User:Makotara/Chincanas in film: History of an Image/Bibliography

How They Started (1900-1930)
The first depictions of Mexican Americans in film were used in a negative connotation. Mexican men were at the forefront of these stereotyped characters playing in roles that coined them as “greasers”, “bandits”, “badmen”, and overall villainous (Alonzo). Little to no characterization was given to these roles other than acting as the antagonist for the Anglo male lead to take down and save the day. This construct was the blueprint for western films that were prominent during this time. There were no regulations against it in Hollywood during this era of film, so they kept pumping out different variations of this, because they benefitted greatly in the box offices (Cortes). Mexican American women, however, had their own struggles to deal with within this period of film making. Chicana characters in the western films of this time acted as yet another object to exemplify the heroicness of the white male leads. They had the same diminished characterization as their Chicano counterparts, however, they had to be fair toned and almost white passing (dark hair was permissible). They would then, sometimes use this character as a crutch to exemplify the evilness of the ‘bandit’ and allow the Chicana to be saved from their clutches by allowing them to end up with the white male protagonist.

Wartime Era (1930-1945)
World War II had an impact on the films made during this era by allowing for a less prejudiced depiction of Mexican Americans. America was pushing forth the idea of coming together as a country to get through the war. They were also doing it to appease the audiences that would be viewing these films, and that was mostly made up of people in the Americas since there was a disconnect between America and Europe during this era (Cortes). The Chicanas that were depicted in the films over this period of time focused more so on their femininity and highlighted things such as sensuality (Cortes).

Women in Power (1945-1970)
Westerns were still high in popularity, and they were the most popular genre for Mexican American actors. Chicanas were casted in roles that still harped on the ‘sensuality’ aspect of women characters, however, this time around they had a role of power. They mainly played the roles of prostitutes, but these characters had “depth and power” (Cortes). Chicana characters in these films were given actual characterization that went beyond being a woman and beyond being a woman of color.

1970 and on...
As popularity of westerns started to decline, so did the opportunity of Mexican Americans getting a role with power and depth. By this point, they began to whitewash most Hispanic characters. Mexican Americans were given minor roles in the films, and these roles dimmed down many aspects of their cultural backgrounds. This entailed having a Hispanic character with a last name of Spanish origin and allowing the character to speak a little bit of Spanish, but no real characterization. They reverted back to the ‘bandit’ character type and began depicting Hispanic characters as gang members who thrive on violence.