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Lesson 14: Mexican Film

Lesson 14: Mexican Film. Professor Aaron Baker. Previous Lecture. Critical Study of Whiteness Hollywood Portrayal of Race African American Cinema Do the Right Thing (1989). This Lecture. Mexican History, Society and Cinema Como Agua Para Chocolate (1992) Amores Perros (2000).

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Lesson 14: Mexican Film

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  1. Lesson 14:Mexican Film Professor Aaron Baker

  2. Previous Lecture • Critical Study of Whiteness • Hollywood Portrayal of Race • African American Cinema • Do the Right Thing (1989)

  3. This Lecture • Mexican History, Society and Cinema • Como Agua Para Chocolate (1992) • Amores Perros (2000)

  4. Part I: Mexican History, Society and Cinema

  5. Spanish Conquest • 1519 Spanish Invasion • Mestizo Society: European, Indian, African • Highly Stratefied

  6. Independence in 1821 • More Spanish Failure Than National Ambition • Long Process of Unification • Land Lost to U.S. 1848

  7. 1910 Revolution • Internal/Land Reform • Poverty; 30 Year Life Expectancy • 10 Years • 1.5-2 Million Killed Emiliano Zapata “Tierra y Libertad!”

  8. Modernization/Urbanization • Capitalism • Loss of Cooperative Culture (El Pueblo) • Infrastructure (Railroad) • Not Democracy

  9. Early Cinema • Documentaries -Lumieres -Propaganda Films Showing Revolution: • Revolution Orozquista (1912) • Sangre Hermana (1914) • Government Censorship

  10. Mexican Cinema • Shadow of Hollywood • Mexico 1916-1929: Six Features/Year • Hollywood: Six Hundred • Ana Lopez: “One way or another, all other nations aspiring to produce a national cinema have had to deal with Hollywood’s presence.”

  11. Most Popular in Latin America • 1930s: Stability after Revolution • 1938: 57 Features Made • Comedia Ranchera Cowboy Musical • Alla en el Rancho Grande (1936)

  12. 1940s Epoca de Oro • U.S. Propaganda Films/Europe at War • 1945: 82 Features • Dominated Latin American Market Teatro Chapultepec, located in Mexico City, Mexico, pictured here in 1944

  13. Stars • Cantinflas – Mexican Charlie Chaplin • Tin Tan – Pachuco, Spanglish • Delores del Rio • Pedro Infante -"la vecindad"

  14. Maria Candelaria (1943) • Directed by Emilio Fernandez • Starring Delores del Rio and Pedro Armendariz • Cannes Award • Georges Sadoul: Authentic View of Rural Mexico

  15. Banco Cinematografico • Established 1942 • Just to finance Mexican movies • Unique in world • 1945: 4000 film workers • William O. Jenkins (1878–1963) • Time Magazine in 1960: Richest Man in Mexico

  16. Los Olvidados (1950) • Luis Bunuel, 20 movies in Mexico • Street Kids in Mexico City • Best Director Award at Cannes in 1951 • Cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa

  17. Churros • 1950s-60s • Financing if Profitable • Donuts; Formulaic; Churned Out • Genre Films: Soft Porn, Lucha Libre, Rancheros, Brothel Melodramas

  18. Closed Industry • Few New Directors • STIC Union • Little Innovation • TV, 1950 = Outlet and Competition

  19. 1960s: New Latin American Cinema • Influence of European Cinema (French New Wave, Italian Neorealism) • 1963: Film School CUEC at UNAM • Political Radicalization

  20. Third Cinema (El Cine Tercer) • Manifesto by Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino • Anti Imperialism (1970 80% US Films in Mexico) • Not Entertainment, Nor Art Film-- • To promote social justice

  21. Arturo Ripstein • Assistant to Bunuel • Five Ariels • Themes of Repressive Family, Masculinity • Tiempo de Morir (1965) • Fuentes, Marquez

