Influence Of The Topics On The Plot - Essay Example

Response Paper 10 March, The movies which we watch tend to cover various issues such as race, gender and ethni in a variety of ways. Films have a way of challenging the general norms and ideas about the importance of race, class and gender as well as the culture in which we exist. Most films do this implicitly as opposed to explicitly by invoking invisible norms through which we see our culture and society, based on which we as viewers judge the characters and their actions. This includes how femininity is judged against masculinity as a norm; how the upper class is judged as a norm against the lower class; how heterosexuality is the norm against which homosexuality is judged and even how the white people establish the norm against which the color skinned groups are judged (Lehman & Luhr, 2003). Mass media is able to promote new definitions of who people are and what they can be. The images of racial minorities and ethnic groups are limited in the media, along with those of women. A large majority of the characters shown on TV and films are males and women are depicted in stereotype manner or as a mere object of affection for the males. The minorities who are also an audience for films and television represent a small minority on the screen. These individuals also have certain stereotyped characters which they are limited to. Latinos are shown mostly as criminals or passionate lovers, African American men are shown mostly in the roles of athletes, entertainers or criminals whereas the African American women are shown as those being domestic or sexual objects (Anderson & Taylor, 2006).Class stereotypes are also depicted in a similar manner. In some of the movies the women are shown according to their stereotypical roles whereas in others they manage to escape these stereotypes and take on more masculine roles. This paper looks into the issues of race, gender and cultures which are highlighted in director and producer Robert Rodriguez’s films. The three films considered for this response paper include Desperado form the Mariachi trilogy, the vampire movie From Dusk till Dawn and lastly the Spy Kids trilogy. The paper analysis how each of these issues are presented in the movies and how they differ from each other. Robert Rodriguez, born in 1968, is one of the best known film directors and producers in Hollywood. He is well known in the movie industry for his creativity and innovation talent. In all of his films Robert Rodriguez mixes solid action film making with Chicano characters, cultures and settings (Benshoff & Griffin, 2004). His films are mostly shot in his native county Mexico. Rodriguez got his big break with his Spanish film El Mariachi which was produced in 1992. From there he went on to make a sequel to El Mariachi titled Desperado. This later became a trilogy when Once upon a Time in Mexico was released in 2003. He began his second trilogy under the title of Spy Kids in 2001 which was also completed in 2003. Other popular movies from Rodriguez include From Dusk till Dawn (1996), Sin City (2005), Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl (2005). He has worked very closely with Antonio Banderes, Salma Hayek and Quentin Tarantio in his filmography. Although Robert Rodriguez’s movies are cover a variety of stories and subjects, but it can be said that the underlying themes in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and culture are found common in most of his movies. Desperado was an action thriller film which was directed by Robert Rodriguez and was released in 1995. The movie is a sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi. The movie Desperado follows the same theme as its preceding Spanish movie. The movie is centered on a mariachi who is seeking revenge for the death of his lover. The central character El Mariachi is played by the Latin icon Antonio Banderas. In his search for the killer El comes across Carolina played by Salma Hayek. Carolina runs a small bookstore and works for Bucho, El’s enemy. The cast of the movie Desperado consists almost entirely of Latin actors which include Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almedia, Steve Buscemi, Quentin Tarantio, Tito Larriva and Danny Trejo. The music and sound track for the movies is also produced and developed by the Los Lobos and Tito and Tarantula. The plot for this movie is situated in Mexico, which demonstrates a great deal of the Mexican culture. The clothing which the cast wears and the accents with which they speak represents the Hispanic culture. The location for the film Desperado includes settings such as a small Mexican town bars and the local markets. Even small elements as the young boy playing the guitar show elements of the Mexican culture. The drugs and arms used throughout the movie follow the theme of the movie but shows life in the smaller towns in the country. The gun stocked guitar case which appears throughout the movie is also a part of the Mexican culture. As well as the shootouts which were a trademark of the Latin movie themes. The movie also shows the drug lord and gangster culture which was is popular theme in Latin movies. The gender roles in this movie also depict the Mexican culture, in fact more of the stereotyped gender roles, with the men represented as being stronger of the two sexes. The males