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The Routledge Companion to Latina/o Popular Culture

Frederick Luis Aldama

Latino Film in the End Times

Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315637495.ch02 Camilla Fojas Published online on: 09 Jun 2016

How to cite :- Camilla Fojas. 09 Jun 2016, Latino Film in the End Times from: The Routledge Companion to Latina/o Popular Culture Routledge Accessed on: 28 Sep 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315637495.ch02

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Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 00:04 28 Sep 2021; For: 9781315637495, chapter02, 10.4324/9781315637495.ch02 Raíces deSangre(1979),thefirst community as apolitical entity and a market for I migrant workers and those working along the border region in de SangredocumentsthestruggleofChicanosaroundimmigrantrights andlaborissuesfor Chicano and in disbursement offundingthatresultedinthefirstChicanofilm produced 1960s and1970sinthe Cesar Chavezandorganizations,givingpublicitytotheconditionsofChicanosduring particularly inthemedia. the statefor the consequenceofthen realities oftheborderregionand Toro, a biopic, shot mostly in join forces to produce the toneandraisedstandardforborderfilmsChicano and is nominallypartofaslate filmandothermediathattargetslaborpolicypractices talent—including and actresses. by linking workerstrugglesacrosstheborderinto the historyandcontextoftransnationallabormigrationwhile establishingtheimportanceof t takesplaceduringaneraofwhat A M nourish ourimagination,themostradicalpowerthatweashumanshave. A necessary lmost fortyyearslater, exican actoranddirector A gainst thehegemonyofpresentworldorderthatpassesitselfoffasnaturaland lejandro M M , globalactorsaretearingaholeinknowledge. exicans at home and “afuera” by diminishing political censorship and repression, exicans athomeand“afuera”bydiminishingpoliticalcensorshiprepression, L una is part of a generation of exican actors,andhelmedbyChicanodirectorJesúsSalvador Treviño. Raíces L G t onzález G a ael he U P G nited States. t resident I H arcía Bernal (also a producer ofCesarChavez), arcía Bernal(alsoaproducer U ñárritu, e forged links in personal meetings with Chicano leaders like e forgedlinksinpersonalmeetingswithChicanoleaderslike .S. and ino Filmin M D Camilla Fojas exican and Chicano cinematic co-production, brought the broughtthe exican andChicanocinematicco-production, iego E L M A uis M D exican migrants to cross-border audiences. The film was exican migrantstocross-borderaudiences.Thefilmwas lfonso Cuarón,Salma avid exican production companies,Televisaexican production and O nd Time L A una, and was the ne consequenceofthisdemocraticaperturawasthe lvarez M 2 M aciel describes as a “discovery” of the Chicano aciel describesasa“discovery”oftheChicano M exican cross-over or, more accurately, global E M Susan Buck- exico andbeyond. chevarría’s attempttorestoreconfidencein M exico, of Chicano activist Cesar Chavez M exican goods and media. exican goods exican and H M (assembly plants). maquiladoras (assembly plants). ayek, amongothers.Thefilm orss, “ M N ew formsemerge.They exican L atino films: it draws on atino films:itdrawson A s Commonist M A merican actors exico featuring exico featuring G 1 This film set This film set uillermo del L ionsgate, E thics” Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 00:04 28 Sep 2021; For: 9781315637495, chapter02, 10.4324/9781315637495.ch02 Chavez drawsonthesetraditionswhile glossingthemtoo. change. The film is attentive to the history and tendency of through thisplotpoint,whileitdeliversanotherstory abouttheenactmentofsocial growers andthosestrugglingagainstthem.Theoverarching storyaspirestouniversality dynamics