  22. Political Crisis • Repression by President Diaz • Protest by Students, Workers, Peasants • Olympic Games • October 1968 Tlatelolco • 500 Killed by Police, Army

  23. New Government • 1970-76: President Echeverria • Apertura Democratica • Social Themes in Movies • 1974: CCC Second State Film School IMCINE – Mexican Film Institute • 1974: 50% Mexican Films

  24. 1980s Govt. Support Lost • Cuts in Banco Cinematografico • Economic Crisis 1982-86 • Inflation • Political Openness • Private Production • Co-Productions

  25. Part II: Like Water for Chocolate

  26. Bestseller • Laura Esquivel Novel (1989) • New York Times Best Seller for One Year • Translated into 30 Languages • Magical Realism • Presold Movie

  27. Film Version • Released in 1992 • Esquivel Screenplay • Directed by Husband Alfonso Arau • $2 Million Budget • Earned $21 Million in U.S. Alone • Highest Grossing Spanish Language Film in U.S.

  28. Romantic View of Mexico • Idealized View of Mexican Folk Culture • Like Churros • 1991: 41 Million in Poverty • Shaw: “It promotes a conservative, romantic image of rural Mexico that would please the Ministry for Tourism and that belied the reality of mass poverty.” 39

  29. Gender And Class Oppression • Simplified • Tita’s Oppression Individualized Within Family • Mama Elena • Melodrama • Just Needs Cooking and Love • Faithful Servants

  30. “Natural” Women • Domestic Work • Generous, Nurturing,Maternal • Natcha, Tita • “Unnatural” Women: Mama, Rosaura, Gertrudis • Self Interest • Please pause to view the clip.

  31. Quail in Rose Pedal Sauce • Food Substitutes for Sexual Pleasure • Mother Rejects Its Power • Gertrudis Abandons Family

  32. Narrator • Tita’s Great Niece • Modern Kitchen • 1990s Like Past • Vows to Keep Tita’s Memory Alive • Women Still Defined by Domesticity

  33. Nacha, Model Cooking, Magical Healing No Class Critique Shaw: “The fact that they are exploited as servants and that Nacha’s dedication to the De la Garza family has meant that she is unable to have a family of her own is not problematized.” 42 Indigenous Women

  34. Women Given Spaces by Patriarchy Can Redefine Them With Creativity, Nuturing. Shaw: “Laura Esquivel has argued that Like Water for Chocolate furthers the women’s movement by raising the status of women’s creativity in the kitchen, which has been devalued.” 45 Essentialist Feminism

  35. Summary • Tourist View of Mexico • Causes of Social Inequality Ignored, Individualized • Tita Seduces Pedro with Cooking, Nuturing and Beauty

  36. Part III: Amores Perros

  37. Critical, Commercial Hit • $8 Million in Mexico Alone • Highest Selling Video/DVD • $5.4 Million in U.S. • Prizes at Cannes, Chicago, Tokyo • Nominated for Oscar

  38. New Image of Mexico • Beyond Genre • Poverty, Crime • Music • Like Water – Classical • Amores Perros – Rap • Inarritu: “It has more music, more young people, more drive and edge.”

  39. Class Differences • Upper – Daniel, Magazine Editor, Valeria, Model • Middle Class – El Chivo, former Professor, Radicalized, Redeemed • Working Class - Octavio

  40. Crash • Classes Inseparable • Connected • One Story, Three Chapters • Crash Occurs in Each Chapter • Please pause to see clip.

  41. Director Inarritu on Amores Perros: “It’s a story that deals with human pain, love and death—which make no distinction of social class.” 57

  42. Nuevo Cinema Mexicano • 1990s-2000s • Directors: Alejandro Inarritu, Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo Del Toro • 17 Oscar Nominations in 2007

  43. Discussion Question • Which of these two filmic representations of Mexico do you prefer and why?

  44. End of Lecture 14 Next Lecture: Immigration in Film

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