Educational Media Reviews Online

This film presents an interesting case study of the development and evolution of a particular type of popular music. Bachata is a genre of popular music from the Dominican Republic. The term was originally used to describe noisy street parties driven by the accompaniment of steel-string guitars. There is dispute among bachata musicians as to the geographic origin of the music within the Dominican Republic, whether it began in rural or urban areas, but the significant factor is that it has its roots among the socially and economically marginalized parts of the population.

The lyrics of bachata, much like those of the blues, grew out of the social climate of its early surroundings. Lyrics about lost love, alcoholism, and other everyday conditions of life among the dispossessed (including many texts with sexual double entendres), added to the slightly illicit reputation of the bachata. As a result of its low social standing, the bachata was slow to be accepted by the general and upper classes in the Dominican Republic.

The first recording of bachata music was made by José Manuel Calderon in1961, a year after the dictator Rafael Trujillo was deposed and opportunities for cultural expression blossomed in the Dominican Republic. Since that date the music has continued to rely on the sound of the steel-string guitar as the basis for its instrumentation, although additions have been added to the basic sound as new influences have been incorporated into the music. The bachata is now recognized as a musical genre as significant to the culture of the Dominican Republic as is the meringue.

This film presents much of this background, usually through the voices of bachata musicians and also through excerpts from interviews with bachata expert, Deborah Pacini Hernandez. Spoken language is in Spanish and English, with subtitles in English and Spanish respectively. The film also features several bachata performances that demonstrate a variety of styles within the bachata genre. The footage of the live performances at clubs in Santo Domingo and New York City is not of the highest quality but captures the flavor of the music and the response of the audience to it. It would have been beneficial to include song translations in subtitles for all of the performances, especially since the nature of the lyrics is considered to be of such importance to the music. Also, it would have been helpful to include a more detailed description of the musical characteristics of the bachata, if possible. Towards this end, it might have been advantageous to include performances of other styles of popular Dominican Republic music, such as meringue.

This film can be recommended for its use as an example of the evolution of a musical genre. Bachata has grown from humble origins to become the second-most recognized musical genre from the Dominican Republic. The story of its roots and how it has assimilated other styles as it has grown in popularity (and the story of its distribution alone is of interest) makes it a model for musical and cultural study. The film is not without weaknesses but those omissions could be addressed in other classroom sessions.