Cinema of Mexico

Background:
Mexico contains a rich tapestry of culture the stems from its indigenous roots and European
influence. The earliest forms of civilization in Mexico began to form in around 1500BC. This
took place in southern Mexico and was a part of a larger region called Mesoamerica.
In around 250AD, the most dominant Mexican
civilization known as the Mayans were a central
force in Mesoamerica. According to History.com,
they were highly proficient in “pottery, hieroglyph
writing, calendar-making and mathematics, and
left an astonishing amount of great architecture.”
A more northern civilization known as the
Teotihuacán were also influential in the region.
By 600, a more aggressive state called Toltec
began to take power in central Mexico. In the
900’s, a tribe known as the Aztecs dominated the
Toltec region and introduced a long period of
power and influence in Mexico.

It wasn’t until the 1500’s when Spain began its conquest in to the west, which lead them to
Mexico. Spain colonized in Mexico and introduced much of its European influence in to the
region. In the beginning of the 1800’s, Spain lost much of its influence in the Mexican region
due to a European war that destabilized their control. This resulted in Mexican independence
from Spain and it becoming a federal republic.

The 1800’s had a few major elements that drastically changed Mexico’s course in history. A war
with the United State of America resulted in Mexico conceding a large portion of their northern
territory, which included now U.S. states such as California, New Mexico and Texas.
In the 1860’s, Napoleon Bonaparte attempted to regain rule by appointing the Arch Duke of
Austria as an emperor of Mexico, but he was swiftly and forcefully removed of power by the
citizens of Mexico. From 1876 to 1911 was a period known as "Porfiriato”, where a dictator
named Porfirio Diaz brought some economic stability and helped modernize the nation. Much of
this economic growth was due to America and Britain containing large business interests in
Mexico.

1910 began a revolution in Mexico and eventually led them to a constitutional republic.
Concurrently, Mexico stays neutral during the World War I. In 1929, the Institutional
Revolutionary Party political party is formed. This party produced an President Lázaro Cárdenas,
who was elected in 1934. He nationalized Mexican oil and eliminates many of the foreign
owned entities that harvested Mexican oil. He also promotes more Mexican industry and
focused on geographic corrections.

Mexico continues to modernize and becomes a

stronger developing nation. After World War II in 1946,
Mexico joins the newly formed United Nations.
Throughout the next three decades, Mexico relies heavily
on its oil industry as a means of economic growth.

In 1985, a fatal earthquake rocked Mexico City, which

caused thousands of casualties. This was a catalyst for
the public to take action against the government, as they
felt that it had made a terrible effort in response to the
detrimental earthquake. Human and civil rights activism
developed and became much more prevalent in the following decades.

In January 1st, 1994, the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went in to effect. This
minimized trade restrictions between the Mexico, the USA and Canada. Throughout the 2000’s,
Mexico continued to deal with more natural disasters and an escalating concern of drug cartel
related deaths. Tension between the United States and Mexico grew due to the concern of illegal
immigration. While dealing with these concerns, Mexico also is in the process of actively
reforming their energy consumption.

Capitol:
Mexico City

Government:
Federal Republic

Area (Size):
1,943, 945 square kilometers (roughly 1,207,811 square miles)
Slightly less than 3 times the size of Texas
Population (Year Reported):
124, 574,795 (July 2017)
11th largest population in the world

Religions (Include Percentages):

Roman Catholic 82.7%, Pentecostal 1.6%, Jehovah’s Witness 1.4%, other Evangelical Churches
5%, other 1.9%, none 4.7%, unspecified 2.7% (2010)
Ethnic Groups (Include Percentages):
Mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 62%, predominantly Amerindian 21%, Amerindian 7%, other
10% (mostly European)
- Mestizo – a person of mixed racial or ethnic ancestry. In Latin America, this refers to a
mix of American Indian and European descent.
- Amerindian – indigenous to North America
- Mexico does not collect census data on ethnicity (2012 est.)

Languages (Include Percentages):

Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified
0.8% (2005)

Unemployment (Year Reported):

3.6% (2017 est.)
Underemployment may be as high as 25%

Poverty & Wealth:

$2.4 trillion economy – 11th largest in the world
Population below poverty line: 46.2%

GDP (Per Capita & USA Equivalent):

$19,500 USD (2017 est.)

