Latino Actors and Resistance Cinema :: Movies Films

Latino Actors and Resistance Cinema During the second half of the twentieth century Latino actors began to resist the previously portrayed stereotypes in American films. "The beginning of this "coming to self"†¦was the desire to expose the terrible conditions under which Puerto Ricans of this generation had been raised; challenge the assumptions under which these conditions thrived; and re-create the institutions and society that had engendered them" (Jimenez, 188). For many years Latinos allowed themselves to be depicted under various stereotypes which they therefore represented in real life to audiences everywhere. By mid-century, Chicanos, Cubans, and Puerto Ricans began to form ways to deviate from the conventions of earlier American cinema. Documentaries were one creation that offset the false stereotypes put forth by many American filmmakers because they identified with the realism and actuality of Latino life. According to Cine-Aztlan, "in a class society, only those who control have the power to interpret the situation of the masses. That is why capitalist documentaries will never trace the source of the problem and the injustices that the world masses experience under a system of exploitation and human oppression (Cine-Aztlan, 278). When Latinos actually took the step towards self-representation and began producing and directing films and documentaries themselves, the truth started seeping through the lines. In "La Operacion", we see how the Puerto Rican government dealt with the issue of population control. The situation is portrayed realistically and the harsh truth is presented by real people who have real stories to share. This type of cinematography is directly political form of filmmaking that is more likely t o stir emotion in the audience. Luis Valdez could be labeled the originator of the resistance movement, stirring much emotion and discussion with his films. Notably, he directed Zoot Suit, a film portraying a young Chicano who must go through great difficulty to clear his name of a murder he did not commit. Joseph Vasquez directed Hangin' With the Homeboys, a movie directly addressing the stereotypes of minorities through comedy and exaggerated characteristics.