The Hispanic Image on the Silver Screen

Book excerpt: This is the first collection of more than 1,800 films dealing with Hispanic topics, themes, and characters arranged chronologically from 1898 to 1935, with indepth annotations, cross-references and four separate indexes. This is a study of Hollywood's treatment of Hispanics worldwide, those living in South, Central and North America, the Philippines and Spain. Employing a historical framework, the author has organized the work for those interested in assessing the effects that motion pictures have had on the viewing public in establishing and perpetuating accepted stereotypes. The role of censorship, the Production Code Administration, the Motion Picture Society of the Americas, the Latin American market, and Hollywood's version of Hispanic history are fully covered. The Black Legend of Hispanic barbarity has existed in literature since the sixteenth century. The early film makers, and later Hollywood, merely transferred the Black Legend to the silver screen and continued the accepted point of view created since the first conflict between England and Spain for supremacy in the Caribbean. This work also shows the relationship between film and foreign policy, how films have frequently justified and glorified North American intervention in the affairs of the Latin nations throughout the Americas. Each entry includes a brief scenario which details the film's Hispanic connection: a stereotype, a historic interpretation, a specific nation, associated behavior or attitudes, a list of the Hispanic actors and actresses. Reviews, bibliographic citations and archival locations are provided.