inwhichfatherandsontensionspresentapoint ofcoincidencebetweenthe they addnewdimensionstoit. of economiccrisis.Thesefilmsaddressandpartakeinthehistory foraddressingtheirsocialandculturalstatusduringtimes and methods with differentmodes or expandingtheboundariesofgenretogiveadifferenttakeonmigrantcondition,along the distress butfocusesontheBorder Maquilopolis (2006)wasreleasedjustasthe the politicalandculturalcontextoflocalnationallabororganizing.Thedocumentary on theindividualandhisfamily, goesagainstsomeoftheconventionsgenretoexplore struggles ofmigrantworkersdeprivedbasicrights. CesarChavez, ofproduction. genres andmodes fromanumberofdifferent imagined outcomesdrawnfromcross-bordermediaproductions in 2007andthatended,forsome,afewyearslater. Thesefilmsofferarangeofremediesand leading uptoandfollowingtheeconomicfreefallofworldeconomythatbegan tone fromitspredecessors,thestrugglesforworkerandimmigrantrightsareevermorepressing (2010), andCesarChavez(2014).Thesefilmsexpressavitalpoliticalexpediencydifferentin and migrantswhoworkliveatorneartheborder;theyareMaquilapolis(2006),Machete at thebottomoflabormarket,thosefirstsacrificedinaneconomiccrisis—immigrants no longersustainableinitscurrentform. what some cultural critics have called the end times, a time when the economic system is along theborderduringatimeofheightenedimmigrantphobiaandeconomiccrisis,or ( representations of Familia (1995)—whichweretheresult ofthecivilrightseraanddemandsformorenuanced lineage of“ post-civil rightseraofthe1970s.Thefilmismoreinline with thefundingandproduction most notablyRaícesdeSangreandAlambrista(1977)—whichbegantoemergeduringthe cultural, andpoliticalempowermentforthoseof on thetraditionof create socialchange.Thelaborofmigrantsisrenderedvisible forawideaudience,drawing relevant toitstargetaudience,inthiscase,theworkoforganizing andbuildingcoalitionsto change throughrevolution. a corruptdemocraticprocess,thefilmassertsdifferentimaginaryofcoalitionbuildingand different storyaboutorganizingandsocialchange:ratherthanpromulgatingparticipationin their futures.Macheteisaborderfilmthatusestheexploitationgrindhousegenretotell Cesar Chavezpurportstodo,whichisallowthepoornarratetheirhistoriesandcontrol overarching narrativeofpoliticalorganizationagainstworkerrightsviolations—itdoeswhat ofherownstorywithinan stories, allowingeachwomantocontrolthemeansofproduction struggle ofwomenworkinginmaquiladoras,butitusesanexperimentalapproachtotheir H U ollywood narrative that targets a large mainstream audience to send a message about the narrativethat targetsalargemainstreamaudiencetosendmessageaboutthe ollywood FW) for16years,describes the portrayalofCesarChavezinfilmascaricatured Cesar Chavez presents the farmworker’s offamily movement within amelodrama There are several M M arshall exican sideoftheborder. H G ispanic anz, alabororganizerwhoworked onthestaffof L L atinos and L H atino films that address the social conditions of inequity besetting those atino CinemaandtheChicanomovementthatsought the social, ollywood” ofthe1990s—LaBamba(1987),American Me (1992),Mi ollywood” L E a ach of these films participates in different genres, often mixing ach ofthesefilmsparticipatesindifferentgenres,oftenmixing t L ino Filmin atinas intheirfamiliesandcommunities oforigin.Cesar L I , the documentary thematizes the ike RaícesdeSangre,thedocumentarythematizes ndustrialization 35 U t .S. economy was showing signs of economic .S. economywasshowingsignsofeconomic he mentionedearlier, isafairlyconventional M E P exican descentinthe nd Time I rogram (B t is a melodrama that, while focusing that,while focusing t isamelodrama L atino cinema to address issues s IP ) and its outcomes along ) anditsoutcomesalong L atino filmmaking while atino filmmakingwhile