Was Hollywood supportive of American society’s greater acceptance of Latinos?
Hollywood has been more responsive than proactive in terms of representing Latinos. It has also repeatedly “discovered” Latinos as a recent immigrant group at different moments over the 20th century. Interestingly, electoral politics and consumer power have led the way, and these have had some impact on how Hollywood has broadened the portrayals of Latino characters in films. But there is still a lot of work to be done. In the 1950s, there were a series of social-problem films that did present a more enlightened view of Mexican-Americans. The message, though, was often one of tolerance, provided the main character went back to the barrio rather than integrate the mainstream. Q: Which film do you consider the most pivotal in the history of Hollywood for Latinos? A: La Bamba. It was the first box office hit directed by a Latino filmmaker and starring mostly Latino actors. But the film also marked a shift in Hollywood portrayals, away from social problems and toward a depiction of familie
