Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-26
AN OLD AMERICAN CUSTOM.
THE Cuban Charge d'Affaires mad

ME NuDdH NIldIkc u CO ulhoc
representations to the State De-
partment last week, asking Gov
Il eminent officials to take the
necessary steps to have all refer
enceS to Cuba stricken from the film
Her Man." exhibiting at one Of the
local theaters and purporting to be a
dramatic picture Of the Cuban capitals
underworld.
According to newspaper reports, the
Cuban diplomat stated that this dis
torted version" Of life, a well as seem
cry, in Havana should not be allowed to
continue its delusion Of the American
public.
It was about time that an official
voice should be raised N this matter.
For many long years American moving
pictures have gone on discrediting and
ridiculing things Latin American with
ingenious persistence. In their tnsati-
able desire to give the movie fan some
thing new, something different, film pro-
ducers have let their imaginations run
wild in making up most fanciful scenes
about the life and the people Of Latin
American countries, with contempt
for truthfulneSs and reality which can
only be attributed to lamentable tgnor-
ance-ignorance Of Latin American
conditions and ignorance Of the harm
grettable. And I say ignorance, for
must reject the idea that there Is any
thing maliciously intentional in the sit
uation, although this charge has been
made often in the Southern continent.
Especially during the past months,
since the ris Of the talkies, this appar-
ent absolute ignorance of the Latin
countries has made itself particularly
felt. Every Aim with O Latin American
background reproduces the same erro-
neouS concepts, gives the same miSlead-
ing details and leaves the same mis-
taken impression on the public. They
all picture Latin American cities as the
old, ugly, ill-kempt towns they used TO
be 100 years ago. Those narrow, twisted
streets Of colonial days still are typical
Of every Spa .Iish- American film OF 1880.
And so are the primitive roads and the
one-story houses of historical tradition.
Material progress seems to have been
banned from the Southern countries.
In the average moving picture exhibited
here which purports to depict present.
day scenes in q Latin American nation
tourists have to travel In old-faShioned
diligenceS, live in uncomfortable pen
siones," where they are subjected to
the bad temper and capricious sense OF
humor Of the legendary Latin bandit,
series of uncomfortable situations and
adventures which may add TO the dra-
matte value Of the Aim but give very
poor and unfair picture Of the real
living conditions in modern Southern
country.
The Latin America Of the film direc-
tor Is still In the sixties or the eighties.
DISCUSSES THE BAD MAN.
Unfair as it is, this misrepresenta-
ton Of the Latin life on its material
side is not even half as injurious as
the distorted characterization OF the
Latin temperament and psychology In
these films The former may ignore
the physical progress Of the people nv-
ing In these countries, but the latter
Injuries them morally.
Usually the Latin-American person
age in an American-made f1lm Is the
bad man" Of the picture. To him
belong the comic mustaches and the
tricky ways of the Villain" He Is
always on the wrong side. plans the low
est Of schemes, and Is a slave Of pas
sions and worldly appetites. He laughs
at moral principles and SneerS sarcaS-
tically at good actions. One thing is
left to his credit-he is always a good
lover, but good in the sense that he
places love before everything else. The
Spanish or Latin American villain" of
the moving pictures seems to have no
other interests in life than women,
liquor, cards and idleness, nor other
skill than shooting straight and running
faster. He comes near to being the
personification of Mephistopheles.
Naturally, this evil-minded, wicked
human being is almost invariably
beaten, Inundated, and even spanked
by the American hero" before the pic
tourists knock dozen r more natives
down with a touch Of their finger tips;
another couple of loyal American citi-
zenS stampede o whole regiment OF
frightened native policemen. Uncle
Sans nephew has the best of 1t all the
time.
IT DOES NOT PAY.
Speaking Of the current film which
provoked the protests OF the Cuban
embassy, a former American trade COM
missioner in Havana, o. r. Strackbein
told the chief of the Motion Picture
Division of the Department Of Com
merce that "the picture it presents OF
one American sailor cowing whole
groups of Cubans, Of American gang
men and brothel keepers defying Cuban
law and Cuban police. Is simply a con-
firmation Of the ever-present Latin
suspicion that we are Nation Of brag-
CARTS and DULLES" He added that the
film "belittles Havana and the Cuban
pc lie In virtually all Of its scenes"
The Cuban Charge d'Affaires, speci-
flying the objections on his part TO the
film said that no such underworld o.
that depicted in it exists In Havana
He charged that the squalid buildings