Delores del RioDescribe the “greaser” and the “Latin Lover” stereotypes. When did these stereotypes emerge and how were they represented on screen? How does the concept of “whiteness” inform their circulation in U.S. cinema? What is the “Good Neighbor Policy” and what impact did it have on the representation of Latinos/as? How does the concept of “whiteness” inform the ways Latino/a actors were promoted within the U.S. film industry (provide at least one example)? What shifts occur in Latino/a media representation after the Civil Rights movement? Discuss at least one Latino/a actor and/or director (one from the immediate post-Civil Rights era and one contemporary) and briefly explain how their careers are influenced by the history of Latinas/os in American film.
A greaser was an oily, dark-skinned, mustachioed bandit usually from Mexico. The stereotype was a villainous thief who was hot-tempered, cruel and violent. A milder stereotype portrayed them as shiftless and lazy. Another stereotype was the Latin Lover where men sometimes women of Latin American descent were more sensual and sexual than their North American counterparts. The Latin Lover was assumed to be emotional and "hot-blooded".
ReplyDeleteThe greaser was portrayed as darker skinned and highly racialized, the Latin Lover had lighter skin and could easily assimilate into whiteness.
The " Good Neighbor Policy" was a series of federal initiatives and programs designed to recognize and celebrate US ties with Latin American nations. Hollywood was making films that celebrated Latino cultures and friendship between the nations of North, Central, and South America. US citizens were learning about the cultures and customs of South America while South America was flattered that Hollywood was paying attention to them.
Hispanics were having trouble landing starring roles, Carmen Miranda for example was tremendously popular but the blonde haired blue eyed white starlet always ended up with the leading man.
After the civil rights movement it was politically incorrect to stereotype Native Americans as savage beasts so Hollywood remade their villains into Mexican greasers.
Raquel Welch whose real name was Jo Raquel Tejada was born Bolivian but "stayed in the closet" as a Latina and assimilated into whiteness by changing her name.
Perhaps the most successful Latino filmmaker in the early 2000s is Mexican American Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez mixes action-oriented filmmaking with Chicano characters, culture and settings to great commercial success.
The Latino community is varied and diverse and continues to struggle for equal access to the rights and privileges of American culture. In Hollywood Latino filmmakers struggle to be heard and to tell their stories.
Greaser was a term used to describe a movie character the represents Latinos in the US cinema. The greaser was shown as an oily, dark skinned and mustachioed bandit who was usually found causing trouble and mayhem. On the other hand, the Latin Lover stereotype represented a character that was shown as more sensual and sexual than a North American character. Usually the Greaser is shown as darker while the Latin Lover was shown as light.
ReplyDeleteThe “Good Neighbor Policy” was the foreign policy administered by the US towards the countries of Latin America. Movies were being produced that recognized and celebrated the South American culture. People in North America were learning more about South America and people in South America were excited that they are being shown and portrayed in Movies in Hollywood.
One of the most successful/popular figures was a Latino Film maker in the early 2000s of Mexican decent, born and raised in Texas. Was very popular in his independent, super-low budget gangster movie called El Mariachi. This movie was later redone with huge celebrities such as Antonio Banderas and Selma Hayek and was called Desperado.
With the rise of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, Mexican American activists started using the terms Chicano and Chicana as a source of “Cultural Pride”. Cesar Chavez was a famous figure that emerged from the civil rights movement. He founded and directed the United Farm Workers Union. He started by trying to raise the standard for migrant farm workers and later became a leader for all Latinos struggling again bias and discrimination. Chicano Activism focused attention on mass media representation to eliminate stereotypes and discrimination.
The greaser and the Latin lover were two popular images of Latinos in Hollywood cinema. The greaser had two versions, one as a violent, cruel and hot tempered thief, and another milder version as shiftless lazy character. The greaser was an oily, dark-skinned, mustachioed bandit hailing from Mexico.
ReplyDeleteThe Latin Lover is another image of Latinos in the US cinema, that came out during the 1920s. In this stereotype men and women of Latin American decent are figured as more sensual and sexual than their North American counterparts, furthering cultural assumptions about Latinos as emotional and hot blooded.
