La Pastorela: The Shepherd's Tale

1991
6.5| 1h19m| en
Details

Originally produced for PBS's Great Performances Series, La Pastorela is a musical retelling of the shepherds' journey to Bethlehem to see the Christ Child. We see the tale through the eyes of a modern young girl, the oldest child in a large rural Tex-Mex family. During a surrealistic dream, which brings to mind "The Wizard of Oz," the young chicana makes a fantastical journey with the shepherds and along the way; witnesses the triumph of God's Angels over Satan's diablo's. Full of drama, comedy, fantasy and wonderful music; this is a rare film the whole family can enjoy together.

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Clips

Reviews

Diagonaldi Very well executed
Cortechba Overrated
Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
gonzalezrv1 I first saw "La Pastorela" (A Shepard's Play) on PBS's Great Performance, and recorded it to show to my family. It was originally performed by a Non-Profit Northern California group called El Teatro Campesino (The Farmer's Theater). (Note: I purchased a Legal VHS tape from them several years ago). It's a Wizard-of-Oz type adventure/musical; a demonstration of the Mexican-American or Chicano culture, as this movie is replete with a mixture of English and Spanish dialog also known as Tex-Mex or Spanglish. If you're not Mexican-American or familiar with the culture, you may not be entertained by "La Pastorela." My family and I enjoy watching this movie every Christmas as a tradition along with "It's A Wonderful Life," "White Christmas" and "Home Alone." If you watch it for the first time, you may be surprised to see (beside Linda Rhonstadt), some now well-known faces such as Comedians Paul Rodriguez and Don Novello (Father Guido Sarducci); Musicians Freddy Fender and Falco Jimenez and Actor Lupe Ontiveros (The murderous Yolanda in the movie "Selena"). La Pastorela is both funny and moving, and has a great message of hope and good triumph over evil.