U nited FarmWorkers U nited States— Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 00:04 28 Sep 2021; For: 9781315637495, chapter02, 10.4324/9781315637495.ch02 filmmakers, director, werebeholdentoanumberof constituents, notthe andproducers A others strugglingtowardssimilarends—Filipinos(representedtosomedegree), is engagedinanoftenlonestruggleagainstopposingforces. creating relationshipswithdiverseconstituenciesandindividuals,whilethefilmicChavez and struggle.ThehistoricalChavezexhibitedincredibleskillsatcoalitionbuilding bad—the growersandtheworkers—whileforegroundingastorylineofindividualpathos and ofreducingcomplexhistoricaleventstoastrugglebetweengood those ofmelodrama, contradict thereal lessons ofChavez’s work.”Theweaknessesheidentifiesareexactly and oftendepartingfromhistoricaleventstothepointthat“lessonsfilmteaches Figure 2.1 result of the institutional constraints of major studio-funded productions. mericans, thelabormovement,andlargerChicanomovement.Thisispartlya The filmglossesthe Cesar’s coreleadershipgiftswererelational. and proactivelytothedailycrisesofalongintenseeffort). alone (when hisstrength was in buildinga team that could respond quickly, creatively in realityhehadgivenupdriving),travelingalone(whichneverdid)anddeciding in acommoneffort.Thefilm,however, depictshimasaloner:drivingalone(when individuals, organizations and institutions with distinct talents, perspectives and skills m ichael P iña asCésarChávezin U FW’s deepconnectionstothecivilrightsmovementand “ N ot theCesarChavez Camilla Fo D iego 36 L una’s CésarChávez(2014) H e hadanabilitytoengagewidelydiverse j a I Knew,” TheNation,1 s G anz writes: I A n this case, the pril 2014,np. A frican- Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 00:04 28 Sep 2021; For: 9781315637495, chapter02, 10.4324/9781315637495.ch02 Torre incollaborationwiththewomenof of thepoorduringtimescrisisanditisonethatbrings But it isatimely story thatreminds viewers ofthe struggle the face of impossible odds. appealing to integrating actualfootagefromtheera,givingmovementunprecedentedpublicitywhile storyline, cooptingitasasignoftherevolutionaryspirit mediamaking: aim expressedbythefilmmakers asacross-bordercampaignforsocialchangethrough own struggleagainstmajorcorporations alongtheborder. Thedocumentary hasastated Television ServiceandpartiallyfundedbytheSundance result ofindependentandcollectivebinationaleffortsby Vicky FunariandSergio and constrainedbyindustrialcapitalistdemands,the documentaryMaquilapolisisthe intoalliancewiththeir and producers, and is complicit with worker struggleisframedasrelevantandsignificantto the or accessibility. Figure 2.2). E and neutralizingsomeofitsantiracistvalence. activist workof peoples ofcolorintothemainstream,makingitpalatableand accessible itself signalsthefullintegrationof grapes into the harbor rather than unloading them. This moment allegorizes how the film British dock workers, in alliance with the sign of farm workers’ struggle ceases to be that of a marginal constituency and becomes the very the struggleagainstgrowersturnsglobal.Thisisamajorturningpointinfilm.The U the symbolicpowerofBostonTea exemplifies andsymbolizesallothergrowers.WhenBogdanovichalignswiththen sense. Thefilmportraysatargetedboycottonsinglegrapegrower, Bogdanovich,who the restofworld,formedagainstoutsideforcesinaparadoxicallyglobalandnativist rendered thestoryof to organize.ThestruggleofCesarChavezastherepresentativearacializedgroupis democratic legalprocess,leadingtothecreationoffirstlawallowingmigrantworkers oppress someonewhoisnotafraidanymore”—andtocreatingsocialchangewithin human dignity(seeFigure2.1). aware ofthestruggleworkersandtheirdegradationbyasystemthatvaluesprofitover the domainof competing demands by lionizing