University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2019-08-27 The Representation of Mexican Identity through Music in the Films of Emilio ‘Indio’ Fernández (1940-1950) Carril Naranjo, Javier Arturo Carril Naranjo, J. A. (2019). The Representation of Mexican Identity through Music in the Films of Emilio ‘Indio’ Fernández (1940-1950) (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110842 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY The Representation of Mexican Identity through Music in the Films of Emilio ‘Indio’ Fernández (1940-1950) by Javier Arturo Carril Naranjo A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN MUSIC CALGARY, ALBERTA AUGUST, 2019 © Javier Arturo Carril Naranjo 2019 ii Abstract Emilio ‘Indio’ Fernández (1904-1986) was a prominent film director of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema (1936-1956). Central to his work was the representation of the Mexican national identity, which was expressed through the narrative and visual elements of his films. Music was also central in Emilio Fernández’s work, but the soundtracks have only been passingly addressed by the critical literature devoted to Fernández's films. This thesis attempts to address this issue through a discussion of the role of music in three movies that span Fernández’s main nationalistic concerns: the Mexican revolution, the life of the Mexico's indigenous people, and social life in Mexico's urban centers. In chapter one this thesis examines the historical events that led Mexico to become a leading Spanish-language film producer during the period between 1936 and 1956 —known familiarly as the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Chapter two is devoted to Emilio Fernández and his ideas of ‘national cinema,’ as well as the director’s relationship with the composers (Francisco Dominguez and Antonio Diaz Conde) that wrote the music for some of the most significant films of his career. Chapter three discusses the music in Flor Silvestre (1943), a film devoted to the cinematic representation of the Mexican revolution. Chapter four is dedicated to the music in María Candelaria (1944) —a film in which Emilio Fernández portrays a stylized image of the Mexican indigenous people. Finally, Chapter five explores the musical life of Mexico City in the 1940s as presented in the movie Salón México (1948). This thesis traces the origin of the musical genres included in the selected movies. This is to evaluate how these genres are representative of the Mexican musical traditions. In addition, this thesis explores the dramatic function of both diegetic (onscreen) and non-diegetic (background) music in relation to the narrative and visual elements of the films. iii Preface Mexican cinema has received considerable attention in recent years.1 Despite this attention, studies of the role of music in Mexican film are few, with most studies treating only the songs performed in films from the ‘Golden Age’ (1936-1956) of Mexican cinema. These writings tend to emphasize the role of famous performer-actors and the vocal genres popular in Mexican cinema of that period.2 The general nature of these studies often fail to make such basic distinctions as the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic music or to discuss the musical styles employed in the films. Often the role of non-diegetic music is not engaged at all, despite its considerable presence and evident importance to the impact of a particular film. There is also little treatment of the leitmotivic dimension in the musical scores, another feature of importance. Emilio ‘Indio’ Fernández (1904-1986) is customarily regarded as one of the central figures in Mexican cinema during the Golden Age, working as one of Mexico’s most important directors over a career that spanned thirty years. He was also the most important director of films that sought to develop a distinctive Mexican national style. In this large, life-long project, 1 See for example, Charles Ramirez Berg, The Classical Mexican Cinema: The Poetics of the Exceptional Golden Age Film (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015). Maricruz Castro-Ricalde, “El cine de la época de oro y su impacto internacional,” La Colmena 82, no. 2 (2014): 9-16. Robert McKee Irwin and Maricruz Castro Ricalde, Global Mexican Cinema: Its Golden Age ‘el cine mexicano se impone’ (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013). María Consuelo Guerrero, “La revolucionaria en el cine mexicano,” Hispania 95, no. 1 (2012): 37-52. Catherine Bloch ed., Premios