Industries:
Food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing,
motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism

National Disasters, Diseases Which Impacted The Country:

Tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south,
and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts.
Bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and dengue.
Film Industry Overview & History
The beginning of Mexican cinema is accredited to an individual named Salvador Toscano. In
1897, he opened one of the first theatres in Mexico City. In 1898, he screened his film Don Juan
Tenorio, which is considered to be the first fictional film in Mexican
cinema history. In his theatre, he also screened influential foreign films
of the time, which helped expose the country to culture abroad.
Among these screenings, Toscano also showed his own segments
and documentaries.

In the mid 1930’s, Mexico entered in to what is known as their

“Golden Age of Cinema.” During World War II, America and Europe
were began to focus more on their war efforts. This resulted in less
content and less diverse cinema. The Mexican film industry began to fill in the cracks of this
decline. Through considerable federal funding, the Mexican film industry adopted the production
efficiencies of Hollywood. During this period of Mexican history, the film business became the
second largest industry in Mexico.

Unlike Hollywood, creative talent was not tied to a single

production company. This context allowed Mexican films to
experiment with more diverse and curious. Romance, comedies
and slapstick were main genres during this era. Film maker
Fernando de Fuentes’ films Allá en el Rancho Grande (1936)
and Vámonos con Pancho Villa (1936) are regarded as paramount
in breaking through Mexican Cinema. Actress María Félix helped
the role of woman playing more diverse roles in her performance
in Enamorada (1946).

During the 1960’s, elements of surrealism began to raise in

prominence. This is exemplified in Spanish surrealist guru Luis
Buñuel’s work The
Exterminating Angel (1962). This psychological horror remains to be an apex of Mexican
cinema. A protégé of Buñuel, Arturo Ripstein put his own creative spin on American Westerns
with his1966 debut, Time To Die. It is said that Ripstein was an uncredited assistant to Buñuel on
The Exterminating Angel. Macario (1960), The Holy Mountain (1973) and
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garci (1974) are also regarded as notable
surrealistic pieces of the era. Utilizing surrealism and fantastical elements to
comment on various aspects of culture, religion or human nature directly
influenced the future of Mexican cinema. This approach remains a current
convention of Mexican film making.

It was also in the 1960’s where this “Golden Age” of Mexican cinema began
to wane. Television, varying public preferences and a reduction in federal
funding all contributed to a couple decades of diminished output. It was not until the early
1990’s where Mexican films saw another international boom. In particular, Alfonso Arau’s Like
Water for Chocolate (1992) became a commercial success and reoriented focus back on to
Mexican film makers.

Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s Amores Perros (2000), Alfonso Cuarón’s Y Tu Mamá También
(2001) and Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) are three films that have collectively
revived a major international interest in Mexican film talent. They showed that Mexico still
contains the capacity to produce great cinematic art that can also be commercially successful. In
recent times, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s Birdman (2014) and Guillermo Del Toro’s The
Shape of Water (2017) have achieved massive box office success and critical acclaim.

Although Mexico contains significant talent, the country itself struggles to support it’s own
produced cinema. This is linked to improper funding and distribution of films within the country.
With the spotlight back on Mexico gaining international attention, in 2003 The New York Times
reported this concern. The distribution means have become more present, as “theater chains have
invested $1 billion in the last eight years to build some 2,000 screens across the country,” but
with a small percentage of Mexican made films being screened in them.

A tax incentive passed in 2006 encouraged more private enterprise investment in to Mexican
made productions. In 2018, Variety reported that this legislation has proven effective, as
production has rose “from 14 films in 2002 to 69 in 2010 and 173 last year (2017).” Mexican
cinema seems to be on its path to sustaining itself in a new way with a bright future ahead.
Notable Films
Amores Perros (2000)
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Writer: Guillermo Arriaga Jordán
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Starring: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal
Summary:
” A bold, intensely emotional, and ambitious story of lives
that collide in a Mexico City car crash.” (Lion Gate Films)
Nominated for 1 Academy Award: Best Foreign Film

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Writers: Carlos Cuarón, Alfonso Cuarón
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Maribel Verdú
Summary:
“Abandoned by their girlfriends for the summer, two teenagers
meet an exotic older woman at a wedding, and they embark on
a road trip together.” (IFC)
Nominated for 1 Academy Award: Best Original Screenplay