The greaser was an overtly racialized Other, the Latin Lover was more of an ethnic type that could potentially be assimilated into whiteness. The Latin Lovers stars appeared whiter than the greasers, so usually a Latin Lover succeeds with a relationship with a woman character whereas the greaser man wouldn’t have sexual relation with a white woman.
The Good Neighbor Policy is a governmental propaganda plan which was a series of federal initiatives and programs designed to recognize and celebrate US ties with Latin American nations.
As part of the Good Neighbor Policy, Hollywood was enlisted to create films and images that would celebrate Latinos cultures and the ideal of friendship between nations of North, Central, and South America.
Latinos actors had to make over and deny their heritage, to be able to fit into the “white” category and have a chance to become a Hollywood star. For example, Margarita Casino after she changed her name to a less ethnic sounding name, Rita Hayworth, dyed her hair red or blonde, she transformed from a minority-ethnic bit player to a Hollywood star.
The civil rights movement was making the United States aware of how the Western genre had been used to both demonize Native Americans and rewrite historical genocide. It became politically incorrect to stereotype Native Americans as violent beast, but Hollywood remade their villains into the greasers. On the other hand Mexican Americans activists began using the term Chicano as a source of cultural pride.
One of the most famous figures that emerge from the civil rights movement was Cesar Chavez. Chavez founded and directed the United Farm Workers Union. Chavez became a symbolic leader for all Latinos struggling against bias representation.
Jennifer Lopez is one of the most famous Hispanic American actresses of the era. She was born in New York, to Puerto Rican parent. Today Latinos actors don’t have to shy away from Latino roles, as being a Latino American is more acceptable in the US.
Gabrielle Dietiker
ReplyDeleteGreaser was one of the earliest stereotypes for representing Latinos, greaser was an oily, dark skinned mustachioed bandit who caused mayhem. The second recurring image was the Latin Lover, who are figured as more sensual and sexual then their North American counterparts. The Greaser came out around the 1910s and the Latin Lover around the 1920s. The greaser was an overtly radicalized Other, the Latin Lover was more of an ethnic type that could potentially be assimilated into whiteness. Latin Lovers were played by light skinned Latinos while sometimes the makeup artist would help darken the skin of the Greaser.
The Good Neighbor Policy was a series of federal initiatives and programs designed to recognize and celebrate the US ties with Latin American nations. An important part of the Good Neighbor Policy Hollywood was enlisted to make films that would celebrate Latino cultures and the show friendship between North, Central and South America. The “whiter” a Latino seemed the more leading roles they got for example the actress Margarita Cansino who after winning a contract at Columbia Pictures became Rita Hayworth. Not only did they change her name to a less ethnic one they also dyed her dark hair blond ( or sometimes red) and even raised her hairline.
After the Civil Rights movement it became politically incorrect to stereotype Native Americans as violent beasts so film makers remade the villains into Mexican or Bolivian Greasers. In the early 1970s a media watchdog group Nostors was created and directed by actor Ricardo Montalban. Nosotros dedicated itself to improving the image of Latinos in film, television and advertising. Most Latino film makers start as Independent film makers. Gregory Nava is a Latino director who has found more opportunities as an independent film making rather then a Hollywood one. He mostly does films around Latino family life. His most recent film alleges a conspiracy between corrupt policemen, Mexican and American businessmen and even US politicians.
Part 1:
ReplyDeleteThe 'greaser' stereotype originally described the oily-haired and mustached bandit, originally displayed through the old western films. They are characterized as violent, cruel, and hot-tempered, serving a role similar to the 'violent-indian' seen in other western films. Their potential as the 'violators of the purity of white women' also make them similar to the 'Black Buck', though their more cruel than lustful nature seems to pull some characterists from the cruelty of the 'Dr. Fu Manchu' and 'Dragon Lady' types. Regardless, these qualities make it easy to justify the westward expansion and prejudice against it's population after the Mexican-American War. There is also a lazy and childlike sombrero-wearing variation of the greaser, with it's similarities to the 'Coon' stereotype justifying the domination of the ethnic group.
