Hispanic Heritage Month, which is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, is an opportunity to appreciate the Hispanic and Latino cultures and communities that make up large parts of our country. Hispanic and Latino people have significantly impacted American culture; their representation in film offers insight into how the U.S. has treated and perceived them as a collective.
Although Hispanic and Latino people have crucially impacted film, their representation has been complex, marked by exclusion and insensitivity. In the early years of film, Hispanic people were seldom represented. Early black-and-white films predominately revolved around white American characters. Minority groups, in the few minutes they were represented, were generally portrayed negatively or insensitively.
From the 1950s onward, as colored films became the norm, more Hispanic people were represented onscreen, yet many roles were based on negative stereotypes. Many Latino characters in American films can be summarized as “banditos”—unkempt robbers and brigands. For instance, “The Apple Dumpling Gang” depicts a gang of Mexican thieves who partake in holdups, bank robberies, and kidnappings. These depictions of negative and criminal behaviors casts Mexicans, and by extension, other Hispanic and Latino people, unfavorably.
In the 1950s and 60s, Hispanic and Latina women were often objectified and sexually exploited in film. In “One Million Years B.C.,” Raquel Welch’s character, Loana, is clad only in an animal hide bikini. Though Rita Moreno gained international recognition for her portrayal of Anita in the 1961 musical film “West Side Story,” the character of Anita is far from perfect: She embodies the stereotype that Hispanic and Latina women are sensual, exotic, and feisty. These stereotypes are particularly harmful within a film like “West Side Story” that set out to fight negative characterizations of Hispanic and Latino people.
Hispanic and Latina women were not the only people to be sexualized. 1920s Italian actor Rudolph Valentino is known for trailblazing the “Latin Lover,” an erotic trope that has continued through the early ages of film into the modern day. The “Latin Lover” is conventionally attractive, tall, has Hispanic features, performs seductively and emanates mystery. Often these characters employ womanizing attitudes and unrealistic portrayals of love. This is not the sole negative of the Latin Lover character because, as mentioned previously, the actors within this role are attractive by American standards, possessing height, dark eyes, a white-passing skin tone, and a suave voice. This character is unfortunate because it represents merely a small fraction of the Hispanic and Latino population, failing to acknowledge the vast diversity that exists within Hispanic and Latino communities.
One of the saddest facts of the portrayal of Hispanic and Latino people in film is the practice of “brownface.” Brownface can include a non-Hispanic or Latino actor portraying a Hispanic or Latino role or the use of cosmetics to darken the skin while playing a Hispanic or Latino character. Numerous well-known actors have taken on the roles of Hispanic characters, even though they do not share any ethnic ties to the individuals they depict. The famous American actor Marlon Brando (who is of Western European descent) portrayed Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata in the biopic “Viva Zapata,” American actor Al Pacino (who is of Italian descent) played the Cuban character Tony Montana in “Scarface” and Natalie Wood (who is of Russian and Ukrainian descent) and George Chakiris (who is of Greek descent) played the Puerto Rican characters Maria and Bernardo in “West Side Story.” In fact, almost none of the actors in “West Side Story” were Hispanic or Latino. Despite the film’s many Latino characters, Rita Moreno was the only Latina performer in the cast. Even without the use of cosmetics or other skin-darkening techniques, casting actors who are not Hispanic or Latino in Hispanic and Latino roles perpetuates harmful stereotypes and the silencing of Hispanic and Latino voices.
However, the history of Hispanic and Latino representation in film is not always a dour subject. Many original and beloved shows tastefully depict narratives through comedic, artistic, and adventurous lenses. Some contemporary classics include the American sitcom “Ugly Betty,” a story about a plain girl with a distinguishable fashion sense. This show particularly breaks historical television tropes about the hypersexualized Latina, showcasing a difference in perspective and protagonist. The 2021 remake of “West Side Story” rectifies the poor casting of the original by casting Rachel Zegler (who is of Colombian descent) as Maria and David Alvarez (who is of Cuban descent) as Bernardo.
When it comes to theater, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights,” depicts the historically rich Dominican-American culture in New York City’s Washington Heights. Disney has had a couple of monumental animated films, one being “Coco,” a film that revolves around the Mexican cultural holiday “el Día de los Muertos” (The Day of the Dead), and the other “Encanto,” a film that displays the diversity of Colombia and the experience of Latino families. Even though Hispanic and Latino representation in film has historically been negative, artists are working to right past wrongs.
As we celebrate and appreciate the heritage and history of Hispanic and Latino people, it is important to reflect on the strides that have occurred in the realm of film. Many positives and negatives can be seen from past and present cinema, but the only way to understand the perspectives of Hispanic and Latino people regarding their onscreen representation is to conduct research into what they view as right and wrong, positive and problematic. Let this month be a reminder of the continuing journey of the influence and culture that the Hispanic and Latino people have spread throughout our nation, not only in film but in our daily lives. Maybe start by watching a telenovela!
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.