internacionales del cine mexicano 1938-2008 (México: Cineteca Nacional, 2009). Julia Tuñón, “Ritos y ritmos urbanos en el cine de Emilio Fernández,” Cahiers d’ etudes romanes 1, no. 19 (2008): 197-207. Carl J. Mora, Mexican Cinema: Reflections of a Society, 1986-2004, 3rd ed. (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2005). Andrea Noble, Mexican National Cinema (London and New York: Routledge, 2005). Susan Dever, Celluloid Nationalism and Other Melodramas: From Post-Revolutionary Mexico to fin de siglo Mexamérica (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003). Emilio García Riera, Breve Historia del Cine Mexicano: primer siglo, 1897-1997 (Guadalajara: Universidad de Guadalajara, 1998). 2 See for example, Sergio de la Mora, “Pedro Infante Unveiled: Masculinities in the Mexican ‘Buddy Movie’,” in Cinemachismo, 68-104 (Texas: University of Texas Press, 2006). Marina Díaz López, “La comedia ranchera como género musical,” Cinémas de Amérique Latine 1, no. 8, (2000): 27-40. Leopoldo Gaytán Apaez, “El mambo de Pérez Prado y el cine mexicano (1948-1953)” (Bachelor diss. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1996). Paco Ignacio Taibo I, La música de Agustín Lara en el cine (México: Filmoteca UNAM, 1984). iv Fernández made a great many films that took different approaches to the idea of ‘national style.’ And in all these films the music played a significant role in the representation of the idea of Mexican national identity. In making his films Fernández, worked principally with two composers, both of whom wrote their music under his directorial guidance: Francisco Dominguez (1897-1975) and Antonio Diaz Conde (1914-1976). In addition to a contextualizing discussion of Mexican film of the Golden Age, this study focuses upon case studies of three of Fernández's most important films from the 1940s, the period of his greatest focus upon purely nationalistic issues. The role of music in these films is discussed in detail to the purpose of showing the variety of ways in which music constituted a central component in the portrayal of national identity in Mexican cinema during this important period in its history. v Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor Dr. Kenneth DeLong, whose support, guidance and advice have been crucial for the completion of this thesis. To my exam committee members Drs. Laurie Radford, Charles Tepperman and Joelle Welling, for their engagement in my work and invaluable feedback. I would like to thank the Faculty of Arts and the Department of Communications for their commitment to interdisciplinary studies and their willingness to take me into their courses. To all the members of the School of the Creative and Performing Arts for their continuous help throughout my graduate career. My greatest gratitude is to my family, especially to my mother Marcela, who encouraged me to pursue this dream, despite the challenges to her personal health. To my father and brothers, José, Fernando and Eduardo, who have been supportive in their own funny and creative way. To my beloved wife Diana, who followed me in this adventure despite the uncertainties of distance and travel, and whose laughter makes every aspect of my life brighter. I would also like to extend my gratitude to all the people in Mexico City that directly or indirectly supported my research. Particularly, Drs. Atzin Julieta Pérez Monroy, María de los Ángeles Chapa Bezanilla, and Esther Escobar Blanco; M.M. Carlos Iván Lingan Pérez and Mr. Antonio Diaz Rendón. Finally, to the staff members of the Cineteca Nacional, the Hemeroteca Nacional and all the libraries of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. vi Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………….………….....ii Preface……………………………………………………………………………….….……….iii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………….…….….……v Table of Contents………………….………………………………………...………..….……...vi List of figures………………………………………………………………………...………….viii List of musical examples……………………………………………………………..………….ix Chapter 1. The Mexican Cinema (1930-1955): An introduction….……..…...….…..……1 1.1. Music during the Mexican Cinema Golden Age………….…….......………5 Chapter 2. Emilio Fernández and Mexican ‘National Cinema’: Contexts and Perspectives………………………………..………………………………….…….………...... 9 2.1. Emilio Fernández and the music………………………………….…….…...…...…15 2.1.1. Francisco Domínguez…………………………………….………….........21 2.1.2. Antonio Diaz Conde…………………………………….…….…..............24 2.2. Music in the Films of Emilio Fernández: Three Case Studies …..…….….........…28 Chapter