The 'Latin Lover' stereotype may have stemmed from the classic 'Otherly' characteristic of being exotic, sensual, and sexual, so as to define 'whiteness' as normal, clean, and chaste. These were often played by attractive lighter complexioned 'latinos', while darker complexioned 'latinos' were cast as 'greasers'. This was lightly ment to represent them as 'close' to being 'white', making relationships and integration acceptable while still maintaining the sense of passion and romance the love-stories were trying to cash-in on. Relationships between two 'white' characters would be less acceptable with such romance, given the self-indulged stereotype of being chaste and pure. The 'Latin Lover' allowed Hollywood to exploit and sell this less socially acceptable relationship between a man and a woman, by playing off the stereotypes of a 'nearly white'.
The 'Good Neighbor Policy' was a government propoganda attempt to unify the north, central, and southern americas during the earily 1940's, enacted by the fear that the Axis powers would gain influence in them. This policy was employed by the creation of numerous cultural-spanning movies, musicals, and animated shorts that provided cultural similarities and displayed friendly ties and relationships between whites and 'latinos'. This failed to shed light on the life of 'latinos' living in America, who were being violently abused during the Zoot Suit Riots at the time.
Part 2:
ReplyDeleteIn order to be cast in non-stereotypical support roles, many 'latino' actors were pressured to downplay or even deny their heritage. For example, Margarita Cansino's early work in nightclubs displayed her ethnicity in the forefront, but she changed her name to Rita Hayworth after getting a contract with Columbia Pictures. She had her hairline risen and often dyed it shades of blond or red, and soon "became one of Hollywoods biggest stars".
After the Civil Rights movement, we see many signs of absorbsion of 'latino' into the realm of 'whiteness', as has been seen with the Irish and Italians. However, there are still strong undertones of the 'Latin Lover' stereotype in many of assiliated films, as well as resurfacing of the 'greaser' in gangmembers and drug dealers. Filmmaker Gregory Nava's first got attention with El Norte (1983), which won an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for its 'harsh and uncompromising' story of two Guatemalan teenagers who flee the massacre of their parents to America as illegal immigrants. His film Bordertown (2006), attempts to comprimise between Hollywood and politics, with a deep complicated message hidden behind car chases and sting operations. His attempts to spread his message to a larger audience with popular Hollywood style may have 'muted' his message to most viewers. Salma Hayek is a comtemporary actress/director/producer who embodied the female 'Latin Lover' in her early roles, though she managed to free herself from these roles as she began to produce her own films. Able to more freely express herself, her films and television series have challenged the typical views of beauty. This act may even unsettle some of the foundations of the 'Latin Lover', as a change in the physical nature of attraction may change it's implications of sexual desire.
Blog #3
ReplyDeletePART 1
The “greaser” was one of the earliest and most common stereotypes representing Latinos in US cinema. The “greaser” was an oily, dark-skinned, and mustachioed bandit, found causing mayhem. This stereotypical character ranged from violent, cruel, and hot-tempered, to a slightly milder version, as shiftless and lazy. Since the 1910s Mexico has been fighting the negative stereotyping practices in Hollywood. By 1922 many countries issued bans on Hollywood films containing images of the negative concepts and stereotypes. With the ban of such films Hollywood decided it best to tone down the negative imagery. During the 1920s, Hollywood cinema found immense popularity with the “Latin Lover.” The image of the “Latin Lover” consisted of men and women of Latin American descent, very in touch with their sexuality, and enticing to their North American costar characters. The “Latin Lover” stereotype furthered cultural assumptions of Latinos as “emotional and hot-blooded.” Their purpose was to project an image of an alluring, dark-skinned sex symbol, hinting at exotic and erotic secrets, with a mixture of violence. In most cases, the “greaser” had darker skin compared to the “Latin Lover.” With the lighter skin tone of the “Latin Lover,” Hollywood cinema found it easier to assimilate into whiteness, and mainstream popular culture.
The “Good Neighbor Policy” is a series of federal initiatives and programs designed to recognize and celebrate ties with Latin American nations. Hollywood was enlisted as an important part in creating films and images celebrating Latino cultures, and concepts of friendship between nations of North, Central, and South America. The goal was to prevent their alignment with the Axis powers. In its rawest form, America was trying to flatter the other countries of our hemisphere in order to stay in their graces. As much as the “Good Neighbor Policy” was put in place for what could be viewed as the “wrong reasons,” it also boosted the careers of many Hispanic actors.
