José Rodríguez-Soltero

Directing

José Rodríguez-Soltero

Santurce - Puerto Rico

Jose Rodriguez-Soltero, a Puerto Rican filmmaker, was a significant figure in the New York art community during the mid-1960s and early 1970s. His films were frequently included in Filmmakers’ Cinematheque programs, he was featured in Film Culture and written up in Jonas Mekas’s Movie Journal column, and was the friend, collaborator and occasional roommate of Mario Montez, Charles Ludlam and Jack Smith.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Jerovi poster
1.0

A key work of queer and Latino New York underground film, José Rodríguez-Soltero described Jerovi as his “sexual probe of the narcissus myth.” A boldly erotic, dreamlike portrait of Jeroví Sansón Carrasco, who also commissioned and financed the film, Jerovi offers a Narcissus for the 1960s period of sexual revolution, marking a significant shift from the introspective and psychoanalytic use of narcissism by previous queer experimental filmmakers.

Jerovi

1965

Dialogue with Che poster
5.0

In 1967, José Rodriguez Soltero made “Dialogue with Che” (1968), starring Venezuelan artist, actor, producer and dancer Rolando Peña as Che. Warhol superstar Taylor Mead is also featured, in the role of a CIA agent. “The film was partly underwritten by Andy Warhol, who gave a check to cover lab fees. "Dialogue..." was seldom shown in the States - it is entirely in Spanish - but had some life in the European screens. It had a modest run at the Cinémathèque Française, where it was championed by Marie Meerson and Henri Langlois, and played at the Berlin Film Festival in 1969. Historically, it has been shown with two prints projected side by side, the second screen starting with a 3-minute delay. --Film-Makers Coop

Dialogue with Che

1968

Lupe poster
7.3

The film — a mix of music, colors, abstract scenes and little dialogue — is based loosely on the life and death of Mexican-American actress Lupe Velez. The music, far more than mere background, borders on serving as the film’s narrative and ranges from classical to contemporary pop music.

Lupe

1967

Lupe poster
7.3

The film — a mix of music, colors, abstract scenes and little dialogue — is based loosely on the life and death of Mexican-American actress Lupe Velez. The music, far more than mere background, borders on serving as the film’s narrative and ranges from classical to contemporary pop music.

Lupe

1967