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1
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Let's start with where I'm going.
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At my age,
it's more interesting for everyone
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00:00:39,889 --> 00:00:42,199
to ask where I'm going,
not where I've been.
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00:00:42,292 --> 00:00:47,970
It will make your documentary
more impactful.
5
00:00:48,064 --> 00:00:50,305
So tell us, where are you going?
6
00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,672
We can start
whenever you're ready.
7
00:00:53,770 --> 00:00:55,807
Well, you might think it's corny,
8
00:00:55,905 --> 00:00:57,816
but not everybody knows your story.
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00:00:58,975 --> 00:01:00,648
Ask me anything you want.
10
00:02:57,427 --> 00:03:00,237
Greetings to all the women.
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I send all my love and respect
to all the women of the world.
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All my love.
13
00:03:08,404 --> 00:03:10,816
My name is Chavela Vargas.
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Don't forget it.
15
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We won't forget it.
16
00:03:18,882 --> 00:03:22,329
Can I ask a question?
How old are you?
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00:03:22,418 --> 00:03:23,988
- Honestly?
- Yes.
18
00:03:24,087 --> 00:03:25,361
Seventy-one.
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00:03:25,455 --> 00:03:31,098
I remember seeing you
on TV as a kid,
20
00:03:31,194 --> 00:03:37,475
this lady with a long braid "singing
like a man," as people used to say,
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00:03:37,767 --> 00:03:40,179
with her bottle of tequila
and her poncho.
22
00:03:40,270 --> 00:03:42,011
And a guitar.
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00:03:42,105 --> 00:03:44,483
And a guitar.
That was Chavela Vargas.
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00:03:44,774 --> 00:03:49,189
But now I'm more intrigued
by your life.
25
00:03:49,279 --> 00:03:53,193
At the beginning, where did you sing?
In bars? Cabarets?
26
00:03:53,283 --> 00:03:54,489
In what places?
27
00:03:54,784 --> 00:03:56,491
At the beginning of my career
I sang at El Cuid,
28
00:03:56,786 --> 00:03:59,767
the most elegant club in Mexico.
29
00:03:59,856 --> 00:04:02,928
I worked at the Greek Tavern.
30
00:04:05,295 --> 00:04:09,801
I performed for seven years
at the very famous club Catarí.
31
00:04:10,867 --> 00:04:14,371
And I also worked at The Echo.
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00:04:14,470 --> 00:04:19,886
They called it Chavela Vargas's hideout,
where the high society used to go.
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00:04:54,811 --> 00:04:59,988
At first I dressed like a woman,
with long hair, makeup and high heels.
34
00:05:01,084 --> 00:05:02,859
But it didn't work.
35
00:05:02,952 --> 00:05:05,489
Dressed like a woman,
I looked like a transvestite.
36
00:05:06,155 --> 00:05:07,225
Really.
37
00:05:09,125 --> 00:05:14,939
I'm telling you about a time in my life
when I dressed as a woman...
38
00:05:15,031 --> 00:05:17,136
...in a strapless dress.
39
00:05:18,835 --> 00:05:20,872
How could I sing like that?
40
00:05:20,970 --> 00:05:25,976
I raised my hand,
looked down and I was naked!
41
00:05:27,343 --> 00:05:29,414
I had to walk down the steps.
42
00:05:29,512 --> 00:05:32,254
I thought, "This isn't going
to work, but I'll try."
43
00:05:33,850 --> 00:05:36,330
I rehearsed, like, 80 times,
and when the time came,
44
00:05:36,419 --> 00:05:39,423
I fell down
in front of everyone.
45
00:05:41,157 --> 00:05:45,435
But suddenly I dressed differently,
and things took off.
46
00:05:45,528 --> 00:05:50,876
And everyone wanted to know,
"What's up with Chavela Vargas?
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00:05:50,967 --> 00:05:53,413
She doesn't dress like a woman,
48
00:05:53,503 --> 00:05:56,450
style her hair
or wear makeup like a woman."
49
00:05:57,340 --> 00:05:59,911
Time stood still.
50
00:06:00,009 --> 00:06:06,517
"What's up with this woman
wearing pants before the 1950s?"
51
00:06:06,616 --> 00:06:10,086
When women didn't wear pants.
52
00:06:10,186 --> 00:06:14,157
If you wore them, people would yell
at you on the street.
53
00:06:14,991 --> 00:06:17,164
- "Butch."
- "Butch."
54
00:06:17,260 --> 00:06:19,536
- "Dyke."
- Horrific, no?
55
00:06:19,629 --> 00:06:21,336
But I wore pants...
56
00:06:21,431 --> 00:06:23,172
And the public was stunned.
57
00:06:24,634 --> 00:06:27,615
Both women and men
were into me. Everyone!
58
00:06:34,977 --> 00:06:39,619
Seeing her on TV was a big event,
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00:06:39,916 --> 00:06:44,456
because she broke the mold of
the traditional ranchera singer.
60
00:06:58,634 --> 00:07:02,946
Chavela said no to earrings.
61
00:07:03,039 --> 00:07:06,452
No to dresses full of ribbons.
62
00:07:06,542 --> 00:07:10,149
No to braids. No to shawls.
63
00:07:10,246 --> 00:07:14,251
No to hoop skirts or jewelry.
64
00:07:14,350 --> 00:07:19,459
Or to flirting the way girls did
in classic Mexican movies
65
00:07:19,555 --> 00:07:24,595
where they put their hands on their hips
and moved their little heads like this,
66
00:07:24,694 --> 00:07:27,675
to say, "Long live rice milk!"
67
00:07:27,964 --> 00:07:30,035
Or hibiscus tea.
68
00:07:30,133 --> 00:07:32,409
And, "We're happy to be on display."
69
00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,044
But Chavela had such
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00:07:41,144 --> 00:07:44,387
a strong, serious presence.
71
00:07:45,381 --> 00:07:47,258
And she sang so differently.
72
00:08:10,606 --> 00:08:15,351
Hers wasn't a sweet,
crystal clear voice.
73
00:08:15,444 --> 00:08:17,446
She wasn't a little fountain.
74
00:08:19,015 --> 00:08:22,622
She was more like this...
75
00:08:22,718 --> 00:08:25,096
tremendous canyon.
76
00:08:25,188 --> 00:08:28,761
And she always sounded
like she'd been torn apart.
77
00:08:29,058 --> 00:08:33,564
As if she'd been born
with the wounds of life and death.
78
00:08:57,587 --> 00:09:00,227
She only needed two or three guitars...
79
00:09:00,323 --> 00:09:03,532
two or three guitars
and her voice.
80
00:09:03,626 --> 00:09:07,597
Chavela would linger for a while,
raise her arm like this,
81
00:09:08,464 --> 00:09:11,468
and then start the song.
82
00:09:12,468 --> 00:09:14,345
Sometimes she would sing it.
83
00:09:14,437 --> 00:09:16,439
Other times she would speak it.
84
00:09:16,539 --> 00:09:18,610
She would strip...
85
00:09:20,409 --> 00:09:24,323
all of the happiness
of Mexican music
86
00:09:24,413 --> 00:09:27,860
and synthesize it
into what it's really about.
87
00:09:28,150 --> 00:09:31,097
It's the music of desperation.
88
00:09:31,187 --> 00:09:34,191
That's what
José Alfredo Jiménez composed.
89
00:09:34,290 --> 00:09:37,100
She got rid of
all the embellishments
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00:09:37,193 --> 00:09:39,673
and turned it
into music of the soul.
91
00:09:39,762 --> 00:09:41,537
The wounded soul.
92
00:09:41,631 --> 00:09:44,271
The tragic end of love.
93
00:09:52,108 --> 00:09:54,748
Okay, talk to me.
I'm rambling on like a crazy woman.
94
00:09:54,844 --> 00:09:57,552
No. We came to hear you.
95
00:09:59,382 --> 00:10:01,828
When did you start singing?
96
00:10:02,118 --> 00:10:05,122
- What do you mean?
- Singing for real.
97
00:10:05,221 --> 00:10:08,532
- When I was young?
- Yes.
98
00:10:08,624 --> 00:10:12,333
I've been singing
since I was eight years old.
99
00:10:12,428 --> 00:10:14,305
That's how
I entertained myself at home.
100
00:10:14,397 --> 00:10:17,435
I'd sing at school,
church, everywhere.
101
00:10:17,533 --> 00:10:18,705
I was born singing.
102
00:10:31,347 --> 00:10:35,227
I was born on April 17, 1919,
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00:10:35,318 --> 00:10:38,197
at the end of the world.
In Costa Rica.
104
00:10:52,535 --> 00:10:56,642
I never played with dolls.
105
00:10:56,739 --> 00:11:00,551
I wasn't the playful little girl
with lots of friends.
106
00:11:00,643 --> 00:11:03,283
I was a dreamer.
107
00:11:03,379 --> 00:11:06,724
I was the girl who got up in the middle
of the night without permission
108
00:11:06,816 --> 00:11:10,559
to follow
the music of the serenades,
109
00:11:10,653 --> 00:11:15,898
to look at the moon and wonder
about what was beyond my world.
110
00:11:41,484 --> 00:11:44,988
I was a very sad little girl.
A lonely girl.
111
00:11:45,287 --> 00:11:50,259
One who didn't have
her parents' true love.
112
00:11:50,359 --> 00:11:52,771
So I grew up alone.
113
00:11:53,763 --> 00:11:55,242
I was very alone.
114
00:11:57,333 --> 00:12:01,782
Her own parents
saw her as a strange girl.
115
00:12:03,572 --> 00:12:08,248
They realized
she was a boyish girl.
116
00:12:08,344 --> 00:12:14,260
Her movements, her hands
and her body language
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00:12:14,350 --> 00:12:16,261
were manly.
118
00:12:18,988 --> 00:12:23,630
I grew up in
a typical family of the times.
119
00:12:23,726 --> 00:12:29,039
They were very religious
and very prejudiced.
120
00:12:29,331 --> 00:12:33,677
They had a lot of fear about fitting in
and what people would say.
121
00:12:33,769 --> 00:12:35,976
And they wound up
with a rebellious daughter.
122
00:12:44,613 --> 00:12:47,924
Chavela experienced many cruel moments.
123
00:12:48,017 --> 00:12:50,998
She told me
a really sad story once.
124
00:12:51,287 --> 00:12:53,893
When she was about seven,
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00:12:53,989 --> 00:12:58,699
she walked into church, and in front
of everyone, the priest said,
126
00:12:58,794 --> 00:13:01,798
"That girl can't come in here.
Get her out right now."
127
00:13:04,333 --> 00:13:08,475
And at home, her parents hid her
when they had guests,
128
00:13:08,571 --> 00:13:10,380
so people wouldn't see her.
129
00:13:10,473 --> 00:13:12,919
They hid her
like she was a rabid dog.