its protagonist and locating the struggle for equal rights in without threateningtoalienateawhitemainstreamaudience.CesarChavezmeetsthese that seekmarketability, definedascontentthatwillappealtoliberaldemocraticideals least ofwhomweretheChavezfamilywhohadvetopoweroverscript,andstudios P nvironmental Justice,andWomen’s Rights resident .S. againstBritishimperialism.Thefilmtacitlyalludestothishistoricaleventwhen The filmapproachesworker struggle ontheborderwithlittleregardformarketability Cesar Chavezputsthe The storyfollowsCesar Chavez inhisemergence to socialconsciousness as ayoungman H M e devoteshislifeandworktoraisingmigrantworkerconsciousness—“youcan’t exican womenwhocommandeer thecameratotelltheirownstoriesandenact U .S. N ixon to have his grapes distributed abroad, thus bypassing the A U merican liberalism.Thisisconveyedsignificantlyinthescenethatevokes U .S. cultural values. I .S. liberalismasanindividualstruggle. t tooistheresultofcollaboration between H ollywood success stories, offering a story of individual triumph in ollywood U U FW movementsquarelyintothesocialworldofglobalaudiences, L .S asanexceptionalpoliticalentity, abeaconofcivilrightsfor a t ino Filmin I t glosses many of the historical realities of this struggle L P U atino narrativeinthe arty thatsignaledtherevolutionaryspiritof .S. counterparts.WhileCesarChavezislimited G 37 U A t rupo FactorX,ChilpancingoCollectivefor .S. dvocates, co-produced bythe dvocates, co-produced he U E FW movement, throw Bogdanovich’s nd Time U .S. audiences:thefilmmoves I nstitute M s U exican filmmaking,artists, U U .S. historicalandcultural .S. basedfilmmakersand .S. D ocumentary Fund(see I n thisway, thefarm U I ndependent .S. boycott, D e L a Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 00:04 28 Sep 2021; For: 9781315637495, chapter02, 10.4324/9781315637495.ch02 the exploitation of workers’ rights. This is conveyed in images of the production and the exploitationofworkers’ rights.Thisisconveyedinimagesoftheproduction in the“freetradezones”along the B N implicates economicallydrivenpoliciesofthe organize andact,shapethedirectionoftheirownfutures. the employ of the owners, not the workers. They make the decisions about how they will the caseofdocumentary, ortheunionsthat,asRaícesdeSangrealsoreveals,areunder against thefactoryowners.Theiractivistworkisnotmediated byeitherthefilmmakers,in maquiladora labormarketcommandeercamerastotellastorythatinvolves theirstruggle will nevercome.”ThisisthepremiseofMaquilapolis.Thewomenatbottom in shapingsocietyandletthemmakethedecisions. statement upon which the biopic ends:“ enact theidealsofpoliticalorganizingexpressedbyCesarChavez,particularlyinhis Figure 2.2 development thatintensified and expandedafterthe passingof U IP .S. manufacturerstomovetheir operationstothisarea.Maquilapolisdescribeswavesof orth The women’s storiesare conveyed withinalargerhistoricaland socialcontext that andthepoliticalinitiativesitdocumentsencourages This collaborativeproduction of1965initiatedthecreation ofthemaquiladorasorforeignownedassembly plants factory workersstrugglingtobringaboutpositivechangeintheirworld. mediamakers committedtosocialchange,andmostimportantlyagroupofwomen trade. change aroundtheissuesofglobalization,socialandenvironmentaljusticefair top tier film festivals and community screenings of the film to create meaningful social We arecurrentlyseekingfundingtoimplementabinationalCommunity the Campaign, designedandimplementedcollaborativelywithstakeholderorganizationsin A U l merican FreeTrade .S. and O atinas inVicky Funari’s andSergio ur outreachteamincludesdedicatedactivistsonbothsidesoftheborder, M exico. Thecampaignutilizesahigh-profilepublictelevisionbroadcast, A greement ( M Camilla Fo exican sideofthe I