Treasure Of The Sierra Madre Imperialism

Imperialism and the Bandit Character
The Mexican “Bandito” character is a popular archetype that has existed throughout film history. It is typically a stereotypical portrayal of a criminal that serves as an antagonist for the typically Anglo main characters to overcome and defeat. The films Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez are both films that serve as warnings and criticisms of the United States imperialistic tendencies. Each film features an outlaw Mexican character that reacts to the imperialist actions of the Anglo characters. However, one portrayal is that of a stereotype, while the other is a well-rounded individual. Here I will compare the two characters to show how each is used to illustrate the main theme of the films.
To start it is important to note what type of imperialism is being portrayed, when the movie was made, and how that shapes the tone of the film.
In Treasure of the Sierra Madre the type of imperialism being shown is of economic variety, the Anglo characters are concerned primarily with financial gain and have no aversion to claiming ownership of resources that belong to a different country. They express an entitled opinion that they are justified in their attempts to mine gold from the mountain and are willing to lie to the local population about their activities and hide their spoils. This film was made in 1948, at the time the U.S. had dropped its isolationist policies and was beginning to expand its influence throughout the world. At the time most would view this policy as beneficial and as such the characters showed very little regard for the effects that their action would have on the people around
them. In The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez the imperialism being show is cultural imperialism. The film takes place in 1901, about 50 years after the Mexican-American war. At the time the dominant culture was Anglo, and little importance was placed on the Mexican culture. We see this through the reporting being done on the incident. The media following the hunt for Gregorio Cortez were more than willing to report the version of events being supplied by the Texas Rangers and few questioned their violent tactics in their manhunt. We can also see the imperialistic attitudes through how the Anglo characters used and reacted to the Spanish language. The “translator” used by the Texas Rangers did not know Spanish well enough to know that the word caballo and yegua both referred to horses, something that should be known considering the prevalent use of horses at the time. This lack of knowledge led the translator to mistranslate what Gregorio was saying into more aggressive terms, which eventually led to the shooting. The lack of knowledge of the Spanish language when dealing with Spanish-speaking shows a lack of respect for the culture in general. Gloria Anzaldua writes about how language is the cornerstone of cultural identity in the chapter How to Tame a Wild Tongue. She explains that “repeated attacks on our native tongue diminish our sense of self” (p. 80), so by not respecting the Spanish language enough to learn it the Anglo characters were elevating their own culture over their Mexican counterparts. This film was made in 1982 at the time when the U.S. had been actively involved in the policies of other countries and has learned that their imperialist policies can have consequences for those cultures involved and were more willing to portray those effects in film. Each film uses a similar technique to elicit a response to the character from the viewer, although the response that each film desires is completely different. Both films use Charles Ramirez Berg’s version of the triangle theory to align the viewer’s sympathy towards certain characters. Each film has a protagonist, antagonist, and the viewer who is expected to take sides. As Berg explains on page 63 the viewer sympathy toward a character is “facilitated because of the archetype’s attractive heroic qualities…and physical skill…valued attributes that define heroes in many cultures.” Each film gives the “bandit” different characteristics to shape the viewer’s response to them. When you first see the “bandit” character in Treasure of the Sierra Madre it is during an attack on a train. The character, known only as Gold Hat, is leading an attack that is ultimately driven off by the Anglo protagonists and train passengers. He has the look of the stereotypical “bandito”. He is exactly as Berg describes the stereotype “dirty and unkempt, usually displaying an unshaven face, missing teeth, and disheveled, oily hair…Behaviorally, he is vicious, cruel, treacherous, shifty, and dishonest; psychologically, he is irrational, overly emotional, and quick to respond to violence.” (p.68) Gold Hat provides an easily recognizable villain to provide a sense of danger to the protagonists; he seems to have no other motivation other than enriching himself. It is easy to see that we the viewers should side against him and for the main characters. The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez provides a different viewpoint for a “bandit” character. Gregorio Cortez is a much more rounded character whom the audience can more positively identify with. When we first see him he captures a Ranger that was pursuing him. Instead of resorting to violence, he shows compassion and lets the Ranger go after taking his gun and horse, so he cannot be followed. As the film progresses we find Gregorio Cortez to be brave, clever, and someone one only resorts to violence to defend himself. Rather than personal gain Gregorio Cortez becomes an outlaw out of necessity. His attempt to elude the law is not to escape punishment for his crimes, but to preserve his life from a posse that was organized with the intent to kill him. He provides a character that the audience can identify with. While each film presents a warning about the dangers of imperialism, it is interesting to see exactly what kind of warning is being given, and to whom it is directed. With Treasure of the Sierra Madre the bandit character is a warning of the dangers involved in American imperialism. He represents a threat that is present in a far off land, and a culture that is different than that of the dominant Anglo culture in the United States. Since he represents the danger of a different land, the character has no name and no other motivation other than violence and greed. At no point in the movie do the Anglo characters try to understand the Bandit, because his culture and way of life is so foreign that he can’t be understood through the Anglo way of thinking. The warning given is that there is a violent “other” out there in a foreign land that is a danger to us (the dominant Anglo culture) and we must tread carefully to avoid the danger that he represents. Little thought is given to the effects that American imperialism may have on the inhabitants of that country. The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez on the other hand, is more concerned on the effects that imperialistic tendencies may have on other cultures. The Anglo characters refusal to understand Gregorio’s language, or to properly translate what he is saying, starts a chain reaction of events that leads to the deaths of several people. The harmful nature of imperialism is further demonstrated by the brutal tactics used by the Texas Rangers during their manhunt for Gregorio Cortez. In an attempt to get Gregorio to turn himself in, the Rangers would imprison his wife and children (who had not broken any laws). They would go even further by trying to lynch his godson after he had escaped after a gunfight at his friend’s home. The warning of this film was the effect that an imperialistic attitude had, not only on another culture, but the effect it has on the psyche of the dominant culture. It showed that imperialism could not only cause harm to someone else, but also demonstrated how believing themselves to be a “better” culture, allowed the Anglo rangers to justify their own acts of violence towards others. Ultimately the warning in The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez was that imperialism cause’s harm not only to those being suppressed by it but it also reduces the dominant culture to tyrannical aggressors. The “Mexican Bandit” character can be a useful storytelling tool. The character can be used to represent danger or show the consequences of a destruction of a culture. Whether or not it results in a typically used stereotype or a well-defined character depends on the filmmakers and whose story they are telling.

Bibliography
Berg, Charles Ramirez (2002). Latino Images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, & Resistance. Austin: University of Texas Press
Anzaldua, Gloria (1987). Borderlands/La Frontera, 3rd edition. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books