130
00:13:14,977 --> 00:13:17,958
My parents were separated,
then divorced.
131
00:13:18,047 --> 00:13:21,722
I was sent to live
with my aunt and uncle.
132
00:13:21,817 --> 00:13:26,562
I never saw my mother.
I didn't even know where she was.
133
00:13:26,655 --> 00:13:28,862
I didn't see my father.
I didn't see anyone.
134
00:13:30,392 --> 00:13:33,339
And I started feeling...
135
00:13:33,429 --> 00:13:36,103
Not fury or hatred.
136
00:13:36,398 --> 00:13:42,405
But every artery
and vein in my body
137
00:13:42,505 --> 00:13:45,042
started to fill
with a rage that was so strong,
138
00:13:45,341 --> 00:13:47,048
I swear I could have ripped
the walls off
139
00:13:47,343 --> 00:13:49,914
that house with my bare hands.
140
00:13:54,350 --> 00:13:57,854
I became obsessed with leaving.
141
00:13:57,953 --> 00:14:01,628
Morning, noon and night:
"I have to leave."
142
00:14:15,838 --> 00:14:19,012
It was a very strange journey.
143
00:14:19,108 --> 00:14:21,554
I was still a child, very young.
144
00:14:21,644 --> 00:14:23,885
It seemed like an eternity.
145
00:14:23,979 --> 00:14:26,391
I was anxious to get to Mexico.
146
00:14:27,750 --> 00:14:30,788
Something was calling me.
Someone was waiting.
147
00:14:30,886 --> 00:14:34,390
That mysterious being called "art"
was waiting for me.
148
00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:54,044
Mexican actors were hugely famous
149
00:14:54,143 --> 00:14:56,123
because of
the black-and-white movies
150
00:14:56,412 --> 00:14:59,882
of the golden age
of Mexican cinema.
151
00:14:59,982 --> 00:15:02,553
And Chavela
fell in love with Mexico.
152
00:15:04,019 --> 00:15:05,464
This is a country...
153
00:15:07,489 --> 00:15:11,631
you can't help
being seduced by.
154
00:15:11,727 --> 00:15:13,138
Everyone dreams of Mexico.
155
00:15:13,429 --> 00:15:15,204
Everyone says, "Mexico!"
156
00:15:15,497 --> 00:15:18,444
Mexico draws you in
with its music.
157
00:15:18,534 --> 00:15:21,447
I dreamed of a paradise
called Mexico.
158
00:15:21,537 --> 00:15:24,143
Mexico taught me to be who I am.
159
00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:28,718
Not with hugs and kisses,
but with punches and slaps.
160
00:15:28,811 --> 00:15:32,190
Mexico grabbed me and said,
"I'm going to make you a woman.
161
00:15:32,481 --> 00:15:35,462
"I'm going to
raise you in the land of men.
162
00:15:35,551 --> 00:15:37,656
"I'll teach you how to sing.
You want to sing?
163
00:15:37,753 --> 00:15:41,701
Then you will have
to confront the best in Mexico."
164
00:15:46,128 --> 00:15:48,665
My mother went to a cabaret
165
00:15:48,764 --> 00:15:50,243
called The Afro.
166
00:15:50,532 --> 00:15:53,172
And that's where
she saw Chavela Vargas.
167
00:15:53,469 --> 00:15:59,715
My mom said, "I think she would sing
José Alfredo's songs beautifully."
168
00:15:59,808 --> 00:16:03,722
My father was on tour,
and when he came back,
169
00:16:03,812 --> 00:16:08,124
my mother told him, "Let's go see
this woman I saw with my uncle
170
00:16:08,217 --> 00:16:12,029
who sings so beautifully."
171
00:16:14,189 --> 00:16:17,500
The first time I met José Alfredo was...
172
00:16:17,593 --> 00:16:20,506
in a bar.
173
00:16:20,596 --> 00:16:23,907
They introduced us and I said,
"Nice meeting you, sir.
174
00:16:23,999 --> 00:16:26,741
I admire you very much."
175
00:16:26,835 --> 00:16:28,815
My father had won Composer of the Year,
176
00:16:28,904 --> 00:16:31,612
and his songs were very famous.
177
00:16:31,707 --> 00:16:35,245
So Chavela obviously
knew who he was.
178
00:16:35,544 --> 00:16:36,750
They were both very happy.
179
00:16:36,845 --> 00:16:38,756
And that's how
their friendship started.
180
00:16:56,598 --> 00:17:00,307
José Alfredo is ranchera music
181
00:17:00,602 --> 00:17:03,947
but in the deepest form of pain.
182
00:17:04,039 --> 00:17:08,181
"The day she left,
she abandoned me."
183
00:17:08,277 --> 00:17:11,690
"I loved you so much,
but you ignored me."
184
00:17:11,780 --> 00:17:16,593
In his songs, he would say...
185
00:17:16,685 --> 00:17:20,895
His woman would leave him,
and he'd say,
186
00:17:20,989 --> 00:17:25,335
"I hope everything goes well for you.
I hope your grief disappears."
187
00:17:25,627 --> 00:17:27,732
He never condemned the woman.
188
00:17:56,992 --> 00:18:02,305
She's the best interpreter
of José Alfredo's music.
189
00:18:02,598 --> 00:18:04,771
She sang him like no other.
190
00:18:04,867 --> 00:18:07,040
Since she knew him,
191
00:18:07,136 --> 00:18:11,175
she must have known
the story behind each song.
192
00:18:11,273 --> 00:18:14,015
And the reason for each song.
193
00:18:14,109 --> 00:18:18,319
He said, "It's as if she has learned
to live in my songs.
194
00:18:18,614 --> 00:18:23,188
She sings them
as if she's living the lyrics."
195
00:18:51,914 --> 00:18:55,123
He was very handsome,
with light blue eyes.
196
00:18:55,217 --> 00:18:58,061
Jose Alfredo, he was blue eyed.
197
00:18:59,321 --> 00:19:01,733
He made all the ladies fall for him.
198
00:19:01,824 --> 00:19:05,897
I sang to them
while he seduced them.
199
00:19:07,362 --> 00:19:09,899
We would come on Saturday
and leave Monday.
200
00:19:09,998 --> 00:19:13,844
We would drink everything.
Whatever they had.
201
00:19:13,936 --> 00:19:16,314
People would ask,
"Can't we have a drink?"
202
00:19:16,405 --> 00:19:19,352
The owner of Tenampa would say,
"No, you can't. There's nothing left."
203
00:19:21,243 --> 00:19:24,690
The owner of Tenampa was afraid of them.
204
00:19:24,780 --> 00:19:26,885
He'd say, "They're going
to empty the place out!"
205
00:19:26,982 --> 00:19:29,929
Because they would stay
two or three days.
206
00:19:30,018 --> 00:19:31,929
All they asked for
was straight tequila.
207
00:19:33,422 --> 00:19:36,403
Whenever we got drunk, we'd fall down.
208
00:19:36,692 --> 00:19:38,171
We'd hear, "Clunk!"
209
00:19:38,260 --> 00:19:41,036
What's-his-name just fell down.
This other one just fell down.
210
00:19:41,129 --> 00:19:45,077
But I had a lot of fun.
I enjoyed myself.
211
00:19:45,167 --> 00:19:48,307
I would get wasted, and I loved it.
212
00:20:05,420 --> 00:20:08,424
He would stay a week,
then disappear for a month.
213
00:20:08,724 --> 00:20:13,002
He would come back for 15 days,
then disappear for another three months.
214
00:20:14,997 --> 00:20:18,069
Chavela would say
that was the way they liked living.
215
00:20:18,166 --> 00:20:20,476
And it was the only way they knew,
216
00:20:20,769 --> 00:20:25,946
going from party to party, singing.
217
00:20:26,041 --> 00:20:27,782
And conquering hearts.
218
00:20:37,085 --> 00:20:41,761
Chavela created her persona
219
00:20:41,857 --> 00:20:44,997
in a very macho world,
220
00:20:45,093 --> 00:20:48,040
a misogynist world
221
00:20:48,130 --> 00:20:51,805
where a lesbian had no place.
222
00:20:54,102 --> 00:20:56,241
To become Chavela,
223
00:20:56,338 --> 00:21:00,377
she had to be stronger,
more macha and more drunk
224
00:21:00,475 --> 00:21:04,287
than any other
singing cowboy around.
225
00:21:07,316 --> 00:21:10,229
You spend
all your time whining.
226
00:21:10,319 --> 00:21:13,926
I'm not a whimpering woman,
and I don't let anybody step on me.
227
00:21:15,524 --> 00:21:19,062
She constructed
a black legend around her.
228
00:21:19,161 --> 00:21:24,201
The Chavela Vargas who had
as many women as she wanted.
229
00:21:25,334 --> 00:21:26,972
She would ride a white horse
230
00:21:27,069 --> 00:21:30,812
and scoop up every
pretty woman in her path.
231
00:21:31,406 --> 00:21:33,215
Go ahead, shoot!
232
00:21:33,308 --> 00:21:39,816
She had to be the most macha
of all the machos.
233
00:21:58,967 --> 00:22:03,848
She was the first one
to openly dress like a man.
234
00:22:03,939 --> 00:22:09,116
But she never said
it was a sexual preference.
235
00:22:10,245 --> 00:22:12,623
Everyone knew
she was homosexual,
236
00:22:12,914 --> 00:22:13,915
but she never said it.
237
00:22:14,016 --> 00:22:15,222
You didn't say those things.
238
00:22:15,317 --> 00:22:17,388
It wasn't socially acceptable.
239
00:22:20,589 --> 00:22:25,595
Mexican society
is deeply hypocritical.
240
00:22:25,894 --> 00:22:30,570
You can do whatever you want,
as long as it's not in the open.
241
00:22:30,866 --> 00:22:34,871
Onstage it doesn't matter,
because there, anything goes.
242
00:22:34,970 --> 00:22:36,574
But only onstage.
243
00:22:36,872 --> 00:22:39,580
Offstage, no.
244
00:22:39,875 --> 00:22:43,186
Being gay for real, no.
245
00:22:43,278 --> 00:22:47,658
If you're a lesbian,
you're marginalized. Period.
246
00:22:47,949 --> 00:22:51,590
We live in a patriarchal society.
247
00:22:51,887 --> 00:22:56,336
You must respect it
because you're part of society.
248
00:22:58,593 --> 00:23:02,234
Respect it
and make people respect you.
249
00:23:02,330 --> 00:23:07,040
I can't expose myself. People who work
like I do have to be careful.
250
00:23:07,135 --> 00:23:10,139
I can't walk around
with a sign saying I'm lesbian.
251
00:23:10,238 --> 00:23:11,546
That's awful.
252
00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:15,452
You know, I can't. To be...
253
00:23:15,544 --> 00:23:17,148
You have your own way of saying it.
