Race and Culture in American Films :: Media Latin Americans Movies Film Essays

Race and Culture in American Films ane of the side effects of American cinema was often crushingly relentless portrayals of other races and cultures, depictions that spread to larger audiences than eve before possible more or less the nation and even around the globe.(Keller,5) The visual images depicted through the depiction montage Gringo in Mananaland support many of Kellers views on the harsh portrayals of Latins through American media. The video succeeds in emphasizing the fact roles that Latin Americans played in the early years of film. Latins were seen as entertainers that would appear in a context that makes them either foils to or waken objects of Anglos.(Keller,39) This idea is particularly evident through the specific sexual practice roles that Latins played throughout the video. Keller describes the three most third estate roles for Hispanic females in American film. The role that seemed to most often be filled by the Latinas was that of a cantina girl. Ba sically a dancing, singing sex object, the cantina girl is a naughty lady of easy virtue, who is also outgoing and exhibitionistic.(Keller,40) As Keller states, outside the parameters of romance or sex, there are more or less no roles for Hispanic females. The Latina was visualised as a pursuer of the Anglo man, unendingly waiting for him to enter her life, and always willing to discard her Latin suer in favor of the Anglo.(Keller,40) In general, the Latinas in the video montage were portrayed as sexual temptresses with little respect for themselves or their values. Hispanic males were most often portrayed either serving to the Anglo males or lusting after the Anglo women. The assorted roles that Hispanic men played in American films were usually trammel to negative characters such as bandits or greasers. The depiction of Latins in early American cinema is far from accurate and seldom displays realisticistic living situations of Hispanics. It is evident from both the vid eo and from Kellers descriptions in Hispanics and unite States Film that the Latins were portrayed as ignorant, uneducated, unproductive mickle in American films. They were primarily entertainers, and were never placed in real life situations in the Latin American community. Kellers belief that white Americans believed in the superiority of the white race and depicted this superiority on the fluid screen(32) was clearly evident in the video montage.