Winning and Losing

Official Title. Original Script Title: Walking on Water. Also known as Con Ganas de Triunfar in Latin America (IMDb).

Kim Ki-duk’s film, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring, provides the necessary transition for Ramón Menèndez’s 1988 dramatic film, Stand and Deliver (IMDb). Similarly to Kim Ki-duk’s film, Stand and Deliver delves into how a specific emotion, desire or “ganas,” can motivate growth and development in a neighborhood, see image#0 (Stand and Deliver). However, in order to understand the theme of the film, one must understand how “ganas” or desire in an underprivileged community can evoke both hope and despair in those who dare to rise beyond the constructed stereotypes and biases (Stand and Deliver). The film’s theme’s is brought to life by the film’s protagonist, Jamie Escalante, which is portrayed by Edward James Olmos (IMDb; Raj). Olmos portrayal of Escalante is complemented by an ensemble of younger actors, which include Lou Diamond Phillips, and Ingrid Oliu as Mr. Escalante’s students (IMDb).

Stand and Deliver is based on the actual events Jamie Escalante, whose defiance to the status of a failing school in Los Angeles pose intriguing questions about the role of the educator in relation to a student’s social and economic conditions. Can all educators be expected to be both mentors and parents to students who may or may not have either? What happens when educators no longer have the desire and ambition to inspire their students? Both of these questions are personified by three of Stand and Deliver’s most passionate educators: Raquel Ortega, Jamie Escalante, and Mr. Molina. I, of course, will not attempt to answer these questions; instead this review will focus on how the film’s theme is conveyed through the film’s three production stages: pre-production, production, and post-production (Raj).

Before delving into the film’s theme as conveyed through its production, I will briefly introduce the first half of the film’s plot, while leaving you in suspense about the film’s climax and resolution. Stand and Deliver depicts the actual events of Jaime Escalante or “Kimo” as known to his students (Stand and Deliver). As a Bolivian immigrant, Escalante abandons his lucrative job in the technology sector to teach math to mostly Hispanic students at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, see image#1 (Erazo). With a desire to do what Ms. Ortega deems to be impossible, Escalante attempts to instill desire in the hearts of his students by preparing them for the Advance Placement Calculus exam (Erazo). While the film centers on Escalante, the film delves into the lives of the student of Garfield High as surrogate mothers, employees, gangsters, and guardians of struggling families. The journey of the students of Garfield High from unmotivated to ambitious students occurs as the school is on the verge of losing its accreditation (Stand and Deliver). While Mr. Escalante and his students make significant gains inside the classroom, the outside forces quickly threaten their successes in the classroom.

Image#1: Exterior Shot of Garfield High School, Los Angeles

Similarly to Mr. Escalante’s success in the classroom, the success of the filmmaking process from an idea during pre-production to a realization in post production is completely dependent on the filmmaker’s preparation during pre-production (Raj). The American Playhouse, Olmos Production, and Warner Bros. are the three production companies that financed the creation of the film, while Warner Bros. and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) are the film’s distributors in the United States (IMDb). The support of these companies not only contributes to the film’s successes, but also to the creative process during the film’s precarious pre-production stage (Raj).

One aspect during pre-production that determines the success of the film is the story and the actor’s portrayal of the internalized realities of the script and source material (Erazo; Raj). As an independent film with a small budget, Edward James Olmos describes the difficulty of making Stand and Deliver with one word, “the fact that we were able to do the film…it was a miracle” (Erazo). The word “miracle” not only encapsulates the difficulty of making Stand and Deliver, but may also conveys the difficulty of turning an idea into a realized film (Raj). As a result, Olmos claims that the story and its universal appeal are the main reasons for the film’s success (Erazo).

Stand and Deliver’s script was officially written by Ramón Menèndez and Tom Musca, but the dialogue of the film was constantly modified by Jamie Escalante and Edward James Olmos during filming of the film. According to Vanessa Erazo’s interview with Edward James Olmos on the 25^th anniversary of the film, Olmos expresses Escalante’s important role during pre-production and production:

From meeting [,] watching [,] and observing Jaime [,] I realized there is a reason why he was successful at teaching, it’s his personality. And I found that out on set. [Jamie] was always there on set while we were filming. He was always standing there next to the camera.” While Menèndez and Musca are credited with writing the screenplay for the film, Olmos expresses the profound impact that Escalante’s words had on the script, and how he duplicates Escalante’s inflexion during filming (Erazo).

During the production stage of Stand and Deliver, the locations play a crucial role in conveying the theme of the story, since the majority of the film occurs within a classroom. While the actual events of film occur at Garfield High, the filmmakers use an exterior establishing long shot of Garfield High to create a convincing illusion that interior shots are in the same location, see image#1 (Erazo; IMDb; Stand and Deliver). According to The Internet Movie Database, the filmmakers use Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights in Los Angeles for the majority of the interior classroom, see image#3.1 (IMDb; Stand and Deliver). The piece of trivia may hint at Ramón Menèndez’s ability as director to work Tom Richmond (Cinematographer), and manage the film’s art, costume/wardrobe departments (IMDb; Raj). In addition, the logistical decision concerning the film’s locations and sets also fall on Tom Musca’s as producer and Iya Labunka as production manager to manage their respective departments. Overall, the director is responsible for facilitating communication and collaboration between the various departments, in order to ensure continuity and efficiency (Raj).