254
00:23:17,245 --> 00:23:18,622
Onstage.
255
00:23:18,914 --> 00:23:23,021
I have opened doors and paths,
but I've suffered a lot.
256
00:23:23,118 --> 00:23:26,622
- Lots of pain. Many insults.
- Exactly.
257
00:23:26,922 --> 00:23:30,301
People say, "Is Chavela Vargas
coming to sing?"
258
00:23:30,392 --> 00:23:34,966
"No, we don't want her here,
because she's this or that."
259
00:23:35,063 --> 00:23:36,337
"She's going to discredit us."
260
00:23:36,431 --> 00:23:38,206
So horrible.
261
00:23:38,300 --> 00:23:41,645
She was booked
by very small, bohemian places
262
00:23:41,937 --> 00:23:45,077
where she had a strong following.
263
00:23:45,173 --> 00:23:49,121
But she only performed
on big stages
264
00:23:49,211 --> 00:23:52,715
as part of an ensemble.
265
00:23:53,014 --> 00:23:55,995
She was the filler.
Never the main act.
266
00:24:12,033 --> 00:24:14,536
A painter friend of mine said,
267
00:24:14,636 --> 00:24:19,642
"There's a party tonight
at Frida's house. Want to go?"
268
00:24:20,976 --> 00:24:22,046
So I went.
269
00:24:23,512 --> 00:24:26,584
There were so many people there.
270
00:24:29,184 --> 00:24:33,257
We sang and danced
all night long.
271
00:24:33,355 --> 00:24:35,301
Everyone was drunk.
272
00:24:40,328 --> 00:24:43,502
She was like a vision.
273
00:24:44,466 --> 00:24:47,345
When I saw her face, her eyes,
274
00:24:47,435 --> 00:24:51,713
I thought she was from another world.
275
00:24:52,007 --> 00:24:57,582
Her eyebrows together
were a swallow in mid-flight.
276
00:25:24,206 --> 00:25:26,777
I wasn't a woman yet.
277
00:25:27,075 --> 00:25:29,817
I was still very much a young girl.
278
00:25:30,111 --> 00:25:35,789
Yet, I knew
I could love this person
279
00:25:36,084 --> 00:25:39,691
with the most devoted love
in the world,
280
00:25:39,788 --> 00:25:42,598
the most ardent
love in the world.
281
00:26:49,858 --> 00:26:52,361
I would sing in the morning.
282
00:26:52,460 --> 00:26:57,671
Perhaps not for her,
but for my own freedom in love.
283
00:26:59,267 --> 00:27:02,146
She loved my singing.
284
00:27:06,308 --> 00:27:10,279
When I said
I would leave her one day,
285
00:27:10,378 --> 00:27:13,848
my words probably
hurt her deeply.
286
00:27:14,149 --> 00:27:15,719
But she said, "I know.
287
00:27:17,385 --> 00:27:22,528
"It's impossible
to tie you down to anyone's life.
288
00:27:22,624 --> 00:27:26,401
"I can't bind you
to my crutches or my bed.
289
00:27:26,494 --> 00:27:28,701
Leave."
290
00:27:28,797 --> 00:27:32,335
And one day, I opened the door
and never returned.
291
00:28:04,933 --> 00:28:09,279
My debut in Acapulco
was at Hotel Mirador,
292
00:28:09,371 --> 00:28:13,820
at a little club called The Pearl,
where all of Hollywood went.
293
00:28:13,908 --> 00:28:18,914
It was the time of people like
Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson,
294
00:28:19,214 --> 00:28:22,787
Clark Gable, Lana Turner.
295
00:28:24,853 --> 00:28:29,563
In Acapulco, they could walk around
and no one asked for their autographs.
296
00:28:29,657 --> 00:28:33,298
They were elegant,
beautiful people.
297
00:28:33,395 --> 00:28:38,777
My memories are of nights
at the marina. Nights by the cliffs.
298
00:29:01,823 --> 00:29:06,431
I was at Elizabeth Taylor's wedding.
299
00:29:06,528 --> 00:29:09,941
Everybody went to bed with someone.
I woke up with Ava Gardner.
300
00:29:21,743 --> 00:29:23,552
I was on the beach.
301
00:29:26,314 --> 00:29:30,990
I had come because I needed
to have a nice little getaway.
302
00:29:31,286 --> 00:29:33,926
And I'm sitting down there and this
really nice-looking woman comes up to me
303
00:29:34,022 --> 00:29:36,002
and says, "Are you all right?"
304
00:29:36,291 --> 00:29:38,737
So she said, "Well,
do you have a boyfriend?"
305
00:29:38,827 --> 00:29:41,364
I looked at her and said,
"No, I don't have a boyfriend!
306
00:29:41,463 --> 00:29:43,443
I don't like boys,
and they don't like me."
307
00:29:43,531 --> 00:29:46,410
And that's what did it.
308
00:29:46,501 --> 00:29:50,005
So we started talking.
She didn't like boys, either.
309
00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:55,011
I didn't know anything
about her, really.
310
00:29:55,310 --> 00:29:59,315
But people in the hotel when I got there
told me that she was a famous singer.
311
00:30:02,817 --> 00:30:06,458
It was very hot there
at that time.
312
00:30:06,554 --> 00:30:08,534
So, then she said,
"Would you like to go up
313
00:30:08,623 --> 00:30:10,500
into the mountains
where it's cooler?"
314
00:30:10,592 --> 00:30:12,970
And I said yes,
315
00:30:13,061 --> 00:30:15,803
thinking all the time
I always promised my mother
316
00:30:15,897 --> 00:30:18,741
I would never ride
on motorcycles.
317
00:30:22,003 --> 00:30:23,744
She was very sure of herself
318
00:30:23,838 --> 00:30:27,047
and, uh, she could be a little abrupt,
319
00:30:27,342 --> 00:30:29,117
but that didn't bother me.
320
00:30:29,410 --> 00:30:31,481
And the nicest part of all
was she kissed me.
321
00:30:33,047 --> 00:30:35,550
It was wonderful.
322
00:30:35,650 --> 00:30:37,129
But I didn't ever really think
323
00:30:37,418 --> 00:30:39,455
it would matter to her
if she ever saw me again.
324
00:30:40,655 --> 00:30:43,568
The few times that
I ran into her in Mexico City,
325
00:30:43,658 --> 00:30:46,730
she always had a really, pretty,
pretty woman with her.
326
00:30:46,828 --> 00:30:48,705
And I was just ordinary.
327
00:30:57,505 --> 00:30:59,781
Chavela was a very seductive woman
328
00:30:59,874 --> 00:31:05,483
who had lots of lovers,
lots of affairs.
329
00:31:05,580 --> 00:31:10,893
Mostly with people who preferred
to keep their identities hidden.
330
00:31:10,985 --> 00:31:17,527
Very famous,
well-known people.
331
00:31:18,526 --> 00:31:23,407
The wives of politicians
and intellectuals.
332
00:31:25,833 --> 00:31:27,938
Chavela would fall in love
333
00:31:28,036 --> 00:31:30,710
with the wives of officials
who came to see her.
334
00:31:30,805 --> 00:31:33,183
Everybody wanted to see Chavela.
335
00:31:33,474 --> 00:31:35,920
Rich people, politicians.
336
00:31:36,010 --> 00:31:38,684
Chavela would seduce their wives
337
00:31:38,780 --> 00:31:41,192
because she was
a very attractive woman.
338
00:31:41,482 --> 00:31:42,927
She would never mention
339
00:31:43,017 --> 00:31:45,896
the names of her lovers
340
00:31:45,987 --> 00:31:50,663
because she wanted to protect
their identities.
341
00:31:50,758 --> 00:31:53,568
But everybody knew
she slept with all of Mexico.
342
00:31:54,829 --> 00:31:57,708
It's just that she was so beautiful.
Chavela was beautiful.
343
00:32:02,637 --> 00:32:08,178
I get the impression that you fell
in and out of love a lot.
344
00:32:08,476 --> 00:32:10,046
- No, no, let me tell you...
- No?
345
00:32:11,713 --> 00:32:16,184
Really, Chavela?
But the way you sing love songs...
346
00:32:16,484 --> 00:32:18,157
Of course you did.
347
00:32:18,453 --> 00:32:20,933
Yes, I've fallen in love a lot.
348
00:32:21,022 --> 00:32:24,231
Because if you haven't loved,
you haven't lived.
349
00:32:24,525 --> 00:32:26,903
Do you believe in eternal love?
350
00:32:26,995 --> 00:32:28,633
No, that doesn't exist, dear.
351
00:32:28,730 --> 00:32:34,180
We all have to live
in the present.
352
00:32:34,469 --> 00:32:38,542
Don't think about
yesterday or tomorrow. Today.
353
00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:40,586
Why would anyone
swear eternal love?
354
00:32:40,675 --> 00:32:43,747
Seems corny to me,
don't you agree?
355
00:32:43,845 --> 00:32:45,688
That's old-fashioned, right?
356
00:32:48,182 --> 00:32:51,857
- It's not real?
- What do you think?
357
00:32:58,993 --> 00:33:02,031
Chavela was a solitary person.
358
00:33:02,130 --> 00:33:08,979
Deep inside,
she was a lonely woman.
359
00:33:09,070 --> 00:33:14,952
She said that solitude was
her most loyal companion.
360
00:33:17,512 --> 00:33:18,923
I don't think anyone
361
00:33:19,013 --> 00:33:23,792
should ever expect love
to resolve their problems.
362
00:33:23,885 --> 00:33:26,058
Don't bet your life on love.
363
00:33:26,154 --> 00:33:30,000
Love exists, but it's fleeting.
364
00:33:30,091 --> 00:33:35,268
Love is so brief,
and yet forgetting takes so long.
365
00:34:25,913 --> 00:34:27,051
He tried.
366
00:34:27,148 --> 00:34:30,891
He stopped drinking
for almost two years.
367
00:34:30,985 --> 00:34:35,331
But eventually,
he went back to hard liquor.
368
00:34:35,623 --> 00:34:40,197
His beautiful blue eyes
turned yellow.
369
00:34:40,294 --> 00:34:43,935
They were dim.
370
00:34:44,031 --> 00:34:49,640
Not like the pretty color
we were used to.
371
00:34:49,737 --> 00:34:53,810
We had to hospitalize him.
372
00:34:53,908 --> 00:34:56,354
He died nine days later.
373
00:35:01,349 --> 00:35:03,329
He died in the morning.
374
00:35:03,618 --> 00:35:05,928
Chavela showed up that night, crying.
375
00:35:06,020 --> 00:35:08,364
With a bottle.
376
00:35:08,656 --> 00:35:13,969
She sat by my mom for a long time
in one of the armchairs there.
