The Mambo Kings
| The Mambo Kings | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Arne Glimcher |
| Produced by |
Arnon Milchan Arne Glimcher |
| Screenplay by | Cynthia Cidre |
| Based on |
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Robert Kraft |
| Cinematography | Michael Ballhaus |
| Edited by | Claire Simpson |
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Production
companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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104 minutes |
| Country | United States France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15.5 million |
| Box office | $6.7 million(domestic) |
The Mambo Kings is a 1992 French–American drama film directed by Arne Glimcher. It is an adaptation of Oscar Hijuelos's 1989 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love. The film stars Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas as Cesar and Nestor Castillo, brothers and aspiring musicians who flee from Cuba to America in the hopes of reviving their failed musical careers. The Mambo Kings marks the directing debut of Glimcher and features Banderas in his first English-language role.
Glimcher purchased the film rights to Hijuelos's novel in 1988, before hiring Cynthia Cidre to write the screenplay. Various studios rejected the film, and after an unsuccessful pre-production development at Universal Studios, the project moved to Warner Bros., with Regency Enterprises and Le Studio Canal+ agreeing to co-finance the film. When Warner Bros. wanted Jeremy Irons and Ray Liotta in the lead roles, Glimcher had to convince executives to cast Assante and Banderas instead. Filming for The Mambo Kings took place in Los Angeles, on sets recreating 1950s New York.
The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, but underperformed at the box office, grossing only $6,742,168 during its domestic theatrical release. For its original song "Beautiful Maria of My Soul", The Mambo Kings earned nominations from several groups, including the Academy Awards.
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