in the movie are strong and violent. The woman Carolina, although a strong character, is still shown as one needing protection from men by another man. In comparison to Spy Kids this is a typical Latin movie which carefully follows the Latin theme which a strong Latin cast settings and elements of the culture. The movie Spy Kids was produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez and was released in 2001. The movie revolves around a family of spies. The family consists of a married couple Gregorio Cortez and Ingrid Cortez and their two children Carmen and Juni Cortez. The cast for the Spy Kids series did not consist entirely of Latin actors. Antonio Banderes played Gregorio Cortez but the other roles were played by American actors, such as Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara who plays Juni and Carla Gugino who plays Ingrid Cortez. Although the Spy Kids movie series is set in the American lifestyle, the Cortez family in upon which the movie is based shows Latin representation. The movie delivers strong Hispanic heritage throughout with the importance of family being the core message. Family ties are an integral part of the Latin culture and these series of movies show that well. Apart from the four member household, the family also includes grandparents and other relatives. The character of Uncle Machete is also a critical one in the movies, since the children turn to him as a source of influence. The movie also demonstrates more about family relations between the children and their parents and the importance of working together. Carmen and Juni are shown to have problems throughout the movie with their ongoing sibling rivalry, but are told by their uncle that he and their father had the same issues when they were younger. Despite the problems between the brother and sister, they keep each other’s secrets and support one another in their time of trouble. The movie shows how a sense of family bonding is built among the children and how they unite to become a part of the espionage if any member of the family is a part of it. This very message is carried on throughout the Spy Kid series. The gender roles in the Spy Kids movies are also depicted differently than those in Rodriguez’s other more traditional Latin movies. The heroes and heroines of the Spy Kids series have similar roles. Carmen and Ingrid are shown to be equally as strong and intelligent characters as their male counterparts Gregorio and Juni. Women are not shown as the weaker members of the family; in fact they are shown as being equally competent spies as the male members. From Dusk till Dawn is another one of Robert Rodriguez’s films which was filmed in a Mexican setting. The action and horror movie is based on a story about two outlaw brothers and their escape to Mexico, where they along with another family encounter vampires. Throughout the movie there are Mexican characters and class depictions. Bars and taverns appear frequently in this movie. The central characters of the move Jacob and Richie Gecko are played by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantio respectively. Salma Hayek also makes an appearance as Santanico Pandemonium, a vampire princess who appears as an exotic dancer at a Mexican bar. The music and sound track for this movie is also Mexican and Texan tunes and is performed by Tito and Tarantula and Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan. The main cast for this movie was also Hispanic. Settings and elements of the Mexican culture are evident as in the case of Desperado, although it is not as strongly presented. Genders in this movie are depicted differently than other movies. The males are more dominant, but the females are shown as being equally strong characters, such as the villain vampire queen. Although she is shown as a villain, the sexual stereotype of women was still displayed in the dance sequence e in the movie. Another character, Kate Fuller, who fights side by side with men in action to kill the vampires, also breaks the gender stereotype. She is shown as being emotionally and physically strong and capable of defending herself. Movies and media play a significant role in how issues such as culture, gender roles, classes and race are presented. Robert A comparison of Desperado, the Spy Kids trilogy and From Dusk till Dawn shows that there are numerous similar and contrasting ideas which the director displays in the movies. The themes in the movies are quite similar in terms of culture, whether it is beings shown as explicitly as in case of From Dusk till Dawn and Desperado, or more implicitly in the Spy Kids. Much of the stereotypes are still used, for example that of Hispanics being criminals and outlaws, males being dominant over females as well as being their protectors, women in search of love and being more family oriented and the use of women as sexual objects. Despite this movies such as Spy Kids and From Dusk till Dawn have attempted to break the gender stereotype to some extent. References Anderson, Margret and Howard Taylor. Sociology: the essentials. Cengage Learning. 2006. Benshoff, Harry M. and Sean, Griffin . America on film: representing race, class, gender, and sexuality at the movies. Wiley-Blackwell. 2004. Lehman, Peter and William Luhr. Thinking about movies: watching, questioning, enjoying. Wiley-Blackwell.2003 Read More