377
00:35:14,061 --> 00:35:18,806
Then she walked over
to where the coffin was,
378
00:35:18,900 --> 00:35:25,078
up on a little step,
and sat there.
379
00:35:25,173 --> 00:35:27,153
She started singing.
380
00:35:27,241 --> 00:35:30,222
And drinking. And drinking.
381
00:36:16,958 --> 00:36:19,063
Chavela always talked about him.
382
00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:24,974
She said he left a huge hole
in her heart, that it was hard.
383
00:36:25,066 --> 00:36:26,807
She missed him terribly.
384
00:36:38,246 --> 00:36:40,317
She was drinking too much.
385
00:36:40,414 --> 00:36:44,487
In fact, she was becoming famous
for performing drunk.
386
00:36:44,785 --> 00:36:47,493
It was getting ugly.
387
00:36:47,788 --> 00:36:49,495
The stage terrified her.
388
00:36:49,790 --> 00:36:54,330
So before going on,
she needed a few shots of tequila.
389
00:36:54,428 --> 00:36:57,307
And people kept buying her more.
390
00:36:57,398 --> 00:37:01,778
She had no idea
how many drinks she'd had,
391
00:37:01,869 --> 00:37:04,372
and she would fall down, wasted.
392
00:37:04,472 --> 00:37:07,009
That's why people
stopped booking her.
393
00:37:07,108 --> 00:37:10,146
That's why she stopped singing.
It was the alcohol.
394
00:37:10,244 --> 00:37:14,124
Alcoholism is a sickness.
395
00:37:14,215 --> 00:37:18,994
It's more an emotional dependence
of the soul than of the body.
396
00:37:19,086 --> 00:37:24,297
Of course, it affects your body
and kills your brain.
397
00:37:24,392 --> 00:37:27,771
But it's more
of a psychic illness,
398
00:37:27,862 --> 00:37:31,309
one of loneliness
and abandonment,
399
00:37:31,399 --> 00:37:34,380
of being surrounded by people
and feeling nothing.
400
00:38:02,330 --> 00:38:05,072
She lived in a little room
401
00:38:05,166 --> 00:38:07,077
with her dog, Vicenta.
402
00:38:07,168 --> 00:38:11,878
Some days
there was no money for food.
403
00:38:12,940 --> 00:38:19,186
She would only eat
if friends invited her.
404
00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:21,521
If not, she would just drink.
405
00:38:24,986 --> 00:38:28,297
Chavela was broke. She was alone.
406
00:38:28,389 --> 00:38:32,428
She was never paid well for her records.
They stole a lot from her.
407
00:38:32,526 --> 00:38:35,905
She had a huge fight
with Orfeón, her record label.
408
00:38:35,997 --> 00:38:41,242
Chavela was
literally blacklisted by Azcárraga.
409
00:38:42,470 --> 00:38:49,080
According to Chavela,
it was because she stole his girlfriend.
410
00:38:50,111 --> 00:38:51,283
So how...
411
00:38:53,581 --> 00:39:00,123
How was he going to let her
keep singing for Orfeón
412
00:39:00,221 --> 00:39:02,599
when she had
stolen his girlfriend?
413
00:39:02,890 --> 00:39:04,563
I'm not afraid to say it,
414
00:39:04,859 --> 00:39:07,271
but record companies are
a bunch of thieves. Period.
415
00:39:07,361 --> 00:39:11,173
Everyone buys my records,
and I get paid nothing.
416
00:39:11,265 --> 00:39:14,906
I never thought
I could live off my records.
417
00:39:15,002 --> 00:39:16,208
Never.
418
00:39:21,008 --> 00:39:24,387
People thought she was dead.
419
00:39:24,478 --> 00:39:26,924
They thought she had died
in obscurity.
420
00:39:37,358 --> 00:39:39,531
One day I came over
421
00:39:39,627 --> 00:39:45,976
and she was sitting with a man
and a bottle of tequila.
422
00:39:46,067 --> 00:39:51,278
He had papers
for Chavela to sign
423
00:39:51,372 --> 00:39:54,615
to make him her agent.
424
00:39:54,909 --> 00:40:00,484
So I stayed while
they drank the whole bottle.
425
00:40:00,581 --> 00:40:04,028
In the morning, I called
a friend of mine who's a lawyer.
426
00:40:05,086 --> 00:40:07,327
Patria Jiménez calls me,
427
00:40:07,421 --> 00:40:09,492
"Chavela needs a lawyer."
428
00:40:09,590 --> 00:40:13,060
I said, "You have to come
because something's wrong here.
429
00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:17,336
"They're going
to make Chavela sign something,
430
00:40:17,431 --> 00:40:19,411
and she doesn't even know what it is."
431
00:40:20,634 --> 00:40:22,477
"I'm on my way."
432
00:40:23,671 --> 00:40:27,278
My friend was very pretty
with blue eyes.
433
00:40:27,374 --> 00:40:29,411
When she came through the door
at Chavela's house,
434
00:40:29,510 --> 00:40:33,686
the sunlight behind her
turned her hair golden.
435
00:40:33,981 --> 00:40:36,655
So when Chavela turned around
and saw her,
436
00:40:36,951 --> 00:40:38,430
she made a gesture like,
437
00:40:38,519 --> 00:40:42,160
"Where did this vision come from?"
438
00:40:44,525 --> 00:40:50,669
The Señora had already had
a few, to say the least.
439
00:40:50,965 --> 00:40:53,673
And she just stared at me.
440
00:40:53,968 --> 00:40:57,347
You remember her big hands?
She had impressively large hands.
441
00:40:57,438 --> 00:40:59,076
She held them out like this.
442
00:40:59,173 --> 00:41:01,676
"Would you marry me, Nina?"
443
00:41:03,244 --> 00:41:05,053
How do you even respond to that?
444
00:41:05,146 --> 00:41:10,687
"Whatever you want, Señora.
But first, let's take care of this guy."
445
00:41:10,985 --> 00:41:12,589
"I'll take care of it."
446
00:41:12,686 --> 00:41:15,257
She wanted to get her pistol,
but I said, "No, wait, Señora.
447
00:41:15,356 --> 00:41:19,463
Don't worry.
We'll handle it without the gun."
448
00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:22,370
I told the man,
"No, she's not signing anything.
449
00:41:22,463 --> 00:41:25,273
She already has
legal representation.
450
00:41:25,366 --> 00:41:27,642
That's me. That's why I'm here.
451
00:41:27,735 --> 00:41:31,478
So please... leave,
452
00:41:31,572 --> 00:41:36,282
because I don't know how long
I can restrain the Señora."
453
00:41:39,747 --> 00:41:47,427
That was a day I will never forget.
September 2, 1988.
454
00:41:47,521 --> 00:41:50,092
From then on,
it was something...
455
00:41:51,458 --> 00:41:52,698
magical.
456
00:42:02,636 --> 00:42:04,673
She always called me Nina.
457
00:42:04,772 --> 00:42:06,581
Except when she was angry with me.
458
00:42:06,674 --> 00:42:10,349
Then she called me
by my complete name, Alicia Elena.
459
00:42:12,079 --> 00:42:14,559
Nina in Portuguese
means "little girl."
460
00:42:14,648 --> 00:42:16,127
So I was her little girl.
461
00:42:17,318 --> 00:42:18,524
And I called her Señora.
462
00:42:18,619 --> 00:42:20,223
Yes.
463
00:42:20,321 --> 00:42:22,460
But capitalized.
464
00:42:22,556 --> 00:42:27,130
Not just any señora, but: Señora.
465
00:42:28,762 --> 00:42:33,404
Chavela was much more
than a great love. So much more.
466
00:42:33,500 --> 00:42:37,505
She was a vital experience
467
00:42:37,605 --> 00:42:41,451
that transcended everything.
468
00:42:42,610 --> 00:42:44,453
Also, she was
a very complex person.
469
00:42:44,545 --> 00:42:49,255
Fun, magical.
470
00:42:49,350 --> 00:42:51,796
Chavela depended on me a lot.
471
00:42:52,086 --> 00:42:54,430
At some point, I needed her too.
472
00:42:54,521 --> 00:42:55,693
It was...
473
00:42:57,524 --> 00:42:58,696
everything at once.
474
00:42:58,792 --> 00:43:01,602
Yes. Everything at once.
475
00:43:10,671 --> 00:43:15,586
She loved walking up and down Tepoztlán.
476
00:43:15,676 --> 00:43:17,815
She loved the village celebrations.
477
00:43:18,112 --> 00:43:19,887
And people treated her
478
00:43:20,180 --> 00:43:24,754
as if she were
the prima donna of Mexico.
479
00:43:26,353 --> 00:43:30,597
She would come Sundays and Wednesdays,
480
00:43:30,691 --> 00:43:32,671
when the market was open.
481
00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:36,333
She would always come with a bag.
482
00:43:36,430 --> 00:43:37,534
She never bought anything.
483
00:43:37,631 --> 00:43:40,703
It was obvious
she didn't have any money.
484
00:43:44,138 --> 00:43:48,587
I owned a restaurant for 25 years.
485
00:43:48,676 --> 00:43:53,250
I was very young
when I started the business.
486
00:43:53,347 --> 00:43:55,520
That's where I met Chavela.
487
00:43:57,384 --> 00:43:59,591
She identified a lot with me.
488
00:43:59,687 --> 00:44:06,229
We were both feisty, gutsy women
who never gave up.
489
00:44:06,327 --> 00:44:07,863
They became good friends.
490
00:44:08,162 --> 00:44:10,608
My mom was young
and liked to party.
491
00:44:10,698 --> 00:44:13,907
Chavela also loved to party.
492
00:44:14,201 --> 00:44:16,875
And they had tequila
in common. Heh.
493
00:44:17,171 --> 00:44:19,481
They drank the rivers dry
in Tepoztlán.
494
00:44:19,573 --> 00:44:21,246
That's why
it's so dry around here.
495
00:44:21,342 --> 00:44:24,255
Between the two of them,
they drank it all.
496
00:44:25,846 --> 00:44:28,622
I would say,
"There's a party going on. Come.
497
00:44:28,716 --> 00:44:32,186
Let's go to this gathering.
Come on."
498
00:44:32,286 --> 00:44:34,288
We would leave the bar
at 6:00 in the morning.
499
00:44:34,388 --> 00:44:40,805
Then we would walk around town
getting into trouble.
500
00:44:40,894 --> 00:44:44,398
I didn't know
it was such a problem for her.
501
00:44:44,498 --> 00:44:49,607
We would come, eat and drink
one tequila, then another and another.
502
00:44:49,703 --> 00:44:53,810
It was normal.
Just another Saturday night.
503
00:44:53,907 --> 00:44:58,549
The truth is
Señora drank so much.
504
00:45:00,214 --> 00:45:02,626
There was no way to stop her.