NA ’d like toseethe poor takea very direct part D http://www.maquilapolis.com/project_eng.htm 38 e U FT L a Torre’s Maquilapolis(2006) nited States,inparticulartheB A j a ). Thedocumentaryexplains howthe s I f thepooraren’t involvedchange U .S- M NA exican border, and invited FT A , andthatdeepened IP O andthe utreach Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 00:04 28 Sep 2021; For: 9781315637495, chapter02, 10.4324/9781315637495.ch02 ( it appearedjustpriortothebicentennial celebrationsof the The women’s collective efforts to use mediamaking as a political tool reflects the ideals of presumably tofindamoreprofitablesetofcircumstances, partlythroughunpaidwages. of severancepayforworkerswhowererenderedunemployed whenafactoryclosed— women’s campaignforenvironmentalclean-upbymajorcorporations,andtheremitting maquiladoras. is akeyvisualindictmentofenvironmentalviolationsthatsolidifiestheircaseagainstthe toxic bloomoncameraastheyjokinglymock-reportitlikenewscasters.Thisfootage Machete wasreleasedduringatimeof anti-immigranthysteria,particularlyin grindhouse style of filmmaking and the b-grade about collectiveorganizingand socialchangetoageneralaudiencethroughmixof the Machete Kills(2013),inSpace (indevelopment)—bringsrevolutionary ideas of whichismorefarrangingforthemarginalandpoor onbothsidesoftheborder. these idealsforanewerainwhicheconomicinstabilityleads tofullblowncrisis,theimpact justice andantiracisminthestruggleforself-determination andequality. Maquilopolisfulfills coincides withthepreceptsofChicanoandcivilrights movements’emphasisonsocial collaborations likeRaícesdeSangre—tousecinematocreatesocialchange.Thismovement instance, Carmen economies. Thewomenvisuallydocumentthesespacesandnarrateitshiddenstory—for images ofthevacant,ruined,andabandonedspacestoconveycorporatedisregardforlocal economy provestobelessthanprofitable,thefactoriesmoveelsewhere.Thefilmshows river is unimaginable. their homes. by rising toxicity in their environments, both in the factories and in the areas surrounding which thelossofemploymentordiminishingwageshasdevastatingeffects. without partnerstoshareinthedomesticwork.Theyliveprecariouscircumstances is oftenoutofconjunctionwiththedailyschedulestheirchildren,andmanythemare refused topayseverancewages. of lowerwages.Thecorporationabandoneditsfactoryspaceandworkers,towhomthey destruction offactoryspacestoconveytheeconomiccyclescapitalism. the neighborhood orcolonia wouldswimandcampalongitsshores. the neighborhood waste into it under the cover of rain. She describes how, when she was a child, people in thatturns variouscolorsandemitsnoxiousfumeswhenthefactoriesdump neighborhood health, lackofjobsecurity, andviolationoftheirrights. the narrative conveys the oppressive conditions of their work which include risks to their of thefactories.Whiletheirworkisdignifiedinthisaestheticallyappealingsequence, that accompaniesthissceneiscomposedindustrialsoundsfromorimitatingthemachines is renderedakindofdignifiedaestheticexperience,meditativeandgraceful.Themusic their repetitivelaborslikeachoreographedinstallationinanabandonedlot.Theirwork factory scenesbutinimagesofnineworkersdressedblueuniformsdramatizing and meaningoftheimages.Thewomen’s monotonous androteworkisconveyednotin against Sanyotorecuperatelostwagesandeventuallywins. D anny Trejo) representsthe cross-borderprovenanceofthefilm,asanex-Federalefrom Maquilopolis, likeCesarChavezfollowsanarrativearcthatbuildstosuccessforthe Robert Rodríguez’s of immigration phobia, the parody I The documentaryusessomeexperimental,non-narrative,techniquestoshapethemood n additiontothestruggle to workandmaintainahousehold,these women arebeset N ew L atin O A ne ofthewomen, merican Cinemamovementofthe1960s—whichincluded cross-border D urán