marni Nixon (who also dubbed Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady), and Rita Moreno's by Betty Wand. The film's New York tenement locations were later razed to make room for Lincoln Center. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi