Program 25: Chavela

Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi / Subtitled, Documentary Centerpiece, Documentary Feature, Wednesday, Oct. 11 / USA / 2017 / 93 mins

An icon of Mexican ranchera music, Chavela Vargas was described as “the rough voice of tenderness.” Singing with a fiery passion, of heartbreak and desire, she was a legend of bohemian Mexican culture, and rumored to have seduced any woman she desired including Ava Gardner, Frida Kahlo, and the wives of many politicians and dignitaries. With a reputation for drinking many a man under the table, she defiantly dressed in men’s clothes, smoked cigars, and at times carried a pistol.