Answer each question below, please read carefully, and read the textbook pages I have attached
As with every other non-WASP race and ethnicity in this country, Latinos have traveled the rocky road of skewed celluloid representation from the advent of film through much of the 20th century. And like the Irish, Italian and Jews in early American cinema many Latinos “morphed” into an acceptable generic whiteness depending on the color of their skin. Still, for Hollywood stories with a Latino lead character, there is a long tradition of non-Latinos in the role, especially for “big” movies striving for critical and commercial success and their need for “name recognition” stars in American cinema of the 20th century. Here off the top of my head (without Googling) are just a few examples of highly acclaimed and/or commercially successful movies of the 20th century where the main Latino character is played by an “Anglo”:
Marlon Brando as Mexican Emiliano Zapata in “Viva Zapata”
Natalie Wood as Puerto Rican Maria in “West Side Story”
Al Pacino as Cuban Tony Montana in “Scarface” [and as the P.R. title lead in “Carlito’s Way”]
Charlton Heston as Mexican Vargas in Orson Welles’s “Touch of Evil”
Eli Wallach as Mexican Tuco in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly;
(and Mexican Calvera in “The Magnificent Seven”)
The above first links show the Anglo actors as themselves and the second links as their Latino characters. The roles are all extremely well-acted of course* which prompts the Charlie Chan question: Is our enjoyment of the role compromised by the knowledge that the Latino roles in these famous movies are played by non-Latinos? ANSWER THIS QUESTION IN THE RELEVANT DB
*N.B.: I may not be a fair judge of Charlton Heston’s acting since I consider it “hammy” — except for the “Ben Hur” Chariot Race which is one of the greatest action scenes in cinema (even if the actual filming was probably speeded up?) – MM
Alternatively and more intriguing is the Latino/a in a 21st century Hollywood movie who either plays a non-Latino role or a role where his or her (usually his) ethnicity is inconsequential.** Keeping in mind that film is a visual medium, the question then arises: Is this an example of “color-blind” casting (something people of color have been requesting for decades) or is it something else specific to the Latino actor whose hue (skin tone) is usually the same as the Anglo lead? ANSWER THIS QUESTION IN THE RELEVANT DB
**Hector Elizondo; Jennifer Lopez; Andy Garcia; Carmen Diaz; and the loveable Michael Pena
Based on the movie excerpts in these links does it matter whether the role played by a Latino actor/actress in a Hollywood movie is that of a Latino character or not? ANSWER THIS QUESTION IN THE RELEVANT DB
READING SCHEDULE for historical reference
Page 140 (last paragraph: “World War II and after” to top of pg 141;
Page 142 (last paragraph: ”One Hispanic actress, Margarita Cansino…’);
Page 146 (1st paragraph and last paragraph: “During the 1950s and 1960s” and “By the mid-1960s…”)
Pages 148-151 (I will attach the pages)
VIEWING SCHEDULE
View the film excerpts in the YouTube video links above
– A total of four questions must be answered
Read my lecture above; read the pages outlined in the “Reading Schedule” above; view the movie excerpts/interviews via the links above.
Answer the three questions in bold italics above as well as the following question:
Does any of the information in the designated textbook still apply to present-day dynamics of the Latino in American film?
Rita Hayworth (a very famous woman, a very sad life): com/1989/11/19/books/what-we-have-here-is-a-very-sad-story.html”>https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/19/books/what-we-have-here-is-a-very-sad-story.html
NOTE: Actors such as Rita Hayworth, Javier Bardem, Antonio Banderas, Alfred Molina, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez are often thought to be Latino but they actually have roots in Spain (which of course is Europe), not Latin America, so they are not ethnically Latino. However, their Anglo roles in Hollywood films are determined by whether or not they have a Spanish accent.
Top Latino Actors/Actresses: http://variety.com/gallery/top-10-latino-actors-and-actresses/
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