The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in Hollywood

From the Latin lovers of the silent screen and the banditos who stalked the Western heroes, to the dancing Sharks of West Side Story and the new crop of increasingly positive self-generated images of recent years, The Bronze Screen manages to squeeze a hundred years worth of cinematic representation of Latinos into one engaging documentary. Chronologically arranged, the documentary illustrates the often negative results that occur when the dominant culture defines a minority culture: for decades, Latinos were depicted onscreen as shiftless and untrustworthy (men) or lusty sexpots (women), with the end result being that the best Latino actors were perpetually typecast (such as Ramón Navarro or Dolores del Rio), or were forced to sacrifice their ethnic identities to move into the mainstream (such as Rita Hayworth, who only became a success when she changed her name). While saluting those actors who made the most of the pittance offered to them--Rita Moreno, Anthony Quinn, and Katy Jurado--The Bronze Screen also emphasizes the importance of the new generation of Latino filmmakers (Robert Rodriguez, Gregory Nava, and Alfonso Arau) in rewriting the image of Latinos from the inside out rather than the outside in. Including interviews with contemporary Latino actors such as Edward James Olmos, Ricardo Montalban, and Jimmy Smits (but not the latest crop of Latino stars--Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, or Antonio Banderas), this unique historical portrait is definitely recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (D. Fienberg)