Movie Appreciation - Stand and Deliver

Last semester, I was inspired by Intro to Ethnic Studies class, and I talked about a movie that I have watched multiple times, and thought that I should write it for a blog. So in this blog, we will talk about a movie that I like and vividly remember moments in the films because it was done so well. This movie is a Chicano/Latin film, and I still recommend you guys to watch it for those that aren’t part of that community because it can inspire you. These types of films have made me understand and somewhat relate to people’s struggles.

The movie is called “Stand and Deliver” and it was made in 1988. Where the genre is drama, with a few comedy parts, it’s based on a true story where a Los Angeles high school teacher, Jaime Escalante, shows up at a new school, and in his classroom, his students start to hassle him. As Jaime slowly understands what the students need, the school principal starts beginsssure him. The principal wants Jamie to control his classroom. Caught in the middle, he gives his students higher math education. After the intensive study, of of the students ace California's calculus test. But then have to be questioned because people believed they cheated. So they have to do it again. The movie doesn’t end there, but I don’t want to spoil the whole film. The actors well known in the film are; Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rosanna DeSoto, and many other actors/actresses.

Because of the story, the actors/actresses and the script has pathed so many legacies that Stand and Deliver created. For examples, Edward James Olmos was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 61st Academy Awards.

In 2011, Stand and Deliver was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress. It was also selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The Registry said the film was "one of the most popular of a new wave of narrative feature films produced in the 1980s by Latino filmmakers" and that it "celebrates in a direct, approachable, and impactful way, values of self-betterment through hard work and power through knowledge.”

And in 2016, the United States Postal Service announced the 1st Class Forever "Jaime Escalante" stamp to honor "the East Los Angeles teacher whose inspirational methods led supposedly 'unteachable' high school students to master calculus."

I feel like these types of movies, no matter what culture you are from, can learn and be inspired by it. They shows good representation, crazy stories that are based on true events, and this story, that Jaime Escanlante happened in 1974 and all the way til 1991. Meaning that this is a pretty fresh event.