CNTP348

Hollywood films have often represented the Latin American population as a monolithic block, ignoring national, class, race, and gender differences. If we relied on Hollywood for our perception of Latinos, we would think the majority were bandits, seductive men and sensual women. This course analyzes the evolving patterns of Hollywood's representation of Latino reality, from the early portrayals of "greasers" in silent films, to the seductive images created during Hollywood's Good Neighbor Policy, to the ambiguity of contemporary films. It also explores efforts by Latin American and U.S. Latino filmmakers to develop alternative portrayals of their experiences. We screen samples of both mainstream and alternative films and we read and discuss critical essays and selected articles.