Image#3

Another aspect of the production stage which adds value to the creation of the director’s vision is the active involvement of the hair/makeup supervisor, and costume supervisors. Even thought the film took place twenty-six years ago, the specific hair styles and fashion choices of 1988 help create the verisimilitude of the film or its ability to appear real or authentic. According to The Internet Movie Database, Edward James Olmos underwent a tremendous physical transformation by gaining twenty pounds, and submitting himself to an extensive hair thinning process. While Olmos’ character usually has some accessory covering his head throughout the film, Olmos dedication towards his craft conveys Escalante’s wisdom and age. As members of hair/make-up and costume and wardrobe crew, Dee Mansano, Yvonne Cervantes, and Zeca Seabra contribute to Olmos’ transformation (IMDb).

Throughout the film, you may notice the apparent presence of various automobiles and vehicles throughout the film. Is this pure coincidence, or is it the direct expression of the director’s vision to articulate the film theme? As props, these automobiles and vehicles are direct expressions of the director vision, which act as symbols to communicate the importance of vision to focus one’s desires through time and space. In the film, Mr. Escalante is introduced in a close-up shot through the wind shield of a 1962 Volkswagen Sedan, which may be interpreted as an extension of Escalante’s vision and point of view, see image#4.0. Through Escalante’s point of view inside his Volkswagen Sedan, the car frames tone and mood of Los Angeles with wall art that foreshadows a desire to rise beyond detrimental social stereotypes: “We are NOT A minority,” see image#4.1 (Stand and Deliver).

Image#4.0

Image#4.0

Image#4.1

Later on, Escalante or Kimo is driving a student’s malfunctioning car, when Kimo says “Should I turn left or right…left or right (Stand and Deliver)? As Kimo says these words, the camera cuts to long establishing shot of the car swirling in the dark, but a slanted “KEEP RIGHT” sign dominates the center of the shot, see image#5.0 (Stand and Deliver). If an intentional act by the filmmaker, the sign is not a visual clue for characters in scene, but a clue for the viewer. Then, the car approaches another sign, which reads, “END,” and the camera cuts to a profile medium shot of Kimo on the foreground in deep focus and Kimo’s student in shallow focus, see image#5.1 (Stand and Deliver). With both characters looking at the sign, Kimo says the following words in a low and yet urgent tone: “All you see is the turn. You don’t see the road ahead,” see image#5.2 (Stand and Deliver). By using the road, the signs, and the car as metaphors for a myopic impulse to not see beyond “the turn”, the filmmakers use these props and locations to hint at how the absence of desire can generate stagnation of the mind (Stand and Deliver).

Image#5.0: Why does the "Keep Right" sign occupy such a predominate space of the composition or mise-en-scene?

Image#5.1: Is this the "END," or is it another beginning? The characters must and will choose between either meaning.

Image#5.2: "All you see is the turn. You don't see the road ahead," say Mr. Escalante or Kimo.

As an emotion, desire is not a negative or position emotion, its positive or negative value is realized only through action of said emotions. Through Ramón Menèndez’s direction, Stand and Deliver welcomes the viewer to contemplate the value of the “ganas” through three characters: Raquel Ortega, Jamie Escalante, and Mr. Molina as the mediator. While both teachers truly care about their students, Ms. Ortega has completely been overcome by the economic realities of her underprivileged community, which has detached her from seeing any potential in her students, see image#6 (Stand and Deliver). Meanwhile, Mr. Escalante has purposely immersed himself from Ms. Ortega’s reality. The questions which Stand and Deliver poses to the viewer about the role of educator may be carefully answered by Mr. Molina. Mr. Molina clearly illustrates the “middle way” between both Ms. Ortega’s extreme detachment and Mr. Escalante’s excessive immersion (Middle Way). As Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring prescribes, an oscillation between the both extremes of the “middle way” may be the best way to adapt, change, and grow, while also practicing caution (Middle Way). 

Image#6: Raquel Ortega as portrayed by Virgina Paris (Left), and Mr. Molina as portayed by Carmen Argenziano (Right) (IMDb).

Works Cited

Dillon, Raquel Maria. “Teacher who Inspired ‘Stand and Deliver’’ film dies.” MPRnews. The Associated Press. 31 March 2010. Web. 27 February 2014.

Associated Press (AP) and Warner Bros (WB). “Edward James Olmos, [and] Jaime Escalante.” Web. 27 February 2014.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). IMDb.com, Inc, 2009, Web. 27 Feb. 2014

The Internet Movie Cars Database (IMCD). IMCDb.org, 2004-2014, Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

"Middle Way". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1346097/Middle-Way>.

Raj, Sony. “Screen Production Process: An Overview.” St. Thomas University. Miami Gardens, Flordia. 18 February 2014. Lecture.

Raj, Sony. “How to Analyze a Film.” St. Thomas University. Miami Gardens, Flordia. 16 January 2014. Lecture.

Raj, Sony. “Cinematography.” St. Thomas University. Miami Gardens, Flordia. 20 January 2014. Lecture.

“Stand and Deliver”. The Internet Movie Database. IMDb.com, Inc, nd, Web. 27 Jan. 2014. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095765/

Stand and Deliver. Dir. Ramon Menendez. Perf. Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Ingrid Oliu, Andy Garcia, Warner Home Video, 1998. DVD. Screenshot.

Erazo, Vanessa. “Edward James Olmos On Stand and Deliver’s 25^th Anniversary & the Release of Filly Brown”.  The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 15 April 2013. Web. 27 February 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-erazo/edward-james-olmos-on_b_3078274.html

Hughes, Mark. “Talking With Lou Diamond Phillips On ‘Stand and Deliver’ 25^th Anniversary.” Forbes Magazine. Forbes.com, Inc. 22 November 2013. Web. 27 February 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2013/11/22/talking-with-lou-diamond-phillips-on-stand-and-deliver-25th-anniversary/