“Mexico through the cinematic lens”
Paola Ibarra Mayén
INTRODUCTION
I chose Mexican cinema as my topic mainly because in fact, I want to grow up to be
a film director. Cinema is what I am most passionate about, so I have a lot of
knowledge about it, and I believe I can make a good contribution to the project. I see
this as an opportunity to continue learning about the history of this art in Mexico.
I think that nowadays many people don't value cinema as an art form and much less
Mexican cinema. I can say that most people have a stereotype about the Mexican
cinema where the main characters are Omar Chaparro and Eugenio Derbez, when in
reality it is nothing like that. Mexican cinema has an extensive history and has
contributed in enormous ways to the development of Mexican society.
With this project I want to make known the contributions of Mexican cinema, not only
the importance it had decades ago but also the enormous importance it has today and
why it should be supported and preserved.
The history of Mexican cinema dates back to the Porfiriato years, when the French
projectionist Gabriel Veyre set foot on Mexican soil.
"El presidente de la republica paseando a caballo en Chapultepec" from 1896, directed
by Veyre, is considered the first production shot in the country. Veyre made about 35
other short films, most of them screening governmental issues and so Porfirio Díaz
approved these projects because they served him as propaganda.
Filmmakers began to multiply after Veyre's short films were "no longer trendy".
Ignacio Aguirre was one of Mexico's first filmmakers, who produced "Riña de
hombres en el Zócalo" in 1897, the first all-Mexican production. But still the most
important of all was Salvador Toscano. Founder of the "Cinematógrafo Lumiere" (the
first movie theater in the country). He later went on to make his own short films, most
of which recorded what life was like during the Porfiriato.
Among many other renowned filmmakers and films, something happened that
completely changed the path of cinema. The Mexican revolution in 1910, filming of
this event was recorded. And thus was born the first cinematographic coverage of a
great historical event.
This had an enormous influence on the cinema of the following years, where fiction
films emerged in Mexico. So, during the 1920s Mexican cinema was Hollywood's
main competitor.
However, in Hispanic America, Mexican cinema was the one with which most
audiences identified, despite the fact that Hollywood was the dominant industry,
because the representations of Latin America projected by Hollywood films made
viewers in those latitudes uncomfortable due to their inaccuracies and falsehoods.
Hispanic American audiences felt that Mexican stories were much closer to their way
of being and their daily lives. In the United States, in cities like Los Angeles, many
immigrants sighed with nostalgia and longed to return to their native soil thanks to
these films.
Mexico was the only one capable of confronting the power of Hollywood in the
Spanish-speaking markets. So much so that even Argentina and Spain saw Mexico as
a competitor that, as indeed it did, could impose itself even in their own markets. In
the Argentine press of the time it was common to read statements like this one:
“Méjico, convertido en la nueva Meca del cine de habla castellana, sigue atrayendo a
nuestras figuras mientras sus películas conquistan más éxito cada día entre nosotros”
This period of Mexican cinema is known as the golden age. There were studios,
directors, actors, etc. who were behind blockbuster films, which not only never forgot
the culture of the country, but also exalted it in the world. This era also acquired fame
thanks to the solid star system, headed by Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, María Felix,
Dolores del Río, Cantinflas, among others.
Through its films, Mexico promoted itself as an image: its customs and culture, its
landscapes and tourist attractions, its status as a leader in technology and as the most
modern country in Latin America. Mexican cinema provided other countries with
something that they, on their own, could not offer: to represent these cultures to huge
national and international audiences. This opportunity simply did not exist for any
other country in the region.
It focused on portraying everyday themes and depicting characters of the social
reality, which was characterized by a divided and classist society. The genres were:
ranchera comedy, musical and rumba films, gangster films, social and urban films,
horror and fantasy films.
If at any time there were industries that were able to generate their own films, they
still sought Mexican support to ensure that they would meet the expectations of
audiences. For years, the structures and styles of Mexican cinema tended to be copied,
given the idea that otherwise it was doubtful that they would succeed as the Aztec
film industry had done.
So, because of these and many other reasons, Mexican cinema, during the first half of
the last century, unquestionably collaborated in the construction of national identity.
And of course it did not only influenced national identities, but also abroad, despite
the cultural distance.
It is very useful to understand the Mexican population a little more. Mexican cinema
has clear reflections of what happens to us, of what worries us, of what excites us.
This is what art is like. Cinema influences the inner world, helps to resolve conflicts,
change attitudes and limiting habits, develops creativity, improves communication
and also contributes to discard negative emotions.
It is currently said that Mexican cinema is in decline, which is not true at all. What is
true is that art in general is at risk in the country. A couple of months ago it was
announced that the "Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas" will
no longer receive government support. The budget cut has been more than 30% since
2018 and of the 259 films produced in the country in 2022 ,115 were made without
government support and of all only 70 made it to theaters.
Promoting culture is the government's task, which is sad because we have gone from
having a golden age of cinema to having a large part of our films made by private
investment (the famous bad Mexican comedy films of today).
Even so, the essence of Mexican cinema still stands and there are many incredible
films that unfortunately do not have the same support as those of private investment.
"La caída", "Noche de fuego", "Los lobos", "Nudo Mixteco", "El baile de los 41",
"Huesera", "Bardo", "Pobo 'Tzu'", are just some of the current films that people are
missing out on, partly because of a government that is not interested in national art.
But even so, cinema is part of our culture today, and it is in constant transformation.
It continues to shape Mexican society day by day and that is why it is important to
preserve it.