505
00:45:03,784 --> 00:45:05,786
Sometimes I would find her
506
00:45:05,886 --> 00:45:09,663
sitting with a bunch
of construction workers
507
00:45:09,757 --> 00:45:13,728
drinking beer
or soda with rubbing alcohol.
508
00:45:13,827 --> 00:45:16,364
That was all they could afford.
509
00:45:16,463 --> 00:45:20,934
"Señora, you're going to get sick.
Come on. Let's go inside."
510
00:45:21,235 --> 00:45:24,739
"No, no, no.
A little while longer, Nina.
511
00:45:24,838 --> 00:45:26,840
Just one more and I'm done."
512
00:45:29,543 --> 00:45:32,854
Her alcoholism was severe.
513
00:45:32,946 --> 00:45:35,790
Very, very severe.
514
00:45:35,883 --> 00:45:38,386
Beneath her shirt,
515
00:45:38,485 --> 00:45:42,729
her liver
literally felt like a papaya.
516
00:45:42,823 --> 00:45:44,496
That's how swollen it was.
517
00:45:44,591 --> 00:45:47,629
"If you keep drinking,
you're going to die, Señora."
518
00:45:49,863 --> 00:45:52,969
"But that doesn't matter."
"It doesn't matter? Of course it does!
519
00:45:53,267 --> 00:45:55,611
It's important how you die."
520
00:45:55,702 --> 00:45:57,010
"No, that doesn't matter."
521
00:46:06,413 --> 00:46:10,452
I have faith in the Mexican gods.
522
00:46:11,852 --> 00:46:17,996
I believe in Cihuateteo,
the goddess of life and death.
523
00:46:18,292 --> 00:46:23,469
In Mictlantecuhtli,
the master of death.
524
00:46:23,564 --> 00:46:26,443
They prepare you
for your departure.
525
00:46:28,335 --> 00:46:30,815
I think death is beautiful.
526
00:46:30,904 --> 00:46:33,748
One day, she said,
"Come with me."
527
00:46:33,841 --> 00:46:38,586
I told her,
"Not yet. Don't take me yet."
528
00:46:38,679 --> 00:46:42,559
Life said, "Leave her with me
for a while. Lend her to me.
529
00:46:42,649 --> 00:46:46,825
"I still need to talk to her.
530
00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:51,391
I'll give her back to you.
When she's ready, I'll help her go."
531
00:46:55,629 --> 00:46:59,076
Chavela always spoke of mysticism.
532
00:46:59,366 --> 00:47:03,940
At one point,
she went to be with the shamans.
533
00:47:04,037 --> 00:47:10,386
During her most difficult times,
someone took her.
534
00:47:11,378 --> 00:47:15,520
That's when Chavela changed.
535
00:47:15,616 --> 00:47:17,618
I left.
536
00:47:17,718 --> 00:47:21,791
When I came back,
I stopped drinking.
537
00:47:27,861 --> 00:47:32,537
Chavela always said
that the shamans cured her.
538
00:47:32,633 --> 00:47:36,581
That must mean I'm a shaman.
Thank you!
539
00:47:36,670 --> 00:47:40,015
But that's not how it happened.
That is not how it happened.
540
00:47:41,475 --> 00:47:44,149
It wasn't just the two of us.
541
00:47:44,444 --> 00:47:49,689
It was my kids, her, myself.
542
00:47:49,783 --> 00:47:52,389
She was part of my family.
543
00:47:54,087 --> 00:47:58,502
My son was six years old.
544
00:47:58,592 --> 00:48:01,869
She would always ask, "The boy?
545
00:48:03,397 --> 00:48:05,900
"Where's that boy?
546
00:48:05,999 --> 00:48:08,741
Don't make him a faggot."
547
00:48:08,835 --> 00:48:14,148
"No, Chavela.
He'll be whatever he wants to be."
548
00:48:14,441 --> 00:48:18,890
"We have to teach him
how to use a gun."
549
00:48:18,979 --> 00:48:22,483
"No, Chavela, I would rather not."
"But he'll be a faggot."
550
00:48:22,583 --> 00:48:26,030
"No, Señora. No gun, no gun."
551
00:48:27,921 --> 00:48:30,731
We were visiting Cuernavaca.
552
00:48:30,824 --> 00:48:34,738
Suddenly, I couldn't find
the Señora or the kid.
553
00:48:36,129 --> 00:48:39,474
There was a huge garden,
554
00:48:39,566 --> 00:48:45,175
and I spotted my son's pants.
555
00:48:46,540 --> 00:48:48,520
I yelled,
556
00:48:48,609 --> 00:48:51,681
and he jumped up.
557
00:48:51,778 --> 00:48:54,918
"Chavela is teaching me
how to shoot spiders with a pistol."
558
00:48:58,619 --> 00:49:02,123
My heart sank to the floor.
559
00:49:03,590 --> 00:49:05,092
The Señora got up babbling.
560
00:49:06,493 --> 00:49:09,201
"I'm training this little boy."
561
00:49:09,496 --> 00:49:10,998
Holy Mother of God.
562
00:49:13,800 --> 00:49:17,873
I must've sounded so angry,
563
00:49:17,971 --> 00:49:21,783
because it was the only time
my son instantly obeyed me.
564
00:49:21,875 --> 00:49:24,219
And I said to her,
565
00:49:24,511 --> 00:49:28,482
"If you don't stop drinking,
you'll never see us again."
566
00:49:30,817 --> 00:49:37,098
She kept calling at 2:00, 3:00
in the morning for a whole week.
567
00:49:37,190 --> 00:49:39,932
"Nina, I need you."
568
00:49:40,027 --> 00:49:43,065
"As long as you're drinking,
I'm not coming."
569
00:49:44,531 --> 00:49:47,705
Until one day
someone knocked at the door.
570
00:49:47,801 --> 00:49:52,216
Chavela says,
"Nina, I swear
571
00:49:52,506 --> 00:49:54,281
in the name of
what I love most in this life,
572
00:49:54,574 --> 00:49:58,920
you and your kids,
that I will never drink again."
573
00:49:59,012 --> 00:50:04,587
And we went back to our loving,
fun, magical relationship.
574
00:50:17,597 --> 00:50:21,977
Our bartender is bored
of making rum and cokes.
575
00:50:22,069 --> 00:50:25,243
- So order something else.
- But they're the cheapest!
576
00:50:25,539 --> 00:50:27,712
He's getting a headache
from boredom.
577
00:50:28,809 --> 00:50:30,686
When we opened El Hábito,
578
00:50:30,777 --> 00:50:35,021
we wanted both singers
from the past
579
00:50:35,115 --> 00:50:37,959
and younger ones.
580
00:50:38,051 --> 00:50:42,796
One day, someone said, "Chavela
Vargas is sitting right there."
581
00:50:42,889 --> 00:50:45,165
We said,
"That's impossible. She's dead!"
582
00:50:46,626 --> 00:50:48,264
"No. She's right there."
583
00:50:49,696 --> 00:50:55,977
Tonight we are honored
to present an artist
584
00:50:56,069 --> 00:51:00,848
who hasn't been on a Mexican stage
for many, many years.
585
00:51:00,941 --> 00:51:06,289
I don't need
to go into why she's been away.
586
00:51:06,580 --> 00:51:12,030
But it's a miracle.
The Doña Chavela Vargas is on our stage.
587
00:51:34,341 --> 00:51:36,321
At first she said no,
588
00:51:36,610 --> 00:51:40,319
but then she agreed
to give it a shot.
589
00:51:40,614 --> 00:51:45,324
We looked for a couple
of female guitar players
590
00:51:45,619 --> 00:51:49,192
to rehearse with her
and see if she could still sing.
591
00:51:49,289 --> 00:51:52,327
People told us, "You're crazy.
592
00:51:52,626 --> 00:51:55,835
"Chavela will ruin you.
593
00:51:55,929 --> 00:51:59,775
"She can't sing anymore,
and she's always drunk.
594
00:51:59,866 --> 00:52:02,938
She'll look like a fool,
and you will too."
595
00:52:03,036 --> 00:52:05,846
But we decided to try it.
We had nothing to lose.
596
00:52:11,778 --> 00:52:14,258
She came to rehearsal,
597
00:52:14,347 --> 00:52:16,918
leaned against a column
598
00:52:17,017 --> 00:52:18,394
and started singing.
599
00:52:20,020 --> 00:52:23,695
She sang for a full hour,
crying the entire time.
600
00:52:26,226 --> 00:52:30,265
She was very fragile.
Almost torn apart.
601
00:52:30,363 --> 00:52:35,244
And she kept crying, as if
releasing something deep inside.
602
00:52:37,270 --> 00:52:41,047
We were deeply moved
and shaken by it.
603
00:53:02,229 --> 00:53:07,770
Finally we announced her performance.
The place was packed.
604
00:53:07,868 --> 00:53:13,716
As we were about to start,
Chavela was incredibly nervous.
605
00:53:13,807 --> 00:53:16,981
So she asked Liliana for a tequila.
606
00:53:17,978 --> 00:53:20,788
- It was a difficult moment.
- Yes.
607
00:53:20,881 --> 00:53:25,125
Because she was desperate and anxious.
608
00:53:25,218 --> 00:53:29,098
We were in a bar,
and everyone was drinking.
609
00:53:29,189 --> 00:53:31,430
You go to a bar to drink.
610
00:53:31,725 --> 00:53:34,171
She said she had never sung
without drinking.
611
00:53:35,195 --> 00:53:37,072
"I need a drink!"
612
00:53:37,163 --> 00:53:39,734
But Lili said, "No."
613
00:53:39,833 --> 00:53:41,335
She turned to me and said,
614
00:53:41,434 --> 00:53:44,472
"Tell everyone
we're canceling the show."
615
00:53:46,907 --> 00:53:50,980
Chavela said, "But how?
All these people are here!"
616
00:53:51,077 --> 00:53:54,820
"If you're going to drink,
we'd rather cancel it.
617
00:53:54,915 --> 00:53:56,952
It doesn't matter."
618
00:53:57,050 --> 00:54:01,965
We went back and forth
until she took a big breath,
619
00:54:02,055 --> 00:54:06,026
jumped onstage
and had an incredible night.
620
00:54:06,126 --> 00:54:08,197
Now... Yes?
621
00:54:08,295 --> 00:54:09,535
- Sing "La China"!
- "Pepe Luna"!
622
00:54:09,829 --> 00:54:11,399
I'll sing "La China."
623
00:54:12,999 --> 00:54:15,343
All of the songs. All of them!
624
00:54:20,106 --> 00:54:23,144
How long has it been since
you've been in front of an audience?
625
00:54:23,243 --> 00:54:24,950
- Twelve years.
- Twelve years?
626
00:54:25,045 --> 00:54:28,219
Having an audience is the most
beautiful thing in the world.
627
00:54:28,315 --> 00:54:30,556
How does it feel?
