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Chicano - Hispanic Image in American Film

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This is an exhaustive study of the film portrayl of Hispanics, beginning with the silent era of the 1929's through the 1990's and the author leaves no stone unturned. He begins with a silent oldie entitled "The Americano" (1916) starring Douglas Fairbanks as the American hero. He is a mining engineer who is called upon by the Latin American president because "Without American capital and engineers, our mines are helpless." Thus setting the stage for the adventures of Fairbanks in the fictional Latin American country that was very similar to the real politics of "gunboat diplomacy." According to the author , " the villains are greasy and trecherous mestizos" and "the film perpetuates the image of the hopeless Latin American who cannot control his excesses of voilence and greed." The author goes on to further state that the "Darwinist scenario, the inevitable is the civilizing, firm hand of the neighbor to the north." These type of theories are everywhere throughout this book. The author has an agenda obviously and is not shy about exposing film used as propaganda. He continues with more Fairbanks movies, most notably his role as Zorro. The author is a Harvard and Oxford educated intellectual with roots in the Lincoln Heights barrio and produces an in depth study of the demeaning Hollywood stereotypes in film. He meticulously examines major and minor Hollywood films and than rips the movie apart for lack of sensitivity to the image portrayed that is usually by a non-Hispanic actor. However , in all fairness , the author does not find fault with all the movies he dissects as some he finds to be positive. Throughout this book Garcia Berumen injects many other opinions about particular films by using national reviews and director and actors quotes.I found the book a little tedious but mangeable in small doses. By picking and choosing which films you would like to read about it makes the reading less of a chore and more enjoyable. There are also interviews with Venezuelan- American actress Silvana Gallarda, who is a star of film , stage and televison and Rosaura Revueltas who was blacklisted in film in the U.S. and Mexico after her role in the politically banned movie "Salt of the Earth." There is also a chapter dedicated to the Chicano/Hispanic Stars of film decade by decade. If you are film buff or interested in the roles and portrayls of Chicano/Hispanics in film, than this book might interest you, although it is a bit scholarly and repetitive in it's presentation. It's depth of perception is it's saving point.