Hispanic Film And Cinema: Luces, Camara, Accion

Modern American cinema today would be a whole different ball of wax

, without some of the unique contributions made by other film-making cultures around the globe. Of particular interest is the contributions and achievements made by cinematographers who got their start in the Hispanic film community. American film-making has benefited greatly by the unique talents, working methods, and problem-solving solutions that is a part of the Mexican film-making scene. A non-technical, raw approach, was used previously by Hispanic production workers who had limited film experience and resources. A unique working style necessarily developed out of these limitations, and still impacts American film today.

With the advent of motion pictures in the late 1800s and the eventual evolution to "talkies" (movies with sound) by the early 1930s, Mexico's film industry had evolved in a rather short period of time into a highly creative and vibrant environment unhindered by outside elements of the time (economic hardship, political upheaval). Despite not having a massive, well-funded production community and all of the advertising and exposure that goes hand in hand with the film industry in the United States, Mexican cinema was thriving.

The Revolution in Mexico lasted more than a decade, and with it came upheaval of every type as a new national government was put in place. This would prove to be fortuitous for the film industry as the new government regarded film as a vital and important tool for getting information to the populace. The visual medium of film was the perfect choice in which to mold the ideological views of a country, such as Mexico, which had a large literate population. The government put this notion to the test by making the revolution a cinematic experiment of sorts by filming much of it and having it shown in theaters.

When the revolution ended, the government opted to use film in conjunction with most of its other artistic outlets in an attempt to present the illusion of a unified Mexico; the nationalistic propaganda, was not easily opposed by most artists and filmmakers. Government funding for many of the projects, started to be a major crutch of the movie industry, even as it was evolving and flourishing. Government watchdogs started making the rounds and scrutinized the films that public money funded - while creativity and innovation were never outright suppressed, it was an unspoken certainty that the Government was really keeping an eye on the content of movies to make sure they stayed within the lines of acceptability and continued to promote the mirage of unification to the masses. While none of this was a secret to those employed in cinema, it didn't stop them from continuing to hire innovative writers, directors, cinematographers and passionate, capable actors in order to further the art of film - they were inspired to an even greater extent, by all the government oversight.

With determination and funding on its side, the Mexican film industry was well on its way to creating a star driven system much like the one in Hollywood. Some of the actors who rose to prominence in Hispanic cinema went on to achieve success and name recognition in America - Ricardo Montalban, Maria Felix and Dolores Del Rio, to name a few. The film industry in Mexico was growing, had a stellar reputation and was churning out and exporting stars into the American system - in other words, it was a success.

Even now, a prominent role is played by Hispanic actors and directors, writers and cinematographers, in today's Hollywood movies. Sam Mendez, Antonio Banderas, Pedro Almodovar, Jimmy Smits, Robert Rodriguez, Salma Hayak, Andy Garcia, Penelope Cruz, - these are but a few of the recognizable names to achieve success in Hollywood; gone are the days when Hispanic actors would have to choose a non-ethnic name in order to have a chance at success outside of Mexico as they are now an accepted and vital part of film not only in America, but the world over.

by: Robert Nickel

POST COMMENT

Find The Best Nursery, Public And International Schools In Pune Incorporating A Pick And Mix Stand To Prove Beneficial In Many Aspects Outdoor Rugs Unique And Magnificent Follow Our Long-short Strategy And Beat Nifty With Stable Profits Whey Protein And Weight Loss An Ideal And Effective Combination Winter Activities With Mn Resorts And Lodges Meet A Leading Company In Hotel Fit-outs And Refurbishments In Australia Human Resources And Fixed Assets When To Use All-terrain Vehicle (atv) And Utility Vehicle (utv) Know The Basic Things Regarding Personal Training And Personal Fitness Trainer Different Kinds Of Detectors And Technologies In Home Alarm System Rules And Regulations In Sailing In The Whitsundays Hints To Create And Achieve All Your Goals