La vida de Agustín Lara (1959)

A fairly standard biography about one of Mexico's most famous composer-performers is spiced up with some histrionic moments, obvious blue screen effects and a very generous sprinkling of the subject's songs throughout the film. The screenplay liberally adjusts historical fact - for example, Lara was married to Mexican film star María Félix, but in the film, she suddenly becomes "María Islas" - so do not think you can watch this film in lieu of real research if you have a paper due tomorrow on Lara. Yet despite the laughable aspects of the film, the camera work is well done if not inspired, the acting is decent if not subtle, and the pace is good, if you are a fan of Lara's music. While several of his hit songs do not make the cut and some only get a brief treatment, aficionados will enjoy the film just for the music alone. This is also good if you do not speak Spanish, as this film is probably not going to get the English subtitle treatment any time soon. If you are not a fan of Lara's work, or do not have an interest in Mexican standards from the 40s, this might be a tough film to get through.