explainshowSanyoclosedshopandmovedto L ourdes and Carmen L a t ino Filmin D urán, along withseveral colleagues, initiateslegalaction L ourdes 39 L D t uján, describesariverthatrunsthrough urán, her colleague, catch the river in full he E cine negro style of border filmmaking. nd Time M A lso, theshiftworktheyperform exican independence. Machete franchise—, s N I ow suchuseofthe ndonesia insearch O nce theborder A rizona, and M achete Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 00:04 28 Sep 2021; For: 9781315637495, chapter02, 10.4324/9781315637495.ch02 Crossed spurred publicoutrageabout theracializedconflictportrayedinstory. rewarded withtheaffections of willbe conveys astoryaboutanindividual herowhosesuccessfulstruggleagainsttheodds and itsanti-immigranthysteria. Whereas the a special Cinco de two distinctaudiences. Cheech a critical stars—Jessica the filmsquarelyinactiongenredirectedat a criticaldiscourseabout in thecauseofcollectiveantiraciststruggleamassiveWild Bunch-styleshootout. for dead,”andsohemustavengehimselfofhiswould-bekillersindoingso,participate a racistsenator, Senator M Figure 2.3 object exico whoworksasadaylaborerinTexas. The film in its dual distribution took on a life beyond its immediate narrative order and The filmactuallytargetstwodistinctmarkets:mainstream L ike slice it,vengeancehasanewname— a ruthlessdrugcartel,bulletsfly, countrises. bladesclashandthebody who layswastetoanythingthatgetsinhispath. Set up,double-crossedandleftfordead, of immigration policy or worker politics, but an action hero. Cesar Chavez, M U d L s,” arin. Thisisevidentinthedifferentpreviewsandmovietrailers directedatthese atino bordergenreanditsstableofstars— anny Trejo as Z A achary lba, M L ayo message” that clearly depicts the critical parody of the border film ayo message” that clearly depicts the critical parody indsay I garners a mainstream audience while the storyline encodes Machete garnersamainstreamaudiencewhilethestorylineencodes ngle, drawing from the various ways that the public commented on D M U M anny Trejo narratesthetrailerintendedfor cClaughlin (Robert .S. immigrationpolicy. TheadvertisingcopyforMachetelocates achete inRobertRodriguez’s Machete(2010) L ohan, A lba’s character. Camilla Fo D on Johnson,StevenSegall,andRobert M achete. (seeFigure2.3) 40 M H D H achete (Trejo) isanass-kickingex-Federale e isamigrantworkerwhonotpassive e H ollywood trailer,ollywood narratedby Jessica N ollywood audiences: ollywood j a iro), onlytobe“double-crossedandleft D A s anny Trejo, s hetakesonhitmen,vigilantesand H ollywood, throughitsmajor ollywood, H M e is hired to assassinate ichelle Rodriguez, and ichelle Rodriguez, L atino audiences“in I n “TheBorder A D ny wayyou e N iro, and A lba, Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 00:04 28 Sep 2021; For: 9781315637495, chapter02, 10.4324/9781315637495.ch02 these storiesisonthemaleheroinamannerthatcoincideswith against a corrupt systemwithinthecontext of collective struggles. Yet the main focus of in atroubledeconomy. Themaincharacters,CesarChavezand Chavez andMachete,itwasshownnationallyonthe Maquilopolis maynothavereceivedthewidedistributionandtheatrical releaseofCesar it showswomeninactiveroleswithoutframingthem asexualizedmanner. Though While thedocumentarydoesnotengageallofelements ofthecreationastoryworld, steps andstagesofwomenengagingincollectiveactionas agentsandsubjectsofthestory. offers a counterpoint to social equality, thoughwomenareoftensacrificedtothismasculinistideology. Maquilapolis in doingsoareabletoreachmuchwideraudienceswithmessagesaboutequalrightsand powerful andiconicorganizerinherownright. in powerful, asinthecaseof reimagine genderdynamicsalongmorecollectivistlines.Women’s rolesaresometimes act