628
00:54:30,850 --> 00:54:36,027
It's very exciting.
It's an incredible adrenaline rush.
629
00:54:36,122 --> 00:54:40,832
The audience and I
share the feeling.
630
00:54:40,927 --> 00:54:45,808
An audience that has waited for
12 years and then responds like that?
631
00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:50,538
Even in the street
a woman asked me,
632
00:54:50,837 --> 00:54:54,512
"Chavela Vargas, where have you been?"
And I said, "I've been around."
633
00:54:54,808 --> 00:54:57,152
So where have you been?
634
00:54:58,411 --> 00:55:03,019
Where haven't I been?
635
00:55:03,116 --> 00:55:06,529
And the person who I was with...
636
00:55:07,921 --> 00:55:10,902
she betrayed me.
637
00:55:14,160 --> 00:55:17,539
She betrayed me.
She wounded me.
638
00:55:18,965 --> 00:55:21,104
But, hey... whatever.
639
00:55:22,168 --> 00:55:24,444
I swear, nobody abandoned her.
640
00:55:24,537 --> 00:55:26,881
All I did is distance myself.
641
00:55:28,041 --> 00:55:31,022
Because we were going
to come to blows.
642
00:55:33,847 --> 00:55:35,918
I'm telling you about
the good parts, but she was...
643
00:55:37,317 --> 00:55:42,494
Sometimes she would hate me
with the deepest hate.
644
00:55:42,589 --> 00:55:46,162
Sometimes
she treated me like a goddess.
645
00:55:48,862 --> 00:55:52,867
She could be violent,
even when she wasn't drunk.
646
00:55:52,966 --> 00:55:54,877
She didn't need any alcohol
to be violent.
647
00:55:56,169 --> 00:55:59,480
One day I tried to lock the box
648
00:55:59,572 --> 00:56:02,382
where she kept her gun,
so she couldn't use it.
649
00:56:02,475 --> 00:56:09,085
She yanked my hair and ripped off
a piece of my scalp.
650
00:56:10,383 --> 00:56:13,023
That's how difficult Señora was.
651
00:56:13,119 --> 00:56:15,360
At some point I had had enough.
652
00:56:16,489 --> 00:56:18,526
I was going to
start fighting back.
653
00:56:20,427 --> 00:56:25,274
"Señora, I think it's time
for you to follow your own path,
654
00:56:25,365 --> 00:56:27,276
"and I'll follow mine.
655
00:56:27,367 --> 00:56:30,348
If we stay together,
we'll kill each other."
656
00:56:33,473 --> 00:56:36,477
I just broke up with someone,
and that's how it goes.
657
00:56:38,044 --> 00:56:41,184
People stop loving you. Period.
658
00:56:41,281 --> 00:56:44,057
What can you do? Nothing.
659
00:56:44,150 --> 00:56:47,131
I'm not angry at her.
I don't feel anything.
660
00:56:47,220 --> 00:56:50,633
I was in pain before.
661
00:56:50,924 --> 00:56:52,494
But I got through it by working.
662
00:56:52,592 --> 00:56:56,540
I offer my pain
to people who come to see me.
663
00:56:57,630 --> 00:56:58,973
And it's beautiful.
664
00:58:26,152 --> 00:58:28,462
The people who went didn't believe
665
00:58:28,555 --> 00:58:31,764
they were actually going
to see her onstage.
666
00:58:32,058 --> 00:58:34,095
The word spread,
667
00:58:34,194 --> 00:58:40,577
until a Spaniard heard her
and invited her to Spain.
668
00:59:14,200 --> 00:59:16,180
Manolo Arroyo brought her.
669
00:59:16,269 --> 00:59:21,378
It was his idea because
he had heard her in Mexico City
670
00:59:21,474 --> 00:59:26,082
when she had just started singing again
after being retired for a long time.
671
00:59:27,313 --> 00:59:30,317
He was a very important publisher.
672
00:59:30,416 --> 00:59:33,192
Had never done anything
with musicians.
673
00:59:33,286 --> 00:59:36,824
But he just wanted
other people to hear her
674
00:59:37,123 --> 00:59:42,266
and for her, thought it would be good
for her and for the public
675
00:59:42,362 --> 00:59:43,807
if she came to Spain.
676
00:59:44,097 --> 00:59:46,839
Manolo called me and said,
677
00:59:47,133 --> 00:59:49,807
"Chavela Vargas is
performing at Sala Caracol."
678
00:59:51,704 --> 00:59:54,378
I said, "Chavela Vargas?
679
00:59:54,474 --> 00:59:56,852
She's still alive?"
680
00:59:57,143 --> 01:00:00,852
He said, "Yes, she's alive,
and she'll sing at Sala Caracol."
681
01:00:03,116 --> 01:00:05,824
When the women from Caracol called
682
01:00:06,119 --> 01:00:09,862
to tell me Chavela
was singing again,
683
01:00:10,156 --> 01:00:12,363
I was in shock.
684
01:00:12,458 --> 01:00:15,234
I knew she was coming,
685
01:00:15,328 --> 01:00:18,275
but I wasn't sure
if I wanted to see her.
686
01:00:18,364 --> 01:00:20,241
Twenty years is a long time,
687
01:00:20,333 --> 01:00:22,836
even for a woman
like Chavela Vargas.
688
01:00:23,136 --> 01:00:25,707
During those 20 years...
689
01:00:27,273 --> 01:00:29,310
Chavela's voice
has made me cry many times.
690
01:00:30,543 --> 01:00:36,425
In her voice, I've found
one of my best collaborators.
691
01:00:36,516 --> 01:00:39,258
And a faithful reflection of myself.
692
01:00:42,555 --> 01:00:46,162
When I include her in my films,
693
01:00:46,259 --> 01:00:48,466
Chavela's voice becomes
part of the script.
694
01:01:04,310 --> 01:01:07,883
She's completely organic to the moment,
695
01:01:08,181 --> 01:01:11,628
as if the character
is still speaking.
696
01:01:11,718 --> 01:01:16,792
Her lyrics reflect the essence
of what's happening in the film.
697
01:01:18,524 --> 01:01:20,367
One of her songs says,
698
01:01:20,460 --> 01:01:22,963
"I desired you without knowing
of your existence.
699
01:01:23,262 --> 01:01:25,765
Before I met you, I knew you."
700
01:01:25,865 --> 01:01:30,336
It's like she's always
been an old friend.
701
01:01:30,436 --> 01:01:32,677
But the first time I met her
was backstage,
702
01:01:32,772 --> 01:01:35,548
at her Spanish debut in 1992.
703
01:02:58,758 --> 01:03:02,604
She was particularly strong
704
01:03:02,695 --> 01:03:07,804
in talking about loneliness
and abandonment,
705
01:03:07,900 --> 01:03:10,039
and it was so powerful
706
01:03:10,336 --> 01:03:16,480
that it made you experience
all those feelings from their very core.
707
01:03:18,044 --> 01:03:21,423
And though that's
tremendously upsetting,
708
01:03:21,514 --> 01:03:24,654
there's a feeling
in the end of catharsis.
709
01:03:24,750 --> 01:03:28,755
And, uh, in the end, joy.
710
01:03:28,855 --> 01:03:32,359
She was like a priestess.
711
01:03:34,393 --> 01:03:38,341
She established a deep dialogue,
like she was speaking only to you.
712
01:03:38,431 --> 01:03:41,503
She asked you
what no one else would.
713
01:03:41,601 --> 01:03:47,415
In your most profound romances,
have you made mistakes?
714
01:03:47,507 --> 01:03:51,751
It's good that
you made mistakes. It's worth it.
715
01:03:51,844 --> 01:03:54,984
It's the most important thing
that ever happened to you.
716
01:03:55,081 --> 01:03:58,062
She absolved you of your sins.
717
01:03:58,351 --> 01:04:01,560
Then she encouraged you
to commit them again.
718
01:04:50,503 --> 01:04:52,676
You got the sensation that right now,
719
01:04:52,772 --> 01:04:55,548
singing this song,
she was going to die.
720
01:04:55,641 --> 01:04:59,748
She gave so much emotion
that she could die.
721
01:04:59,845 --> 01:05:01,825
Her heart could stop.
722
01:05:01,914 --> 01:05:03,689
When the song ended,
you would sigh.
723
01:05:05,484 --> 01:05:09,762
Another song would begin, and she would
dive into the darkness again.
724
01:05:09,855 --> 01:05:12,665
Without shame nor fear.
725
01:05:13,759 --> 01:05:14,999
In the silent darkness
726
01:05:15,094 --> 01:05:17,574
of any stage in the world,
727
01:05:17,663 --> 01:05:21,475
I stop being myself
and become what I am doing.
728
01:05:21,567 --> 01:05:24,548
A musical note, a cry of pain
729
01:05:24,637 --> 01:05:28,676
or a harrowing silence
that tears apart your soul.
730
01:05:28,774 --> 01:05:30,720
The silences in my songs
731
01:05:30,810 --> 01:05:35,816
come from emotions
that render me mute.
732
01:05:36,716 --> 01:05:38,559
I don't forget the words.
733
01:05:38,651 --> 01:05:43,657
I get quiet to gather the strength
for the next phrase.
734
01:05:43,756 --> 01:05:48,501
It is eternal suffering.
735
01:05:50,162 --> 01:05:56,169
I bring baggage
that I open up onstage.
736
01:05:57,503 --> 01:06:00,177
That's where my solitude deepens.
737
01:06:05,011 --> 01:06:08,049
No one was
prepared in that first concert, no.
738
01:06:09,048 --> 01:06:11,085
It really caught us off guard.
739
01:06:11,183 --> 01:06:13,857
It was so...
740
01:06:14,920 --> 01:06:19,869
Um, we were not expecting that.
741
01:06:21,127 --> 01:06:23,266
I don't think she was, either.
742
01:06:23,562 --> 01:06:26,771
The faces we had.
Like we had been rattled.
743
01:06:26,866 --> 01:06:30,211
You know how
your face looks after therapy?
744
01:06:30,503 --> 01:06:34,076
Cleansed from all the crying.
745
01:06:34,173 --> 01:06:37,177
That's how our faces looked.
746
01:06:38,511 --> 01:06:42,516
From that moment on,
we chased her every time she came.
747
01:06:48,521 --> 01:06:52,059
That's when I started
a relationship full of love...
748
01:06:53,526 --> 01:06:54,766
and hate.
749
01:06:54,860 --> 01:06:58,307
Relationships with Chavela
were always love and hate.
750
01:06:58,597 --> 01:07:01,009
With Pedro, it was absolute love.
751
01:07:01,100 --> 01:07:04,081
- With me too.
- Not with me.
752
01:07:04,170 --> 01:07:06,707
With me it was love, hate,
753
01:07:06,806 --> 01:07:08,752
passion, everything.
