When Warren Haack was a young boy, he traveled with his family to the Sierras, exploring old towns and learning about California’s turbulent past. But of all the tales he heard, it was the legend of Gold Rush-era criminal Joaquin Murieta that struck him the most.

As the family crossed Pacheco Pass—once called Robbers’ Pass—his mother pointed out Murieta’s hideout and the Iron Door Saloon, in Groveland, where the outlaw’s head was said to be displayed in a glass jar.

“You can’t tell these kinds of things to a young kid who’s impressionable,” said Haack who now serves as the instructional support technician for the SF State’s Cinema Department.

Inspired by the childhood trips and the song “The Ballad of Joaquin,” written by his friend Brian Swander, Haack produced the film “Dead in the Sierra/Muerto en la Sierra: Legend of Two Joaquins.” The feature tells the story of Murieta and Joaquin Valenzuela—whose acts of violence to drive out the “Yankees” and protect his land were said to be incorrectly accredited to Murieta.

The legend of Murieta came out of the California Gold Rush of 1849.

There are many variations of the tale and Haack said it is uncertain whether Murieta was already living in California at the time, or if he came from Mexico or Chile. But it is clear that when Murieta’s wife Carmela was raped and killed by a group of white miners, he sought vengeance, and depending on the way you look at it, emerged as either a hero or bandit.

This prompted as many as five people, to form a band in Murieta’s name, committing violent acts to avenge his loss, said Haack.

Haack studied cinema at SF State and graduated in 1971. In 1974, Haack heard Swander’s song, which motivated him to make a film about Murieta. He began writing and filming that same year and finished the film in 1979. Initially envisioning only a seven-minute short, the film ended up being close to an hour and a half long.

However, after some success and screenings in the Bay Area, Haack was not entirely happy with the outcome.

“I realized that I focused on the story itself, but not on the context in the story,” Haack said.

Almost 30 years later, Haack was sitting around a campfire in the Sierra with some of his friends, reminiscing about the film. After the discussion, he knew he had to add to the original film and finish what was left undone.

Haack was able to bring back four of the original actors to the new 30 minute short film to portray their characters nearly three decades later. To add more context, the film now has two time periods: the 1850s are depicted in black and white while the 1880s are in color. Footage from Haack’s original 1979 film is used to depict the Joaquins’ recollection of the Gold Rush days.

Carlos Baron, a theatre professor at SF State, came on board in 2002 and plays the elder Murieta in the film. He enjoyed working with Haack because he said he let the actors have freedom and listened to their suggestions.

“The key word that drives me to work when I do theatre is communication,” Baron said. “[Haack] was always open.”

As Haack was doing research for the film he discovered that mulitple Latino cultures claimed Murieta as their hero. But since Haack felt it was more important to tell the story of why Murieta fought back, rather than where he came from, he left Murieta’s nationality ambiguous in the film.

Joseph McBride, an assistant professor in the cinema department, introduced Haack at a screening of the film at Dolby Laboratories in San Francisco on Oct. 4.
“The Western genre is perceived as white ethnocentric,” McBride said. “This film deals with California history from the Latino point of view.”

Baron said he thinks Haack did a wonderful job with the film.

“He approached it carefully, with respect, the way I should approach it as a Latino,” he said.

After 33 years Haack said he is finally satisfied with the finished product that he calls a “labor of love”.

“This is only my story,” Haack said. “I’m not a Latino, I’m a ‘white dude.’ But I’ve listened, I’ve watched, I’ve paid attention.”

The cinema department will hold a film screening of “Dead in the Sierra/Muerto en la Sierra: Legend of Two Joaquins” on Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. in the Coppola Theatre.