A production marked by propaganda
Cinema developed under the presidency of Porfirio Díaz, a dictator who saw the Lumière brothers' invention as a new propaganda tool. He therefore orchestrated its production by French operators. The Mexican revolution that broke out in 1914 encouraged international filmmakers to take an interest in opposition forces. Pancho Villa signed a contract with an American company so that his operators could film his confrontations from the best vantage point. He authorized re-enactments, realizing that this would make him the first hero of Mexican cinema. His gamble paid off: the image of the sombrero-wearing, moustachioed cavalryman circulated the world over.
Sergei Eisenstein(Battleship Potemkin) visited Mexico in the 1930s. He was preparing a feature film on the Mexican revolution and Zapatista women's working groups: Que Viva Mexico. But the film was diverted from the director's wishes... The revolution was already long gone, and its memory was not well received in the spheres of power. This legacy also attracted committed American directors, such as Elia Kazan, who directed Viva Zapata in 1952. The famous revolutionary is played by Marlon Brando, and the screenplay is by John Steinbeck.
From the golden age to the era of the "charros
From the 1930s to the end of the 1950s, Mexican cinema enjoyed its golden age. The films of Luis Buñuel, the poetic tales of Emilio Fernández, and the comedies of stars Tin-Tan and Cantinflas, as well as everyday dramas, had a depth and quality that have no equivalent today.
Luis Buñuel, born in Spain, became a Mexican citizen in 1951. Buñuel's career spanned the history of cinema, from his surrealist period with Dali in the late 1920s to his last absurdist comedies, filmed in France in the 1970s. The emblematic work of his Mexican period is Los Olvidados (1950).
Unfortunately, this golden age was followed by a period of "charros" films, named after the bland, mass-produced pastries. Nevertheless, a few great films were made: Buñuel signed his last film in Mexico with L'Ange exterminateur (1962), and Alejandro Jodorowsky directed his masterpiece, La Montagne sacrée (1973). Another Mexican director stands out, Paul Leduc. After studying in Paris, he returned to Mexico in 1967 and founded the Ciné 70 group, where he directed his first feature, John Reed Mexico Insurgente, shot with few resources and in true documentary style. In 1976, his second feature Etnocidio, notas sobre el mezquital opened our eyes to the deplorable situation of indigenous peasants in Mexico.
Political works
Mexico's geopolitical context, and in particular its border with the United States, has been a favorite subject for cinema in recent decades. Diego Quemada-Díez's Rêves d'or (2013) plunges us into the journey of Central American migrants across the country. The border is also the subject of a number of foreign films co-produced with Mexico, such as the Cohen brothers' No Country for Old Men (2007).
The Netflix series Narcos Mexico (broadcast since 2018) focuses on Mexico as a gateway to the United States for narco-traffickers. Diego Luna plays Felix Gallardo, the man who unified the Guadalajara cartel.
A committed filmmaker, María Novaro took part in the Cinéma Féminin collective from 1979 to 1981. She made several short films, including 1985's Una Isla Rodeada de Agua. El Jardin del Eden (1994) deals with the theme of illegal immigration. Tesoros (2017), shot in a village in Guerrero and aimed at young audiences, premiered at the Berlinale.
Finally, Mexican-Salvadorian director Tatiana Huezo's feature film Noche de Fuego (2021) depicts the reality of wars between the armed forces and drug traffickers, and all the violence these activities entail.
The stars of contemporary cinema
Mexican cinema underwent something of a revival in the early 1990s. Jaime Humberto Hermosillo made headlines with La Tarea (1991), which was a huge success. The director tackles the hypocrisy of the Mexican middle classes. Actress and politician Maria Rojo plays the lead role. But it was from the late 1990s onwards that a number of excellent films were produced, and a trio of directors came to the fore. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro, all of whom have succeeded in exporting their work internationally and keeping auteur cinema in the mainstream.
Iñárritu's films are primarily polyphonic, following the paths of several characters as they intersect around a single event: a car accident in Amours chiennes (2000), a stray bullet in Babel (2006). His other successes include 21 grams (2003), Biutiful (2010), The Revenant (2015) and Bardo (2022). Amours chiennes launched the career of Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal abroad.
Alfonso Cuarón made his name with Y tu mama tambien (2001 ), which won the screenplay prize at the Venice Film Festival. His first Hollywood film, Les Fils de l'homme (The Sons of Man), presents a tale of anticipation in a war-torn and sterile humanity. He went on to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), where he developed a taste for mixing mechanical and virtual camera movements, culminating in Gravity (2013). He signs his return to Mexico on Netflix in 2018 with Roma, a film that follows the life of a middle-class family in 1970s Mexico City.
Guillermo del Toro has made a name for himself both with blockbusters such as Blade 2 (2002) and Pacific Rim (2013), and with auteur fantasy films such as Pan's Labyrinth (2006) and, more recently, The Shape of Water (2017, Golden Lion at Venice). His first feature film, the fantasy Cronos, won the Critics' Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993. He also penned the fantasy series The Strain, broadcast on FX since 2014.
Finally, let's mention Carlos Reygadas, whose film Post Tenebras Lux caused controversy at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, while also winning the prestigious Prix de la mise en scène. This director has the particularity of regularly working with non-professional actors. His latest feature Nuestro Tiempo was released at the end of 2018.
