Table Of Content00-T1497-FM 01/23/2001 2:42 PM Page i
Lourdes
Portillo:
The
Devil
Never
Sleeps
and
Other
Films
00-T1497-FM 01/23/2001 2:42 PM Page ii
CHICANA MATTERS SERIES
Deena J. González and Antonia Castañeda, editors
Chicana Matters Series focuses on one of the largest population
groups in the United States today, documenting the lives, values,
philosophies, and artistry of contemporary Chicanas. Books in
the series may be richly diverse, reflecting the experiences of
Chicanas themselves, and incorporating a broad spectrum of top-
ics and fields of inquiry. Cumulatively, the books represent the
leading knowledge and scholarship in a significant and growing
field of research and, along with the literary works, art, and ac-
tivism of Chicanas, underscore their significance in the history
and culture of the United States.
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Lourdes
Portillo:
The
Devil
Never
Sleeps
and
Other
Films
Edited by Rosa Linda Fregoso
University of Texas Press Austin
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Interview with Lourdes Portillo (1994) was originally pub-
lished in “Sacando los Trapos al Sol (Airing Dirty Laundry)
in Lourdes Portillo’s Melodocumystery, The Devil Never
Sleeps,” in Redirecting the Gaze,ed. Diana Robin and Ira Jaffe
(Albany: sunyPress, 1999), 307–330.
A modified version of Chapter 4 appeared in Wide Angle,
vol. 20, no. 4 (2000).
Copyright © 2001 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2001
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this
work should be sent to Permissions, University of Texas
Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819.
(cid:2)(cid:2)The paper used in this book meets the minimum require-
ments of ansi/nisoz39.48-1992 (r1997) (Permanence of
Paper).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lourdes Portillo : The devil never sleeps and other films /
edited by Rosa Linda Fregoso.—1st ed.
p. cm. — (Chicana matters series)
Includes three interviews with Lourdes Portillo.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0-292-72524-8 (cloth : alk. paper) —
isbn0-292-72525-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Portillo, Lourdes. 2. Diablo nunca duerme.
I. Fregoso, Rosa Linda. II. Portillo, Lourdes.
III. Series.
pn1998.3.p675 l68 2001
7*1.43(cid:3)0233(cid:3)092—dc21 00-061516
00-T1497-FM 01/23/2001 2:42 PM Page v
For Herman and Jasim
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Contents
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction: Tracking the Politics of Love 1
Part One:
The Woman behind the Camera 25
1. Interview with Lourdes Portillo (1998)
Rosa Linda Fregoso 27
2. Interview with Lourdes Portillo (1994)
Rosa Linda Fregoso 40
3. Interview with Lourdes Portillo (1990)
Kathleen Newman and B. Ruby Rich 48
Part Two:
Critical Perspectives 75
4. Devils and Ghosts, Mothers and Immigrants: A Critical
Retrospective of the Works of Lourdes Portillo
Rosa Linda Fregoso 81
5. Ironic Framings: A Queer Reading of the Family (Melo)drama in
Lourdes Portillo’s The Devil Never Sleeps/El diablo nunca duerme
Yvonne Yarbro-Bejarano 102
6. Performances of The Devil Never Sleeps/El diablo nunca duerme
Sylvie Thouard 119
7. Who Is the Devil, and How or Why Does He or She Sleep?
Viewing a Chicana Film in Mexico
Norma Iglesias Prieto 144
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18. Pinning Down the Bad-Luck Butterfly: Photography and Identity
in the Films of Lourdes Portillo
Barbara McBane 160
Part Three:
Production Materials 191
19. Script notes for Después del terremoto 193
10. Cast List for Después del terremoto 203
11. Funding application for Después del terremoto 207
12. Letter for Oscar Nomination of Las Madres: The Mothers
of the Plaza de Mayo 210
13. Transcript for English and Spanish narration of La Ofrenda:
The Days of the Dead 211
14. Transcript for interviews in La Ofrenda 239
15. Screenplay for Columbus on Trial 243
16. Floor plans for set design of Columbus on Trial 256
17. Storyboard for Columbus on Trial 259
Appendix:
¿Quién es el diablo, cómo y por qué duerme? La lectura de una
película chicana en México
Norma Iglesias Prieto 281
Filmography 296
Awards and Honors 297
Notes 300
Notes on Contributors 312
Index 314
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Acknowledgments
This book took final shape in the “Summer of Jasim,” as we often refer to
the summer of 1999, when our grandson came to liven our house and
spirits for a few months. I count among my main sources of inspiration
Jasim’s warm smile, charisma, and exuberance, even though he made it
difficult for me to work at home that summer. Fortunately, three dear
friendscametomyrescue,providingmewitharefugetowriteandgather
my thoughts: I thank Lata Mani and Ruth Frankenberg for once again of-
fering their home as my writing retreat while they were overseas, and
B.Ruby Rich for lending me her office for the same purpose. I owe many
thanks to Reneé Tajima-Peña and Angela Fregoso for their insightful com-
ments on the introduction. Two dedicated research assistants, Erin Maya
Higgins and Kim Owyoung, helped with bibliographic research and
worked hard at transcribing the interviews from audio- and videotapes.
Funds for this project came from the Office of the Dean of Humanities,
Arts and Cultural Studies (College of Letters and Sciences), and from the
Chicana/Latina Research Center at the University of California–Davis. I
appreciate the support of editors Jim Burr and Theresa May at the Uni-
versity of Texas Press. In many ways, this work would not have been pos-
sible without the love, encouragement, and inspiration of my students,
family, friends, mentors, and colleagues in Women and Gender Studies at
UC–Davis. Finally, I thank Herman Gray for being there—and here—
always.
ix
