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ino film ‘Please, Don’t Bury Me Alive’
him to tone it down. They wanted another version of
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, that was not who Gutierrez
was.
In 1971, Gutierrez was inspired by the Chicano
movement and Luis Valdez who had a Chicano theater
in LA. He went back to San Antonio and started the
Chicano theater there.
“Luis Valdez invited us to join Theatro Nacional de
Aztlan, which was a loosely organized organization
of all the Chicano theaters in the United States,”
Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez began to ask prominent Chicanos in
theater and Hollywood, such as Ricardo Montalban,
Luis Valdez and Anthony Quinn, about making a
Chicano film.
They all thought it would be too hard.
“I told Sabino (Garza), ‘let’s just film it Sabino.’ I
want to film something about the chicano movement,”
Gutierrez said.
In 1972 Alex put some distance between the
friendship that Gutierrez and him had due to the
people Alex was surrounded by.
“My best friend (Alex) was going through some
drug problems,” Gutierrez said. “He was my best
friend from high school.”
His friend Alex had pushed him out of the bad life
because Gutierrez showed potential from early on.
Gutierrez said he never stopped treating Alex like
the friends they were in high school.
After a near death experience, Gutierrez said he
realized that Alex had his best interest in mind.
“Please, don’t bury me alive” is based on the
injustice Gutierrez saw when Alex was arrested for
drug possession.
“I’m not saying what Alex did didn’t do what he
did. He got busted,” Gutierrez said. “He tried to make
quick money, it didn’t work out, but he was set up.”
Gutierrez will be helping out his son to produce a
new film, written by Gutierrez about 20 years ago, by
touring the west coast screening his films.
“This is a film I want to see made, even if it’s not me
directing it,” Gutierrez said.