754
01:07:09,909 --> 01:07:12,549
She said I had asked her to marry me,
755
01:07:12,645 --> 01:07:15,649
and she was
seriously considering it.
756
01:07:15,748 --> 01:07:17,557
She called me her husband on this earth.
757
01:07:18,851 --> 01:07:20,626
Here on this earth.
758
01:07:20,720 --> 01:07:25,669
She would say about
our relationship,
759
01:07:25,758 --> 01:07:30,138
"If I had been a man, you would
have been my perfect woman."
760
01:07:30,229 --> 01:07:35,611
She said we would have been
lifelong lovers.
761
01:07:37,837 --> 01:07:39,680
Even though Chavela didn't drink,
762
01:07:39,772 --> 01:07:44,687
she was intoxicated
by the drinking of others.
763
01:07:44,777 --> 01:07:49,988
She understood that
if she wanted to enjoy life,
764
01:07:50,082 --> 01:07:55,361
she had to follow the rules
765
01:07:55,654 --> 01:07:58,294
that would give her more days.
766
01:08:00,326 --> 01:08:03,671
Chavela's time in Spain
was full of happiness.
767
01:08:03,763 --> 01:08:05,709
She was very, very happy.
768
01:08:05,798 --> 01:08:08,244
She started a new career here,
769
01:08:08,334 --> 01:08:11,679
and it was stunning.
770
01:08:11,771 --> 01:08:14,752
Her show at Caracol was huge.
771
01:08:14,840 --> 01:08:18,049
Then she jumped to bigger theaters,
and it was marvelous.
772
01:08:21,947 --> 01:08:25,622
It was the first time
I set foot in a theater in my life.
773
01:08:26,619 --> 01:08:31,034
It's so different being in a theater
than on a cabaret stage.
774
01:08:31,123 --> 01:08:32,329
You must know how to move
775
01:08:32,625 --> 01:08:36,334
onstage and not
look ridiculous, not overact.
776
01:08:36,629 --> 01:08:38,734
You must not lose strength.
777
01:08:39,865 --> 01:08:42,903
As soon as I stepped on the stage,
778
01:08:43,002 --> 01:08:45,676
I was grounded like a bullfighter.
779
01:08:50,309 --> 01:08:52,016
People seemed to need her.
780
01:08:54,180 --> 01:08:57,218
When she came,
all her shows sold out.
781
01:08:57,316 --> 01:09:01,787
She was reborn
as a singer and as a person.
782
01:09:01,887 --> 01:09:06,358
She found marvelous friends
783
01:09:06,659 --> 01:09:12,041
who embraced her and helped her.
784
01:09:13,032 --> 01:09:15,911
She felt loved and protected
in this country.
785
01:09:39,391 --> 01:09:43,771
Isabel, the name my mother gave me,
786
01:09:43,863 --> 01:09:45,706
that's the person I love.
787
01:09:47,066 --> 01:09:48,272
She's always with me.
788
01:09:48,367 --> 01:09:51,280
Chavela is a bitch.
Chavela's a real bitch.
789
01:09:53,739 --> 01:09:55,480
When did Chavela come to be?
790
01:09:55,774 --> 01:10:00,154
Chavela appeared in 1942.
791
01:10:01,947 --> 01:10:06,418
A bull came out
to charge against life.
792
01:10:06,719 --> 01:10:09,359
Goring and kicking.
793
01:10:09,455 --> 01:10:13,301
I would fight like a bull
and march on.
794
01:10:17,997 --> 01:10:20,910
I feel like diving
into the water, so I'm jumping in.
795
01:10:21,000 --> 01:10:22,172
Do it!
796
01:10:23,269 --> 01:10:24,304
Let's do it.
797
01:10:26,805 --> 01:10:28,182
Give me your hand.
798
01:10:29,475 --> 01:10:31,819
Be careful, Chavela.
799
01:10:38,217 --> 01:10:41,323
She fought for freedom and equality
800
01:10:41,420 --> 01:10:46,494
in music and sexuality.
801
01:10:46,792 --> 01:10:52,299
She found that these things
were not questioned in Spain.
802
01:10:53,766 --> 01:10:58,340
The people in her social circles
803
01:10:58,437 --> 01:11:01,077
didn't question those things.
804
01:11:01,941 --> 01:11:04,945
It doesn't matter...
805
01:11:06,211 --> 01:11:08,953
if I'm homosexual.
806
01:11:09,048 --> 01:11:11,085
Let's leave that aside.
807
01:11:11,183 --> 01:11:14,062
Human beings love,
and that's all that matters.
808
01:11:14,153 --> 01:11:16,895
Don't ask them
who they love or why.
809
01:11:18,123 --> 01:11:21,798
That's the beauty of it.
810
01:11:21,894 --> 01:11:26,172
She stopped rejecting
the word people had used to insult her.
811
01:11:26,265 --> 01:11:28,108
She was called
"a fucking lesbian."
812
01:11:28,200 --> 01:11:32,842
She was a beautiful artist
and a big celebrity,
813
01:11:32,938 --> 01:11:37,978
but they called her a lesbian
to put her down.
814
01:11:38,077 --> 01:11:41,388
That's why she was scared
of the word "lesbian."
815
01:11:41,480 --> 01:11:46,930
When she finally said,
"I'm proud of being a lesbian,"
816
01:11:47,019 --> 01:11:52,901
she put all her cards on the table.
817
01:11:52,992 --> 01:11:56,064
You have to be courageous
and face challenges.
818
01:11:56,161 --> 01:11:58,471
Don't be ashamed of anything.
819
01:11:58,564 --> 01:12:01,408
If you choose to be open,
that's how you are.
820
01:12:01,500 --> 01:12:02,877
That's how you were born.
821
01:12:02,968 --> 01:12:07,041
One doesn't study
at a university
822
01:12:07,139 --> 01:12:11,144
to be a pure, decent,
respectful and brave homosexual.
823
01:12:11,243 --> 01:12:13,154
You can't study that!
824
01:12:15,381 --> 01:12:21,491
The first woman in Mexico who dared
825
01:12:21,587 --> 01:12:25,057
to sing to a woman was me.
826
01:12:25,157 --> 01:12:27,262
I have to say it like it is.
827
01:12:28,460 --> 01:12:31,407
I won't contradict
the composer or myself.
828
01:12:31,497 --> 01:12:33,204
I can't betray myself.
829
01:12:34,500 --> 01:12:38,642
Chavela is the woman...
830
01:12:38,937 --> 01:12:41,178
I'm talking
for the lesbian community,
831
01:12:41,273 --> 01:12:45,915
Chavela is the most important
woman in Mexican history.
832
01:12:46,011 --> 01:12:49,356
The woman who opened
the door for all of us.
833
01:12:49,448 --> 01:12:52,588
She opened a path for us
834
01:12:52,885 --> 01:12:57,061
from the moment
she started singing in Mexico.
835
01:12:57,156 --> 01:13:00,069
We all knew of her.
836
01:13:00,159 --> 01:13:04,335
There isn't a lesbian in Mexico
who doesn't know Chavela Vargas
837
01:13:04,430 --> 01:13:06,103
and who doesn't
love and adore her.
838
01:13:25,918 --> 01:13:28,524
When we learned about her dream,
839
01:13:28,620 --> 01:13:32,534
or her obsession
to perform at the Olympia,
840
01:13:32,624 --> 01:13:35,935
I immediately called the manager.
841
01:13:36,028 --> 01:13:41,307
He said, "But, Pedro,
we don't know her in France."
842
01:13:42,935 --> 01:13:45,074
I told him she was
a very important woman.
843
01:13:45,170 --> 01:13:48,413
We made a deal
with the condition
844
01:13:48,507 --> 01:13:53,013
that I would do a full week
of media promotion.
845
01:13:53,112 --> 01:13:59,256
And they would get paid,
whether we sold tickets or not.
846
01:14:03,355 --> 01:14:06,564
Of course,
Chavela didn't know any of that.
847
01:14:06,658 --> 01:14:08,638
We didn't need to tell her.
848
01:14:09,962 --> 01:14:14,672
But as the days passed,
we weren't selling any tickets.
849
01:14:30,315 --> 01:14:32,522
We arrived in Paris the day Chavela
850
01:14:32,618 --> 01:14:34,757
was performing at the Olympia.
851
01:14:35,053 --> 01:14:40,503
Pedro told us to sit in the first row,
which was as far as she could see,
852
01:14:40,592 --> 01:14:42,538
because the rest of the theater
would be empty.
853
01:14:43,695 --> 01:14:47,040
I called everyone I knew
854
01:14:47,132 --> 01:14:52,206
to invite and even force
their friends to buy tickets.
855
01:14:52,304 --> 01:14:57,219
I've never worked so hard in my life
to get people to buy tickets.
856
01:14:57,309 --> 01:15:02,019
Ten minutes before 8:00 p.m.,
the theater was completely packed.
857
01:15:03,682 --> 01:15:06,526
We were both very nervous.
858
01:15:06,618 --> 01:15:12,500
I had just stopped smoking,
and I was in withdrawal.
859
01:15:12,591 --> 01:15:16,596
We were both going crazy.
860
01:15:16,695 --> 01:15:18,675
I could've smoked a whole pack,
861
01:15:18,764 --> 01:15:23,577
and she could've drunk
an entire bottle before she went on.
862
01:15:27,272 --> 01:15:30,344
When I saw Paris at my feet,
863
01:15:30,442 --> 01:15:32,547
I told myself, "I made it."
864
01:15:32,644 --> 01:15:33,748
Yes.
865
01:15:36,048 --> 01:15:39,325
I was terrified
that no one would understand me,
866
01:15:39,418 --> 01:15:41,489
but they did,
867
01:15:41,587 --> 01:15:46,093
because afterwards
everyone went to get drunk.
868
01:15:46,191 --> 01:15:49,764
Four hours earlier,
nobody knew of me.
869
01:15:50,062 --> 01:15:54,340
But after the show,
all of Paris was talking about me.
870
01:15:56,301 --> 01:16:02,149
Life doesn't offer you many
opportunities to share moments like that
871
01:16:02,241 --> 01:16:06,849
with an artist like Chavela.
872
01:16:07,145 --> 01:16:12,356
When you get the chance,
you have to do it.
873
01:16:15,120 --> 01:16:18,101
Whenever she talked
about her past in Mexico,
874
01:16:18,190 --> 01:16:23,401
she sounded...
not resentful, but embittered.
875
01:16:23,495 --> 01:16:27,102
She said she had never performed
in big theaters.
876
01:16:28,734 --> 01:16:31,544
I was astounded.
877
01:16:31,637 --> 01:16:36,279
It was clear Chavela
was an artist like no other.
878
01:16:36,375 --> 01:16:40,448
Even in a country with such great music
and so many great artists.
879
01:16:40,545 --> 01:16:42,286
But it was still outrageous.
