DECENTERING THE NATIONAL IN HOLLYWOOD: TRANSNATIONAL STORYTELLING IN THE MEXICO WESTERN VERA CRUZ (ROBERT ALDRICH, 1954)
Résumé
Building upon existing research on Vera Cruz, this chapter seeks to contribute to the discussion of transnationalism within Western films and the ways in which transnational perspectives consolidate the critical work of the genre in exposing the imperial myths and history of the US. It draws both on Richard Slotkin’s analysis of the ways in which the Mexican setting of Vera Cruz fosters a redefinition of the Western formula and on Stephanie Fuller’s conclusion that border crossing into Mexico “enables Vera Cruz to explore and critique the concepts of US expansionism and capitalism from without” (Fuller 28). Its specific contribution is to consider how the film’s generic hybridity and construction of Mexico as a historical space are exploited in Vera Cruz to reflect upon the United States’ history and mythology of colonization. Qualifying and complementing some of the earlier scholarly studies of the film, I argue that Vera Cruz introduces a decentered perspective within the Western by using a non-American historical setting to redefine and invigorate the genre’s reevaluation of Frontier mythology. The transnational narrative and production of Vera Cruz thus serve to expand and enrich the genre’s critique of American imperialism. I will first focus on the ways in which the Mexican setting of Vera Cruz supports an anti-imperialist redefinition of Western generic conventions, casting the native Juaristas as a regenerative force against imperial savagery. I will then discuss how the construction of Mexico as a historical space of colonialism serves to highlight the contradiction between American liberal mythology and imperial history. Finally, I will analyze the relationship between genre and national identity within the film and the ways in which generic hybridity aesthetically serves the criticism of American imperialism.
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)