The Milagro Beanfield War poses "a reality straining to become a metaphor" to quote a delightful line of Donald Barthelme's. Some refer to this film as a fable -which in the narrow sense it is. But in the broader view this story is in no way mythical because it documents the eternal struggle of the meek and humble against a rapacious power establishment.
Milagro, a 300 year-old village in northern New Mexico, finds itself drying up and blowing away. The Latino inhabitants have been defrauded of their water rights by the political establishment as part of a plan to encourage them to sell out to developer Ladd Devine (Richard Bradford). Devine wants to turn the area into a country club, gated-community.
Fate plunges Joe Mondragon (Chick Vennera) into a pivotal role. The young man quite accidentally taps into the water lateral that crosses his land but to which Devine Development & Company exclusively owns water rights.
The bean field Mondragon inherited from his father has lain dry and barren these many years. Suddenly it has the opportunity to take back life. Should Mondragon shut off the flow of water that illegally irrigates his small farm? Or should he let it flow? It's a tough ethical dilemma. On the one hand he should obey the law -- which is an ass. On the other hand he should protest the moral injustice done to his family, his heritage and his neighbors.
The bean field is not the only thing to come alive. The Latino inhabitants of dying Milagro also find new life of their own. Fiery activist Ruby Archuleta (sexy Sonia Braga in a magnificent portrayal) seizes the moment to mobilize the people of the village. Devine calls in his connections with the governor. This brings the steely-eyed Kyril Montana, a hard-boiled investigator (Christopher Walken), to quell the rebellion. These forces in collision pose a classic plot.
Sounds like a dark and serious tale, no? Surprisingly it's quite the opposite. The vehicle turns out to be a fast-moving, dry comedy very much in the tradition of the popular, war-protest `cult-flick', The King of Hearts.
Cameo roles abound. Ruben Blades plays the Sheriff who sees everyone's point of view and struggles to keep peace between warring factions. John Heard plays a fading 60's activist, Charlie Bloom, who owns the small weekly tabloid that has become an icon in every tumbleweed flick. Anthropology student Herbie Platt (Daniel Stern) comes from NYU on a grant to study indigenous cultures of the Southwest and drops unsuspectingly into the maelstrom.
Carlos Riquelme steals the show as the octogenarian Amarante Cordova, the oldest man in Milagro. Cordova spends his days and nights talking with his guardian angel that also happens to be the ghost of Joe Mondragon's deceased father. Depending on camera angle, the audience can either see the guardian angel or can be as mystified as Platt, the young anthropologist. Platt intently observes Cordova as the old man sits in front of his hacienda earnestly talking to an empty chair that faces him. An enormous, pink pig (reminiscent of the Empress of Blandings in P. G. Wodehouse lore) follows Cordova everywhere as his most faithful companion.
The Academy gave this movie a well-deserved Oscar for best original music score. Had I been a voting member, I would also have given Carlos Riquelme best actor that year and Sonia Braga best actress. And for best supporting actress? I think the Pig!
You have to be quick! A special charm inspires the kind of laughter that will have you grabbing for the remote to play back many priceless scenes. So many lines are memorable, you will find yourself writing them on a pad.
THE GHOST: `That young man of yours does not realize what he is getting into.'
AMARANTE CORDOVA: `If we all knew what we were getting into, nothing would ever get done!'
So get it done. Go buy this for your video collection. It's a keeper and rates inclusion in that quirky hall of fame called the `cult-flick.'
Four Stars!
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