880
01:16:47,219 --> 01:16:49,665
My dream was to sing
in Bellas Artes.
881
01:16:50,822 --> 01:16:52,199
Here I am.
882
01:16:52,291 --> 01:16:56,364
Has it been a long or short journey?
883
01:16:56,461 --> 01:16:58,134
No. 40 years.
884
01:16:59,531 --> 01:17:01,533
40.
885
01:17:01,633 --> 01:17:03,738
In order to get here...
886
01:17:05,837 --> 01:17:09,683
it has taken 40 years of work,
40 years of experience.
887
01:17:09,775 --> 01:17:12,517
As I approach the end,
888
01:17:12,611 --> 01:17:17,390
I'm given this gift.
889
01:17:17,482 --> 01:17:21,897
Now that I am close to a beautiful
ending, I get Bellas Artes.
890
01:17:22,187 --> 01:17:27,364
Finally, at Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
891
01:17:27,459 --> 01:17:30,872
Finally, Chavela Vargas!
892
01:20:23,034 --> 01:20:26,447
Chavela sang for 20 more years.
893
01:20:26,538 --> 01:20:28,108
One more over here, please.
894
01:20:28,406 --> 01:20:30,613
Another wave or another kiss?
895
01:20:30,709 --> 01:20:33,747
- A kiss!
- Both!
896
01:20:33,845 --> 01:20:37,793
It was impressive
to see her strong and singing...
897
01:20:38,884 --> 01:20:40,989
until the very end.
898
01:20:44,723 --> 01:20:46,634
At the National Auditorium of Mexico,
899
01:20:46,725 --> 01:20:49,433
she was still walking everywhere.
900
01:20:49,528 --> 01:20:51,474
Very slowly,
but she could still walk.
901
01:20:52,497 --> 01:20:55,444
The auditorium is gigantic.
902
01:20:56,735 --> 01:21:01,684
From the entrance
to the stage, it's a trek.
903
01:21:01,773 --> 01:21:05,516
So I brought a wheelchair.
904
01:21:05,610 --> 01:21:10,025
I said, "Chavela,
since we're not doing so well,
905
01:21:10,115 --> 01:21:13,961
let's save all our strength to sing."
906
01:21:15,820 --> 01:21:17,697
She said,
907
01:21:17,789 --> 01:21:21,828
"Nobody is going to see me
in a wheelchair, honey.
908
01:21:21,927 --> 01:21:24,533
My public will never see me
in a wheelchair."
909
01:21:32,137 --> 01:21:35,949
She comes onstage
and after the third step,
910
01:21:36,041 --> 01:21:38,487
she opens her arms like a dove.
911
01:21:39,945 --> 01:21:43,586
María Cortina,
who's standing next to me,
912
01:21:43,682 --> 01:21:48,654
says, "So elegant.
Look at how she opens her arms."
913
01:21:48,753 --> 01:21:52,462
Actually she did it because she couldn't
make it to the microphone otherwise.
914
01:21:55,627 --> 01:21:58,164
She finally
got to the microphone.
915
01:21:58,463 --> 01:22:02,036
She sang the entire concert
without drinking a single drop of water
916
01:22:02,133 --> 01:22:05,512
because she couldn't move.
917
01:22:05,604 --> 01:22:10,553
On the 20th song,
she says very quietly,
918
01:22:10,642 --> 01:22:14,146
"My feet are killing me.
Bring the chair, honey."
919
01:22:23,021 --> 01:22:26,195
When the wheelchair appeared
in her life, it was difficult.
920
01:22:29,461 --> 01:22:33,739
She refused to accept the limitations
of being bound to a wheelchair.
921
01:22:33,832 --> 01:22:35,812
She didn't want
to look unattractive.
922
01:22:37,168 --> 01:22:39,978
Chavela was extremely vain.
923
01:22:40,071 --> 01:22:43,575
She always wanted
her picture taken and to look good.
924
01:22:45,110 --> 01:22:47,522
Make way, please!
925
01:22:47,612 --> 01:22:50,821
Doña Chavela Vargas
is coming through. Make way!
926
01:22:50,915 --> 01:22:56,126
For a long time, she refused to accept
that she was losing mobility.
927
01:22:56,221 --> 01:22:59,634
But she didn't want
anyone to live with her.
928
01:22:59,724 --> 01:23:01,670
She didn't want anyone
to control her
929
01:23:01,760 --> 01:23:06,573
or tell her
what to eat, drink or do.
930
01:23:07,599 --> 01:23:08,634
It was very difficult.
931
01:23:14,072 --> 01:23:17,645
When she couldn't take care
of herself anymore, it was really hard.
932
01:23:17,742 --> 01:23:22,623
She didn't want anyone
to help her or even touch her.
933
01:23:22,714 --> 01:23:25,217
She had lived alone her whole life.
934
01:23:27,986 --> 01:23:33,095
Solitude always surrounded her.
935
01:23:33,191 --> 01:23:39,631
She always said
that solitude gave her freedom.
936
01:23:49,941 --> 01:23:53,320
- Would you like a cookie?
- No. Thank you.
937
01:23:53,611 --> 01:23:56,148
Her last years gave her
938
01:23:56,247 --> 01:23:58,693
a certain kind of peace.
939
01:23:58,783 --> 01:24:02,856
Although Chavela couldn't live
peacefully, not entirely.
940
01:24:04,222 --> 01:24:07,863
Whenever she spoke of
her childhood, she was in pain.
941
01:24:11,563 --> 01:24:16,171
You could imagine her in a place
942
01:24:16,267 --> 01:24:22,149
where she felt totally unloved.
943
01:24:22,240 --> 01:24:24,720
When she spoke of her mother,
944
01:24:24,809 --> 01:24:28,018
she still couldn't accept
that she never loved her.
945
01:24:29,147 --> 01:24:33,118
It hurt her until the very end.
946
01:24:35,587 --> 01:24:36,622
Of course it did.
947
01:24:40,592 --> 01:24:43,664
That mountain is called the Chalchi.
948
01:24:43,762 --> 01:24:48,643
I talk to the Chalchi.
It's the mountain of jewels.
949
01:24:50,001 --> 01:24:57,647
Here I finish my dialogue
of love with the earth.
950
01:24:58,643 --> 01:25:03,183
Waking up before
the Chalchi is a dream.
951
01:25:03,281 --> 01:25:07,388
Now I dream of leaving for good.
952
01:25:07,685 --> 01:25:12,191
I'm packing my bags
to leave forever.
953
01:25:14,025 --> 01:25:16,904
Chavela lived
in a continuous state of farewell.
954
01:25:18,129 --> 01:25:20,336
She was always saying good-bye.
955
01:25:20,632 --> 01:25:24,011
It was always the last concert,
and she might not return.
956
01:25:24,102 --> 01:25:25,740
But it was never the last concert.
957
01:25:25,837 --> 01:25:32,379
She couldn't conceive
of life without the stage.
958
01:25:32,677 --> 01:25:35,283
She needed it
in order to keep breathing.
959
01:25:40,852 --> 01:25:42,388
She wanted to come back to Madrid
960
01:25:42,687 --> 01:25:44,860
before dying to sing.
961
01:25:44,956 --> 01:25:48,267
If she decided she wanted to come,
there was no stopping her.
962
01:25:51,396 --> 01:25:55,845
She was full of energy when
she arrived, and there were great days.
963
01:25:57,001 --> 01:25:59,880
Tell Laura
how long you're staying.
964
01:25:59,971 --> 01:26:01,973
The rest of my life.
965
01:26:04,309 --> 01:26:07,847
The day of the concert, she got sick.
966
01:26:09,113 --> 01:26:10,888
But she--
You know, she made it.
967
01:26:12,917 --> 01:26:15,158
It was very powerful for everyone.
968
01:26:15,253 --> 01:26:21,693
She... was clearly saying good-bye
to her audience, to her friends.
969
01:26:22,694 --> 01:26:26,437
Everyone was very aware
of how frail she was
970
01:26:26,731 --> 01:26:29,007
and that it was her last trip.
971
01:26:30,068 --> 01:26:31,843
And she was happy.
972
01:26:31,936 --> 01:26:35,042
She did the last thing
she wanted to do before dying.
973
01:26:36,341 --> 01:26:39,254
She wanted to die here.
974
01:26:39,344 --> 01:26:43,156
She tried as hard as she could
to die onstage.
975
01:26:43,248 --> 01:26:44,488
That was her dream.
976
01:26:44,782 --> 01:26:47,228
She wanted to go down in history
977
01:26:47,318 --> 01:26:51,733
as the woman who died singing.
978
01:26:57,795 --> 01:27:02,437
When she couldn't
be ill onstage...
979
01:27:04,135 --> 01:27:05,808
and die there,
980
01:27:07,805 --> 01:27:09,751
we had to take her
to the hospital.
981
01:27:09,841 --> 01:27:13,812
At the hospital,
she told me...
982
01:27:15,380 --> 01:27:18,224
"I'm not going to die in Spain.
I'm going to die in Mexico.
983
01:27:19,450 --> 01:27:22,158
Take me quickly
984
01:27:22,253 --> 01:27:26,395
because Death
came around last night,
985
01:27:26,491 --> 01:27:28,528
and she wants to take me.
986
01:27:28,826 --> 01:27:32,035
Hurry up and send me back."
987
01:28:20,478 --> 01:28:22,981
How beautiful to be born
a woman, don't you think?
988
01:28:23,081 --> 01:28:25,220
- Yes!
- What a privilege, right?
989
01:28:25,316 --> 01:28:28,991
- It's a very lovely privilege.
- Isn't that right?
990
01:28:29,087 --> 01:28:33,558
It's a blessing
from the universe, from the cosmos,
991
01:28:33,858 --> 01:28:35,860
that they made you a woman.
992
01:28:35,960 --> 01:28:37,837
It's the most beautiful thing.
993
01:28:46,371 --> 01:28:49,580
My song is dedicated
to all women of the world.
994
01:28:50,541 --> 01:28:53,545
Mothers, daughters, sisters,
995
01:28:53,845 --> 01:28:56,382
wives, friends and lovers.
996
01:29:12,296 --> 01:29:15,277
One's truth always prevails.
997
01:29:15,366 --> 01:29:18,438
When you're true to yourself,
you win in the end.
998
01:29:19,871 --> 01:29:21,509
You're going to make it.
999
01:29:21,606 --> 01:29:24,450
With your truth,
you'll get through.
1000
01:29:24,542 --> 01:29:28,456
It costs a lot.
You suffer a lot. But you prevail.
1001
01:29:28,546 --> 01:29:30,526
Chavela! Chavela!
1002
01:29:36,220 --> 01:29:38,598
My name is Chavela Vargas.
1003
01:29:39,624 --> 01:29:41,433
Don't forget it.78082
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