What are 'Borderlands Narratives'?

Narratives are stories: stories we hear, stories we tell others, stories we tell ourselves. Sometimes these stories are old ones, and may sound familiar. Sometimes these stories are brand new, stories that have emerged in our own lifetimes. The stories we will discuss on this site are stories of and about the Mexican-U.S. borderlands, that frontier zone in which people live, work, and play. We will be responding to our sources and to each other's views on this site, and we invite YOU to join us in our discussions and explorations.

A disclaimer: We are not experts! In addition to reading (or viewing) this collection of narratives for the first time, we are all in the process of learning about this unique cultural space and its history. Please use caution when reading OUR narratives, and make sure to cite us: http://www.borderlandsnarratives.blogspot.com/

This blog has been constucted by Professor Geneva M. Gano's American Studies class at Indiana University, Bloomington, in Spring 2010 and Spring 2011. Responses to our posts are welcomed!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Laughing Boy, the movie

Mexican hearthrob Ramón Novarro and "Mexican spitfire" Lupe Vélez starred in the 1934 film version of Laughing Boy, directed by the esteemed Hollywood director, W.S. Van Dyke.  Yes, that would be Novarro and Vélez as Navajos.  (Is there some sort of rationale at work here in casting the lead Native Americas with Mexican actors?)  The film bombed, and Novarro was deeply ashamed of this film.

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5 comments:

  1. Josh SpurlockFebruary 8, 2010 at 9:59 AM

    Early Hollywood was known for that. They seemed to assume that all skin tones, other than white, looked alike. The actor Anthony Quinn comes to mind.

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  2. JP/GGFebruary 8, 2010 at 12:56 PM

    Actually, my other Spring semester class here at IU (The Mexican Revolution and the Creation of Modern Chicano Identity) is going to watch Marlon Brando as Emiliano Zapata in a few weeks! How silly is that? I hope we have some excellent discussions about race and racism in casting and publicity.

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  3. CandiceFebruary 10, 2010 at 11:32 AM

    Here is a cool scholarly article from Aztlan: A journal of Chicano Studies that talks about the Mexican/American border as it is depicted in film. It discusses what the border means for both cultures. Enjoy!

    http://aztlanjournal.metapress.com/media/59dam5tuuk2rxkmxcd4p/contributions/e/7/q/6/e7q67g0164861x11.pdf

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  4. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2010 at 10:21 AM

    Candice, Could you give us a title and author? The link does not work.

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  5. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2010 at 6:57 AM

    The Border in American and Mexican Cinema, by Alex M. Saragoza

    Sorry! I don't know why the link is broken! It worked when I was looking at it. :)

    ReplyDelete

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