The Three Caballeros: The Representation Of Immigrants In Film

Representations of immigrants on screen has been problematic since the early days of the motion picture medium. Hollywood cinema, particularly, is referential to the various lifestyles that encompass the American experience, visual representations of cultural characteristics and traditions that are the very fabric of an ethnic background. Through an American lens, a certain perception arises, which, more often than not, translate as either underrepresented or greatly exaggerated, the repercussions of which are still being dealt with today. Here, the main focus will be Latinos on film, as discussed in lecture on February 2nd, 2018. What follows are responses to some of the topics mentioned in the lecture that are of specific interest.
The topic of immigration is unavoidable when discussing immigrant

America, especially in concerns with the border between the United States and Mexico. Contentious to this day, this topic has been the subject of early cinema. In The Celluloid Immigrant, David R. Maciel and Maria Rosa García-Acevedo, discuss "the Hollywood style" applied to films that showed the emigration of Mexicans, saying that these films were "an important look into the blend of art, politics, and commercialism in the United States (pg. 165). Early representations of Mexicans in the silent age through Hollywood's golden age, help shape the archetypical Mexican such as the 'convenient villain' and 'the buffoon,' among many others. These characters institutionalized stereotypes by way of Hollywood's influential machine. Characters like the sexualized 'Senorita' and 'the passive peasant,' gave audiences greatly exaggerated caricatures of Latinos, soon becoming tropes in the Hollywood western.
The social problem films of post-Second World War took small steps to round out Latinos, but often at the expense of a white protagonist storyline. Giant (1956), starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean, is a prime example of this occurrence. Featuring an interracial marriage, between Jordy, played by Dennis Hopper and Juana, played by Elsa Cárdenas. Bick (Rock Hudson), being the patriarch of the family has his reservations, especially in concerns to his grandson. These plot points focus more on the effect on the Benedict family and very little on Juana's perspective. It could be said that at least these characters were present in Hollywood cinema, even though in a demonstration of a progressive America. Interesting enough, an attempt was made to turnover these stereotypical representations during the Second World War.
The Three Caballeros (1944), one of the clips shown in lecture, an animated feature from the Walt Disney Studios that, with hindsight, was intended as a goodwill message for South America.

The United States government, as a preemptive move, commissioned goodwill trips to South America, believing these Latin American countries could side with the Axis powers. Fear, due to their proximity, was the main driving force. Therefore, a conscious effort was made to show, and by the very nature represent, Hispanic culture for American audiences. José Carioca, Panchito Pistoles, and Donald Duck represent South, Central, and North America, respectively, although borderline caricature, these cartoons characters could be seen as a more romanticized representation. Even though made out of a misplaced fear, The Three Caballeros was still an attempt to approach Hispanic traditions in a manner that would be of interest to American audiences-hence why Donald Duck is the main protagonist. Animated or not, films of Hispanic representation still seem to stem from the same mindset, overtly characteristics that either is romanticized or archetypical portrayals of misunderstood

culture.
Recent discussion around representation in post-modern cinema has informed audiences to these stereotypes, rendering them as satirical portrayals of overused archetypes. Films like Giant and The Three Caballeros suggest good intentions, while suitable for a general audience, they are no way an accurate representation. Believing that change is on the way, Patricia Cardoso, director of Real Women Have Curves (2002), is trying to change the cinematic landscape where Latinos are concerned. Recalling her Q&A session, she and her fellow panelist, Rick Famuyiwa, are actively producing roles and crewing minorities in their respective projects.
She acknowledged that her and others in her position, want to truthfully represent Latinos, not only in front of the camera but also behind. Up until recently, films that presented a perspective, or revolved around narratives of minorities, were developed with little to no involvement from those that represented that minority group-although not always the case. Being active, rather than reactive, is the bases of change. Cardoso's sentiments echo the goals I'm aiming to achieve, grounded in good storytelling.
Naturally, as the son of a Mexican immigrant, I gravitate towards matters of representation where Latinos are concerned. Mexican-American culture is the baseline in which I see Hispanic/Latino representation on the silver screen. I'm probably not alone. Watching movies, through our own lens, our perspective on the world is dependent on our own individual backgrounds. What we bring to the movie theater highly informs our perception of representation on screen. Cinema, also, is dependent on its audience, without it there will be no business of entertainment. American cinema has the tough job of representing America, the melting pot.