Corridos in Early Films

 Mexicanidad the Mexican Identity:

Costumbrismo within the Corrido Cinema

Mexico a nation, whose history reflects the diverse ethnic groups of Mestizo, Afro-Mexican, and indigenous communities thriving within its many countryside and cities, have faced the challenge of solely identifying that the Mexican identity is. Since the mid-1800s when works of literature and art flooded the Mexican territory promoting a national identity, by describing local dances, linguistic speech and folk stories from people outside the cities who were “believed to embody the national essence” because of the fact that they lacked the European identity. With the era of Costumbrismo rooted deep within early works of Mexican art pushing for a national identity to take stand, we are able to see this type of work to continue to push in the genre of corridor music as well as film.

As mentioned in the introduction with the discussion of corridos serving as an identity tool for the general community of the lower and middle class by discussing the class, economic, folk and political history. Charles Ramirez Berg identified in his book Cinema of Solitude: A Critical Study of Mexican Film, 1967-1983 that “Mexicanidad has been a key concept in Mexican intellectual, political, and artistic thought for most of this century,” (Berg 13). From the “cinematic golden age” that began in the mid-1800s and progressed by the 1930s to its collapse near the 1970s, custombrismo/mexcanidad has been ongoing themes within the corridos as well as films how have incorporated famous corridos within the film’s plot.
Mexican art, literature, music and film have historically served as a tool of national representation. Since the early works of construmbristas, to the singers composing corridos and film makers adopting corridor plots, this issue of the Mexican identity has been raised. Film in general has set a divide with the national identity, one in which it disproves a concrete identity, and another which favors a particular identity within society. By adopting the many stories or themes that corridos tell into films, the cinema industry has served as a tool of construmbismo which either depicts an identity that Mexico should conform to or simply raise questions within the viewers. Questions like what is Mexicanidad, does it really exist or can we really pinpoint it to sole characteristic? As history continues to unfold and the corrido tradition continues to compose, film will as continue to adopt these corridos and continue to raise questions about our identity.   

Early Corrido Films

Caminos de Guanajuato

A corridor film, produced by Jesus Grovas, and directed by Rafael Baledon. The film was released in 1955 through the Cinematografica Latino Americana, S.A. film company. The film starring Jose Alfredo Jimenez (singer who composed “Camino de Guanajuato), Lola Beltran, and Demetrio Gonzalez are three artists from different rural parts of Mexico, whom have immigrated to the city in search of musical stardom and economic progress. 

Part 1:

http://youtu.be/PfjJiqkEivU

Part 2:

http://youtu.be/dheuzl8Bo70

Besides presenting the miss conception about urban immigration as a progressive idea, the film itself reveals the different identities that exist within the urban city, disvaluing in some sort the existence of a pure concrete Mexican identity. Returning to the notion of costumbrismo portraying the rural identity as an embody of the purest national identity, the three rural characters that come from different countryside areas of Mexico, each have their own way of dress, education, style of music, and beliefs which challenges the costumbristas ideology of national identity. It is possible that simply what this film tries to depict is that in fact there is no true national identity. The films interpretation of Mexicanidad  is simply the diverse identity within its borders. When we take a look at the exact corrido that Jimenez wrote, his corridor as well pays homage to the many different unique areas from his home of Guanajuato, revealing that even a state within Mexico has its identities different from those that neighbor it. Each town within the state of Guanajuato has its own stanza of description. 

 "Caminos de Guanajuato" by José Alfredo Jiménez

No vale nada la vida
Life is worth nothing
La vida no vale nada
Life is worth nothing
Comienza siempre llorando
It always begins with crying
Y así llorando se acaba
And with crying is how it ends
Por eso es que en este mundo
Because of that in this world
La vida no vale nada
Life is worth nothing

Bonito León Guanajuato
Pretty León, Guanajuato
Su feria con su jugada
Her fair with her game
Ahí se apuesta la vida
There life is bet on
Y se respeta al que gana
And the winner is respected
Allá en mi León Guanajuato
There in my León Guanajuato
La vida no vale nada
Life is worth nothing


Camino de Guanajuato
Road of Guanajuato
Que pasas por tanto pueblos
That passes by so many towns
No pasas por Salamanca
Don't pass by Salamanca
Que ahí me hiere el recuerdo
For there the memory hurts me
Vete rodeando veredas
Take the pathways around
No pases por que me muero
Don't go there because I will die

El Cristo de tu montaña
The Christ of your mountain
Del cerro del Cubilete
Of Mount Tumbler
Consuelo de los que sufren
Solace of those who suffer
Adoración de la gente
Worship of the people
El Cristo de tu montaña
The Christ of your mountain
Del cerro del Cubilete
Of Mount Tumbler

Camino de Santa Rosa
Road of Santa Rosa
La Sierra de Guanajuato
The Mountain Peak of Guanajuato
Ahí nomás tras lomita
There just over the ridge
Se ve Dolores Hidalgo
Dolores Hidalgo is seen
Ahí me quedo paisano
There I remain a country person
Ahí es mi pueblo adorado
There is my beloved town 

Check back later for more information about Corridos in film!!!