Do you know what a Zoot Suit is? Well, if not, here goes the definition as found in the Fact Monster dictionary:

“A man's suit with baggy, tight-cuffed, sometimes high-waisted trousers and an oversized jacket with exaggeratedly broad, padded shoulders and wide lapels, often worn with suspenders and a long watch chain and first popularized in the early 1940s.”

You got the picture now? Good. But be forewarned: if you intend to don one of these Zoot Suits while in Los Angeles, you may be causing trouble: within the borders of Los Angeles County, a leftover law from the 40’s still forbids the wearing or possession of a Zoot Suit.

Okay – so a dangerous piece of clothing may warrant a film made about it … but still – why exactly was the Zoot Suit such a risk to the American population?

Zoot Suit is a musical starring Edward James Olmos as the narrator El Pachuco and Luis Valdez, the writer/director of not only this film but also the stage play this film was developed from, with Daniel Valdez as the lead Henry Leyvas. It plays in 1942 and is based on the Sleepy Lagoon Trial in Los Angeles.

At the time of the making of this film, Edward James Olmos was still an unknown and him singing and dancing throughout the film is a different side of Olmos you won’t see too often.

Olmos also narrates the film and the events, speaks to the characters of the film directly or addresses the audience; Zoot Suit is the kind of musical where the characters of the film occasionally become aware of the audience watching the play, and all interact.

Zoot Suit depicts the struggles of the Mexican community in the 40’s. And in case you haven’t guessed it yet, the Mexican population of the 40’s had a thing for the Zoot Suit – the outside sign of the rebellious youth, along with the duck tail hair-do’s and the not so openly shown switchblade.

The 40’s was also a time of suspicious eying of everyone. There was a war; the Japanese and Japanese-American population mostly deported or carted off to Interment camps, the general American population had mainly the Mexican people left for their suspicions and accusations.

In 1942, Henry Leyvas and a group of friends were involved in a fight with another group of pachucos (gang member). The next day, a man was found unconscious and bleeding in that area, dying soon after. Although the injuries also could have stemmed from an auto accident, 24 members of what was later dubbed the 38th Street Gang by the press were arrested and tried for murder. Nine, including Leyvas, were convicted of murder and sent to San Quentin.

The Sleepy Lagoon murder trial was filled with statements like “Mexican Americans are essentially Indians and therefore Orientals or Asians. Throughout history the Orientals have shown less regard for human life than have the Europeans. Further, Mexican Americans had inherited their 'naturally violent' tendencies from the 'bloodthirsty Aztecs' of Mexico.”

The trial was an obvious dog and pony show. Asides from the general prejudice against the defendants, the jury was influenced by not letting the prisoners change clothes or clean up for 2 weeks prior to the trial and they were made to stand up each time any of their names were mentioned because “the jurors had a hard time keeping their faces apart”.

Zoot Suit starts by setting up the lives of these pachucos; going to clubs, courting women, getting into the occasional fight. If you took the love story out of West Side Story you have a fairly good idea of the setup of Zoot Suit.

As the film goes on to the trial, the conviction, and the ensuing jail time of these youths and retells the efforts of the committee that tried to get these men freed, it also incorporates a lot of actual press releases of the time.

El Pachuco narrates and updates the audience by addressing them directly, but also brings the film to a hold several times speak to the characters involved. As a fight is about to break out, he stops the flow of the film to tell Leyvas that that’s just what the audience is looking for: violence. Two Mexicans fighting. That Leyvas only feeds their desire to make him a stereotype.

El Pachuco also challenges the reporter as he reads his press report about the “Zoot Suit Riots” and the “Zoot Suiters”. Why not admit it? Calling Mexicans Zoot Suiters is a convenient way to avoid calling anybody a racist name but still make it clear that the subject are Mexicans.

Zoot Suit is a musical, a stage play and a film, all wrapped into one, with a very deep, political background and some exploration of the subjects at hand. It is hard to believe that this film was shot in only 11 days, considering choreography; it’s not so hard to believe that it cost 2.5 million to make even in 1981, considering the costumes and plethora of different sets used for this film.

Following the trial, people like Anthony Quinn and Orson Wells tried to involve themselves in various efforts to assist in getting an appeal or parole for these men. In 1944 the convictions were overturned.

A few years later, Luis Valdez also made La Bamba, a film the writer probably is much more known for.

A short narration by a reporter at the end of the film reports about Leyvas’ fate after his release; Leyvas may have been convicted falsely during the Sleepy Lagoon Trial, but ended up serving time for later crimes anyway.

El Pachuco stops the reality at this point and offers that there is always a way to end things differently. As he’s pointed out in the beginning, there is myth, and there is fact, and this production is a combination of the two.

More information on the subject is given on a bilingual site hosted by PBS to accompany their showing of the film in February at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/zoot/.



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS