Not many readers are going to know the name Raquel Welch. But for anyone who watched films between the 1960s and the 1990s, Welch was an instant draw. I have enduring memories of watching Welch as Constance de Bonacieux in the 1973 film The Three Musketeers. She is still the template for Constance for me—hilarious, goofy, and a complete scene-stealer.
However, Welch’s comedic timing, action film stunt work, and acting skills were often overlooked in favour of her looks. She was renowned globally as the Hollywood beauty, having accepted the mantle following Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death at the age of just 36. Welch initially played up her photogenic looks to carve out a career for herself, and even disagreed with feminism because she felt the movement didn’t accept women who were comfortable showing a bit of skin. But according to the documentary, the older Welch got, the more she craved attention for her work rather than her aesthetics. While she understood the power that a beautiful face could bring her, Welch often found herself being talked down to, or being expected to be quiet and accept being looked at.
I Am Raquel Welch is directed by actor Olivia Cheng in her first documentary and feature directorial debut. Cheng brilliantly sets up the story of Welch’s life as more than just a story of a beautiful woman by eschewing a linear retelling of Welch’s life. The documentary starts off at the most pivotal moment of Welch’s career—when she brings her two children with her to Hollywood. A single mother with few resources, Welch “pounded the pavement” searching for jobs to keep the bills paid and her children fed. She appeared on variety shows—think, talk shows except with more musical and entertainment acts—until landing small roles in film. Welch’s breakthrough was the 1966 film One Million Years B.C., not because the film was particularly outstanding, but because of a set photographer’s quick shot of Welch in her cavewoman outfit. The stance, the fur-covered bikini, and Welch’s unique face were emblazoned on the film’s poster and made her an instant worldwide name. Even if you don’t know who Welch is now, trust me, you’ve seen the poster.
The documentary spends a significant amount of time charting Welch’s rise as a sex symbol in Hollywood, how she was the first brunette sex symbol after a legacy of blondes—before Manson it was Jean Harlowe, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo. You get the picture. While interesting to watch, beauty is still the currency in Hollywood today, so it doesn’t shed any new light on the industry.
Far more captivating was what being that icon in Hollywood meant Welch had to give up. And that was her Hispanic identity. Born to a Bolivian father and white American mother, Welch entered Hollywood with her married name because her maiden name, Tejada, would never have afforded her the career she had. In fact, as shared in the documentary, Welch’s father refused to speak Spanish at home for fear that his children would grow up with accents. It wasn’t till much later in life, when Welch was settled in her career, that she was able to connect with her Bolivian roots. The interviews with Welch’s co-stars Constance Marie and Eugenio Derbez discussing Welch’s heritage were the most affecting of the film.
I had no idea about Welch’s Hispanic origins nor how her openness about her heritage helped pave the path for Latin American actors we see today. Nor did I know about Welch’s fight against ageism in Hollywood, when she took on MGM, no less, and won. Welch was making a mark in the cinematic world both on and offscreen, and her legacy is well-documented for the uninitiated in I Am Raquel Welch.
And that’s the power of documentaries—learning things about people, places, and events that you thought you knew. I must have watched Raquel Welch in films for most of my young life, yet I knew nothing about the work she was doing behind the scenes to make the lives of future actors less difficult.
Older film buffs will certainly take a lot away from I Am Raquel Welch, not just about an incredible career but a hard-working woman who never stopped. Younger audiences might find the documentary a little less accessible if they don’t know who Welch is, but the film does document many historical aspects of cinema since the 60s, which could be educational.
I Am Raquel Welch is now playing on The CW.