Greaser to West Side Story-"Latinos in Film"

Latinos in Film (The Bronze Screen)

Antonio Banderas, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and George Lopez are some of the more notable Latinos in Latin American Hollywood history, but what exactly is the history of some of the roles they played ? If I told you back in 1914 Latinos were considered greasers or lazy white women rappers how would you feel ? If I said today Latinos are portrayed in some of the worst matters what would you say ?

It all dates back to as far as 1914 when Mexicans would appear as Indians, they would be called Greasers. In these films women would be raped by Latinos because Latinos were supposed to be the bad guys meanwhile the white guys would be the good actors. The Mexicans who “raped” women in the films would be considered snakes. In order for Latinos to keep their culture and keep their positive name they would have to change their image, can you imagine that ? You have to change your name just to please an audience or an acting agency, just to bring in a few millions so that at the end of the day the guy who casts you gets to take home a majority of it?

It got worse over the years, prior to 1930 films were either black or white (Latino guy wore black and white guy wore white hats) films that did not have sound. What did that mean after the 1930’s ? It meant actors were in trouble because at this point in history you could hear what the actors voice sounded like. Latinos would then be portrayed to be emotional, reckless and disrespectful humans, but it got worse Dracula was first done as a Latino film but then was adapted for a larger english audience. During the great depression roles for Latinos became more exposed and the films had more politics in them more than any other time in history. Actors roles got even more worse for Latinos, they were shown to be violent then we went to being dumb and illiterate, it seems like all they want to show is dumb Latinos but hey if a actor Latino is dumb what does that mean for the audience because I would not be caught watching a dumb film. Going back to the political elements shown in film, did you know that Latino actors were paid to re-enact the Mexican wars but as barbaric loose headed animals but not for the heroics ?

Fast forward to 1933 where another great and well known film like Dracula was changed for the greater audience, King Kong was one of the first biggest thrillers and it was acted by a Latino named Francisco Bay Chico. Surprisingly after this film the situation over in Hollywood began to change and the reception became more positive in a sense but not entirely. The first live show was filmed by a Cuban. Jose Senger who was Puerto Rican won an Academy Award being the first Latino to do so was astonishing, the first Academy Award given to a Latina also was Puerto Rican and she stared in West Side Story, I guess you can say she loved to live in America.

Finally, while you sit down to watch a great film like TED , or Dark Knight Rises and even Fast and Furious 6 also known as Fast 6 which have Latino or Latina actors keep in mind that at one time or another all of those actors could have been enslaved by the movie industry simply because they were darker than the average white person. The actors even today are still portrayed as animals and car stealing thieves , notice how in every fast and furious movie they are in international countries that are majority minority and the people who run the streets are minorities who are in gangs or in the drug industry ? Interesting isn't it ? I guess you can say for now the hollywood industry has gone from Greasers to West Side Story.