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer: Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, War
Summary: “Following a bloody civil war, young Ofelia enters a world
of unimaginable cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather,
a tyrannical military officer. Armed with only her imagination,
Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who sets
her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother. But soon, the
lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and before Ofelia
can turn back, she finds herself at the center of a ferocious battle
between good and evil.” (Warner Bros.)
Won 3 Academy Awards: Cinematography, Art Direction & Makeup
Nominated for 3 Academy Awards: Original Screenplay, Original
Score & Foreign Language Picture
Notable Film Directors
Alejandro González Iñárritu

Directorial Filmography:
2000 - Amores Perros
2003 – 21 Grams
2006 – Babel
2010 – Biutiful
2014 – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
2015 – The Revenant

Alfonso Cuarón

Directorial Filmography:
1991 - Sólo Con Tu Pareja
1995 – A Little Princess
1998 – Great Expectations
2001 – Y Tu Mamá También
2001 – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2006 – Children of Men
2013 – Gravity
2018 – Roma

Guillermo del Toro

Directorial Filmography:
1985 - Doña Lupe
1987 – Geometría
1993 – Cronos
1997 – Mimic
2001 – The Devil’s Backbone
2002 – Blade II
2004 – Hellboy
2006 – Pan’s Labyrinth
2008 – Hellboy II: The Golden Army
2013 – Pacific Rim
2015 – Crimson Peak
2017 – The Shape of Water
Notable Actors

Diego Luna

Select Filmography:
2000 – Before Night Falls
2002 - Y Tu Mamá También
2002 – Frida
2003 – Open Range
2004 – The Terminal
2008 – Milk
2009 – Sin Nombre
2009 – Rudo y Cursi
2013 – Elysium
2016 – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Selma Hayek

Select Filmography:
1996 – From Dusk Till Dawn
1998 – The Faculty
1999 – Dogma
2002 – Frida
2003 – Once Upon a Time in Mexico
2007 – Lonely Hearts
2010 – Grown Ups
2011 – Puss In Boots
2012 – The Pirates! Band of Misfits
2014 – Muppets Most Wanted
2016 – Sausage Party
2017 – Beatriz at Dinner

Danny Trejo

Select Filmography
1996 – From Dusk Till Dawn
1997 – Anaconda
1997 – Con Air
2000 – Animal Factory
2001 – Spy Kids
2004 – Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
2007 – Grindhouse
 Bibliography

“Mexico Timeline” History.com. A&E Networks. 2010. Web. April 01, 2018.

“Mexico Profile – Timeline” BBC News. British Broadcasting Network. September 20, 2017.
Web. April 01, 2018.

United States of America. Central Intelligence Agency. “The World Fact Book: Mexico”. Web.
March 25, 2018.

“Mestizo” & “Amerindian” Dictionary.com. Web. March 25, 2018.

McKernan, Luke. “Salvador Toscano Barragan” Victorian-Cinema.net. Web. April 02, 2018.

Thorton, Niamh. “Mexican Film” OxfordBibliographies.com. Web. April 02, 2018.

Penavera, Valeria B. “The Film Industry In Mexico” MexicoNewsNetwork.com. July 25, 2015.
Web. April 02, 2018.

Cocking, Lauren. “The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema: A Short History” TheCultureTrip.com.
December 2, 2016. Web. April 2, 2018.

Oliver, Luis. “Revolution, Discovery, And Surrealist Fantasy: The Best of Mexican Cinema”
TheCultureTrip.com. December 30, 2016. Web. April 2, 2018.

Abele, Robert. “Uncanny Complexity Punctuates Arturo Ripstein’s Searing 1966 Feature Debut
‘Time To Die’”. LA Times. September 21, 2017. Web. April 02, 2018.

Malkin, Elisabeth. “Mexican Film: High Art, Low Budget” The New York Times. July 15, 2003.
Web. April 03, 2018.

Hopewell, John. “Tax Incentives Spark New Wave of Mexican Filmmaking” Variety. February
14, 2018. Web. April 03, 2018.
All Notable Film, Film Directors & Actor/Actresses Information Provided By Metacritic.com &
Boxofficemojo.com.
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Name: Joseph Lanza Date: April 02, 2018