A Theater Worthy of Our Race: The Exhibition and Reception of Spanish Language Film in Los Angeles

This dissertation is an historical examination of Mexican cinema culture in downtown Los Angeles from the early twentieth century to the beginning of World War II.

Through a combination of print and archival sources, this project provides an overview of major venues and exhibition practices in relation to pivotal moments in this history: the establishment of Spanish language theaters during the teens, the transition to sound during the early Depression years, the emergence of Mexican cinema in the mid-1930s, and the early stages of WWII.

Furthermore, by conducting an analysis of the Spanish language newspaper La opinion, this study traces the discourses that shaped the reception of cinema in Los Angeles and the way film criticism in this publication transformed over time.

In particular, journalists consistently drew connections between cinematic content and contemporaneous notions of Mexican national identity and the way this was negotiated within the United States, while also linking ethnic integrity to class-based standards of taste.

This context of film exhibition and reception thus offers a unique vantage point from which to consider the history of the Mexican descent population in Los Angeles, their relationship to urban development, and their participation in both US and Mexican film industries.

Focusing on this decidedly transnational exhibition context also reveals the undeniably transnational foundation of Mexican popular culture, while also highlighting the constant circulation of films, talent and critical discourse between the two nations.

In addition, considering Mexican cinema from the perspective of exhibition, distribution, and theater publicity also proposes the necessity of accounting for the ongoing interdependence of multiple media during this period, including radio, recorded music, live theater and print culture.