| |
| author |
Eva Esqueda
| | title |
Chicano Communities' Cinematic Representations in Los Angeles From the 1980s to Today
| | abstract |
With the film industry having long been rooted in Los Angeles both historically and
economically, it is ironic that there have not been nearly as many quality representations of
Chicanos in cinema. Despite having the largest population of Mexicans in the United States, Los
Angeles and Hollywood are severely lacking in both quantity and quality concerning cinematic
representations of Chicanos throughout history. And, although recent decades have seen greater
popularity surrounding Latinos in media generally, any accompanying representation in film
does not often carry meaningful and complex portrayals of this marginalized community of
color. However, I study this gap in representation by analyzing several films from the 1980s to
the present moment. I begin by looking at the decade of the 1980s and the films that made up the
Hispanic Hollywood phenomenon that took place during that time. From there, I analyze four
films of the 1990s that were often characterized by their portrayal of gangs on screen. Finally, I
look at the 2000s up until the present to examine the emerging divide between mainstream and
independent Chicano cinema. Ultimately, I investigate as to why this split in cinematic practice
arises as well as the difference in representation between the mainstream and independent
modes. In the end, I posit that independent cinema has significantly more accurate portrayals of
Chicanos, whereas mainstream Chicano cinema often relies on misleading stereotypes about this
community.
| | school |
The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University
| | degree |
B.A. (2026)
|
| advisor |
Poe Johnson
|
| full text | EEsqueda.pdf |
| |
