Essay on Chicano Classic Films: Zoot Suit, La Bamba, & Ultima

Introduction

The films that would be examined for this essay include the Zoot Suit film, the La Bamba, and Ultima films. The film Zoot Suit made a record as the first Chicano musical to Broadway's premier in 1979. It portrayed various themes to the mainstream viewers, such as racial profiling and social justice. One of the characters in the film Zoot Suit who portray distinct cultural identities is Henry Reyna. Also, the movie La Bamba is a Chicano classic that describes Ritchie Valens, who is hardly recognized as a Rock' n' Roll superstar due to his ethnicity and race. The last film, Ultima, is also a film that depicts cultural differences among the Latinos through the character Antonio who experiences a difficult situation that clouds his judgment of right and wrong. The three movies portray distinct cultural identities through the main characters, hence the distinguishing socio-cultural features amongst the Chicano.

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Zoom Suit

The film Zoom Suit portrays Henry Reyna as the character who embodies distinct cultural identities as a young Chicano man in Los Angeles as well as the head of a street gang. Henry Reyna is an embodiment of the concept of racial profiling as the police and the media consider him to be a criminal whom he appears not to be since he is outstanding for himself and passionate. The idea of racism is portrayed by the role-playing of Henry Reyna primarily through the wrongful imprisonment of the members of the 38th Street Gang. They undergo persecution because of their race. Hence, as the head of the 38th Street Gang, he depicts the particular attitude that the police ha towards Hispanic gang members.

La Bamba

In the film La Bamba, Ritchie Valens is depicted as a Chicano Rock' n' Roll superstar who encounters challenges of identity because of his ethnic and racial background, which is likely why he changed his name from Richard Steven Valenzuela to Ritchie Valens. Ritchie also portrays the theme of racism when he meets the white girl called Donna, whose father expresses criticism towards Richie because he does not appear white.

Ultima

Consequently, the film Ultima also portrays distinct cultural identities and the general perception of the society mainly through the conflicting cultures during the childhood period of Antonio. Also, Antonio experiences teachings from Ultima that show him that his identity can be constructed based on a combination of various cultures; hence he does not have any obligation to align himself to a particular cultural perspective. Antonio also experiences cultural conflict through the tensions between his life at home and at school.

Accordingly, the three films portray mostly their protagonist characters as embodiments of the Chicano cultural identity as well as how the personality is outstanding. The three characters from the various movies depict the challenges they cope within the society because of their Chicano identities.

Summary

In summary, the three films portray distinct cultural identities through the main characters, hence the distinguishing socio-cultural features amongst the Chicano. The central theme that cuts across the three films is the idea of conflicting cultural identities and the challenges that come with it, such as racism and racial profiling. The concept of racism is evident in the films Ultima and La Bamba, while the film Zoot Suit portrays the themes of racial profiling and social justice based on race and ethnicity.