PART 2
ReplyDeleteAlthough Latinos found their stereotypical roles easily acquired, it was near impossible to land a leading role. In order for Latino actors and actresses to land a star role they were forced to neglect their heritage, and find loopholes, often completely changing their appearance to fit in the category of “whiteness.” For example, Margarita Casino changed her name to Rita Hayworth, and underwent and extensive makeover, all in hopes of erasing traces of her Hispanic heritage. “In assimilating to a white ideal of beauty, people who undergo cosmetic and plastic surgery continue to reinforce the idea that whiteness is the most desirable state of being” (Benshoff/Griffin, 150).
After the Civil Rights movement during the 60’s it became politically incorrect to stereotype and demonize Native Americans as violent and savage beasts. Hollywood followed by transposing the villain into the Bolivian or Hispanic “greaser.” At the same time, Mexican American activists found pride in their heritage through terms such as “Chicano” and “Chicana.” The goal was to separate and individualize themselves from terms such as “Latino” and “Hispanic.” Cesar Chavez stands as an excellent example of famous figures emerging from the efforts of the Civil Rights movement. Chavez founded and directed the United Farm Workers Union. Although not his direct cause, he quickly became a symbolic leader for all struggling and discriminated Latinos. His stance included representation is mass media; broadcasting public “air shows” dedicated to “The Cause.” Arguably the most successful Latino filmmaker of the 21st Century is Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez’s first film, “El Mariachi” (1991), broke him onto the independent film scene, praised with the success of his super-low-budget gangster flick. Hollywood and critics alike were extremely impressed with his effective filmmaking technique, magically creating his vision with a $7,000 budget. After being backed by major studios he recreated his work into “Desperado,” as it’s known today.
Describe the “greaser” and the “Latin Lover” stereotypes. Greaser, is a term used to describe a movie character the represents Latinos in the American cinema. He is shown as an oily, dark skinned trouble maker with a mustache. The Latin Lover stereotype represents is sensual and sexual than a North American character. Usually, the Greaser is shown as darker while the Latin Lover was shown as light.
ReplyDeleteWhen did these stereotypes emerge? The 1920s is when these stereotypes emerged.
How does the concept of “whiteness” inform their circulation in U.S. cinema? The oily mustache of the greaser could easily assimilate into whiteness, and the lighter skin of Latin Lover could easily assimilate into whiteness.
What is the “Good Neighbor Policy” and what impact did it have on the representation of Latinos/as? The Good Neighbor Policy is a governmental propaganda plan, which was a series of federal initiatives and programs designed to recognize and celebrate US ties with Latin American nations.
Because of the Hollywood was enlisted to create films and images that would celebrate Latino cultures, and the idea of friendship between nations of North, Central, and South America.
How does the concept of “whiteness” inform the ways Latino/a actors were promoted within the U.S. film industry (provide at least one example)? In order to fit into the "white" category, Latino actors had to deny their heritage and become a Hollywood star. Margarita Casino is a woman who changed her name to a less ethnic sounding name; in order to, fit into the "white category"
What shifts occur in Latino/a media representation after the Civil Rights movement?
It became politically incorrect to stereotype ,and demonize Native Americans as violent and savage beasts. Hollywood followed by transposing the villain into the Bolivian or Hispanic “greaser.” The goal was to separate and individualize themselves such as, “Latino” and “Hispanic.”
Discuss at least one Latino/a actor and/or director (one from the immediate post-Civil Rights era and one contemporary) and briefly explain how their careers are influenced by the history of Latinas/os in American film. Cesar Chavez is an example of famous figures emerging from the Civil Rights movement. He directed the United Farm Workers Union, which turned him into a symbolic leader for all struggling and discriminated Latinos. His movement included representation is mass media; broadcasting public “air shows” dedicated to “The Cause.” Arguably the most successful Latino filmmaker of the 21st Century is Robert Rodriguez.