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Lesson 14: Lesson 14: So where are we, again?So where are we, again?

Professor Daniel Bernardi/

Professor Michelle Martinez

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In the Last Lecture…In the Last Lecture…

• The Actor’s Role

• Using Acting as Subversion- Lupe Vélez

- Gilbert Roland

- José Ferrer

• Zoot Suit

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In this lecture…In this lecture…

• Examine the present and future of Latino film

• Robert Rodriguez’s use of genre

• Latinos behind the scenes– Moctesuma Esparza– NALIP

• Walkout

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The New GuardThe New Guard

Lecture 14: Part 1

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11stst Wave (1969-76) Wave (1969-76)

• Cinematic expression of a culturally nationalist movement

• Radical documentary era• Politically contestational and

formally oppositional

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22ndnd Wave (1977-present) Wave (1977-present)

• Marks changes in movement• Still rebellious, not as separatist• Accessibility to mainstream funding (includes PBS)• Appearance of narrative films• Emergence of Chicana filmmakers

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33rdrd Wave (late 1980s-present) Wave (late 1980s-present)

• Mostly made up of genre films

• Inside and outside of Hollywood

• Adheres closely to Hollywood paradigm

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33rdrd Wave (late 1980s-present) Wave (late 1980s-present)continuedcontinued

• Films do not accentuate Chicano resistance or oppression

• Ethnicity is one of many facts that shape lives of characters

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The MainstreamThe Mainstream

“…this New Wave is much more mainstream then earlier Chicano filmmaking and far less overtly political, and its appearance

raises some interesting issues for Chicano cinema.” (219)

-Charles Ramirez Berg

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PresentlyPresently

• Many Latinos are involved in all aspects of the film industry

• Latino characters and actors are making prominent advances on television and in movies

• The population of Hispanics in the U.S. continue to grow and have viable spending power

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Discussion TopicDiscussion Topic

“Is it possible for ethnic or otherwise marginalized filmmakers to enter

mainstream media institutions and maintain their ethnic identity?”

-Charles Ramirez Berg (219)

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Genre BendingGenre Bending

Lesson 14: Part 2

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Remember Definition of GenreRemember Definition of Genre

“Stated simply, genre movies are those commercial feature films which, through

repetition and variation, tell familiar stories with familiar characters in familiar situations. They also encourage

expectations and experiences similar to those of similar films we have already

seen.”- Berry Keith Grant

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Robert RodriguezRobert Rodriguez

• Bedhead (1990)• El Mariachi (1993)• Desperado (1995)• Four Rooms (1995)• From Dusk Til Dawn

(1996)• Spy Kids (2001)• Spy Kids 2 (2002)

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Robert RodriguezRobert Rodriguez

• Spy Kids 3 (2003)• Once Upon a Time In

Mexico (2003)• Sin City (2005)• The Adventures of

Shark Boy and Lava Girl (2005)

• Grindhouse (2007)

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Mixing GenresMixing Genres

• Bedhead- mixes coming-of-age genre film with the Mexican myth of La Llorona

• El Mariachi- mixes the Mexican Police Genre of narcotraficante film with the Warrior Adventure genre

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Transnational GenresTransnational Genres

“Narratively, El Mariachi is in the tradition of a species of the transnational adventure

film- the warrior adventure genre- rooted in the Hollywood Western, which has

blossomed because of cinematic cross-pollinations between Asia and Hollywood.”

(227)

-Charles Ramirez Berg

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Warrior Adventure GenreWarrior Adventure Genre

• Lone male protagonist with unusual physical power

• Hero adheres to personal code of justice and morality, directed toward altruistic ends

• Protagonist undergoes a severe test, involving loss

• Revenge motivates rehabilitation• Undergoes spiritual rehabilitation• Confronts and defeats the ruthless villain

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Other Warrior Adventure FilmsOther Warrior Adventure Films

• Lethal Weapon (1987)• Die Hard (1988)• The Chinese Connection (Bruce Lee 1972)• Jackie Chan’s Police Force (1986)

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El MariachiEl Mariachi Subverts Warrior Genre Subverts Warrior Genre