againsttheprevailingsocialordertochangeit.Yet thesestoriesfailinsomewaysto creation ofalternatepublics,onesinwhichnetworksandassemblagespeoplemight a storylineappearstofitthe practice. larger contextofcollectiveorganizingtheseindividuals,onethatismoreakintosocialist withthis ideologyofindividualismasthecornerstonecapitalismis what isatodds justify the means in a way that captures the ethos of the inthesecases,theends in amannerthatultimatelybenefitsthepublicorgreatergood; the ideathatasinglecharacter or entitymightactaloneandoutsidethestrictures oflaw ethos ofrevolutionintoculturalcapitalfor theology, whileothercritics,likeStephen describes of responsesaboutitsracialplot(159–60). the filmonblogs,discussionboards,andYouTube videos,foundthatthefilmelicitedarange dramatize thedemandforhuman rightsandequality, antiraciststruggles, andtherightto tenets of tenets oftherevolutionaryuse ofmediathatemerged during thecivilrights era inthe preservation should take precedence over social solidarity. rights advocates,contestthe ideathatprecaritydemandscompliance,individual of ultimately disposableworkers. They contain stories about a racialized immigrant working class of seasonal, temporary, and to bescreenedinvariousvenues. sexagenarian A style, womenarefetishizedandtheirpoweremanatesfromsexuallychargedvisualappeal. change theircircumstances. the film,Macheteisastorywithsocialimpact,onethatmightmotivateaudiencestoact to thoseontheextremeright. While thesediverse responses pointtoadividedreceptionof ll ofthewomenarehyper-feminine andstylizedwhile Cesar ChavezandMachetecatertomainstreammasculinistdesiresdemands Cesar Chavez and Machetepublicizecollectivist ideas through a sleight ofhand in which These filmsworkdifferentanglesofsocialchangeduring aneraofeconomiccrisis. L Machete, butthesewomenremain ancillary to the real heroes, though G ike rupo FactorX,Chilpancingo Collectivefor Cesar Chavez, N Machete asasymbolof ew D L anny Trejo, isanon-typicalromanticlead. atin A Machete combinesastorylineaboutanindividualmaleherostruggling merican cinema, Chicano cultural productions, and merican cinema,Chicanocultural productions, H D ollywood and major studio depictions of women. ollywood L A a olores H t s anactionhero, ollywood pattern,butultimately sendsamessageaboutthe ollywood A ino Filmin L nd theseworkersallegorizetheconditionofall atin H uerta inCesarChavezand“She,”or A merican revolution,andthestoryoneofliberation H olden, foundthefilmtobeunthreateningexcept H I 41 n particular, syndicatedradiohost ollywood viewers. ollywood t I he M n Machete,inkeepingwiththegrindhouse achete provokesandexcites,turningthe E P E nd Time BS nvironmental Justice,andwomen’s M P oint ofView seriesandcontinues achete, themainhero,playedby U I nstead, in keeping with the s .S. revolutionary spirit. Yet M U achete andthewomen .S. exceptionalism,or L L atino film,they uz andSartana H I t shows the uerta was a A lex Jones Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 00:04 28 Sep 2021; For: 9781315637495, chapter02, 10.4324/9781315637495.ch02 and alliancesacrosssocialdivisions,culturaldivides,thebordersbetweennations. represent areconfiguredculturalpoliticsaroundsocialmovementsthatcreatenetworks issuing hopeandoptimismfornewgenerationsofmediaactivists.Theseborderfilms Fox, ClaireF. TheFenceandtheRiver:CulturePoliticsatU.S.MexicoBorder. H Fregoso, Rosa Fregoso, Rosa Fojas, Camilla.BorderBandits:HollywoodontheSouthernFrontier. Cull, Buck- Beltrán, Bender, StephenW. GreasersandGringos:Latinos,Law, andtheAmericanImagination. A A A A 1 self-determination. H Keller, M M M I ngle, m abell- lonzo, JuanJ.Badmen,Bandits,andFolkHeroes:TheAmbivalenceofMexicanAmericanIdentityin ldama, Frederick, ed. 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