Directed by Robert Mugge • Documentary • With Rubén Blades, Linda Ronstadt, Nat Hentoff • 1985 • 82 minutes

THE RETURN OF RUBEN BLADES follows the singer to Harvard, where he gets his master's degree in international law; to his old neighborhood in Panama; to California for a recording session with Linda Ronstadt, and to New York for a performance at S.O.B.'s. The music is a joy, as danceable as it is intelligent, and Mr. Blades makes every nuance count. Transferred to HD from the original 16mm film and lovingly restored.

"Ruben Blades, more than most popular singers, is a public, political figure. 'The Return of Ruben Blades' captures Mr. Blades's charisma and his sincere engagement with issues outside music." —The New York Times