• Mexican hero• No special physical skill• Hero as “antimacho”• Doesn’t drink or smoke• Is a “balladeer looking for an audience”• Devoted to cultural roots• All of society is corrupt• Drug business analogous to maquiladoras

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El MariachiEl Mariachi as Antimacho as Antimacho

“…it’s the naturalized dominance of signifiers of masculinity, and the mariachi’s lack of them, that

gets him into trouble. No one is prepared to believe that he is a male without any indicator of masculine power—that he is a different kind of male. Therefore, his guitar case is misread as

his masculine sign—assumed to be Azul’s trademark arsenal—and he is mistaken for the

hitman.” (237)

-Charles Ramirez Berg

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The Big PointThe Big Point

The new generation of Chicana/o and Latina/o filmmakers, such as Robert

Rodriguez, have access to the mainstream and use this to make the kind of films they

want to make. The resulting work combines genres and demonstrates a

deep knowledge of the history of cinema of Hollywood and transnationally. These filmmakers use the Hollywood formula to

subvert Hollywood formula.

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The New Old GuardThe New Old Guard

Lecture 14: Part 3

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Moctesuma EsparzaMoctesuma Esparza

As Producer:• Only Once in a Lifetime (1979)• The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982)• The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)• Gettysburg (1993)• Selena (1997)• The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (1997)• Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)• Price of Glory (2000)• God and Generals (2003)• Walkout (2006)

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Rooted In ActivismRooted In Activism

• Moctesuma Esparza began as a political activist

• Organizer for the Chicano Movement and Chicano student walkouts

• Worked as liason between media and Strike Committee

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Reaching a Larger AudienceReaching a Larger Audience

“…I realized that in order to be successful in a mass-market medium, I needed to have

alliances with other people who agreed with what I was proposing to do and who

supported it.” (312)

-Interview with Moctesuma Esparza by Kathryn Galan

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The Human StoryThe Human Story

“In creating human portrayals, my ultimate goal was to study what is to be human. As a History major, I had a tremendous interest in how we came to be through the paths we have taken.” (313)

-Interview with Moctesuma Esparza by Kathryn Galan

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The Birth of NALIPThe Birth of NALIP

“In 1988, there was a crisis in the Latino media community: the one organization that was providing minimal funding for

producers working in the PBS world had not provided any funding for three years…

that led to a conference…the outcome was a declaration by those in attendance that there was a need and wanting of a

national organization and NALIP was born there.” (318)

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NALIPNALIP

• The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP)

• Hosts a Producers Academy• Writer’s Labs• National Conference• Resource Guides and Publications• Internships and Job Boards• Local Chapters in major cities across U.S.

To learn more about NALIP click here

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The Big PointThe Big Point

Members of the First Wave of Chicano Film and of the Chicano Political Movement of the 1960’s, have shifted and changed to be more inclusive and to target a wider

audience for their work, while still focusing on ethno-centric stories. The old guard,

such as Moctesuma Esparza, have used their success to begin partnerships to

provide support to up and coming Latino filmmakers.

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WalkoutWalkout

Lecture 14: Part 4

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Walkout Walkout (2006)(2006)

• Aired on HBO • Released on DVD by

HBO films• Produced by

Moctesuma Esparza• Directed by Edward

James Olmos• Starred Alexa Vega

(Spy Kids)

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SynopsisSynopsis

“Walkout is a 2006 Home Box Office film based on a true story of the 1968 East L.A. walkouts.

Student activist and Mexican-American Paula Crisostomo (played by Alexa Vega), tired of

being treated unequally, decides to take action and stage a walkout at five East Los Angeles high schools in 1968 to protest educational

conditions and complain of anti-Mexican educational bias along with some 10,000

students.”-Wikipedia

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Years in the MakingYears in the Making

“Early in my career as a filmmaker, in the early 1980’s, after I began doing narrative films with

an emphasis on historical material, I started thinking about making this movie about the

student strike. And it’s taken me since 1968 -- twenty-eight years – to finally get this movie

made.” (310)

-Interview with Moctesuma Esparza by Kathryn Galan

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End of Lecture 14End of Lecture 14

Next Lecture: Wrap Up and Review