Cultural Transfer and Bilinguslism in the documentary 389 Miles: Living the Border by Luis Carlos Davies
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7968.2020v40nespp113Résumé
The use of multiple languages in movies often involves negative stereotyping of characters belonging to a minority represented in those films. This is the case with some Hollywood films in which Spanish is associated with exotic or dangerous characters, confirming persistently the dominant position of the English language. In the documentary 389 Miles: Living the Border (2009) the linguistic and cultural impact of migration is seen from quite a different perspective. Whereas most of the documentaries dealing with the Mexican-American border are predominantly in English, possibly with Spanish subtitles, or mainly in Spanish with English subtitles, in 389 Miles both languages are used equally. The narrator tells the story in English, but he uses both languages in the interviews. There are also a few characters who switch from English to Spanish. The aim of this article is threefold: in a first instance, it seeks to examine the documentary with the use of some basic concepts of Polysystem Theory. The second objective is to explore language diversity. In a third instance, this article aims to shed more light on two powerful Mexican symbols: viz. the Virgin of Guadalupe and the wrestler mask. The final objective is to find out how bilingualism in documentaries changes our perception on other cultures, border crossing and migration.
Références
Cammisa, Rebecca. Which Way Home. HBO Films, DVD 1h 30 m, 2009.
Codde, Philippe. “Polysystem Theory Revisited: A New Comparative
Introduction”. Poetics Today. 24-1, (2003): 91-126.
Cronin, Michael. Translation Goes to the Movies. London, New York: Routledge, 2009.
Cruz, Yolanda. 2501 Migrants: A Journey/Reencuentros. Petate Productions, DVD 57 min., 2010.
Davis, Luis Carlos. 389 Miles: Living the Border. Full Movie (2009). Avaible to:: www.389miles.com. Access in: 7 February 2020.
Deveny, Thomas. Migration in Contemporary Hispanic Cinema. Lanham/Toronto/Plymouth: Scarecrow Press, 2012.
Even-Zohar, Itamar. “Polysystem Theory”. Poetics Today. 1, 1-2, (1979): 287-310.
Fundación Mapfre. Graciela Iturbide (catálogo), del 16 de junio al 6 de septiembre de 2009. Madrid: Fundación Mapfre, 2009.
Herreras, Mari. “T Q&A”. Tucson Weekly. 14 May 2009. Avaible to: https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/t-qanda/Content?oid=1184769. Access in: 7 February 2020.
Mamula, Tijana; Patti, Lisa (Eds.). The Multilingual Screen: New Reflections on Cinema and Linguistic Difference. New York: Bloomsbury, 2016.
Naficy, Hamid. An Accented Cinema: Exilic and Diasporic Filmmaking.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2001.
Neyoy, Cesar. “Hispanic Face. The border from a clear lens”. Bajo el Sol. 3 April 2010. Avaible to: http://myeveryday-fenceproductions.blogspot.com/2010/04/bajael-solenglish-and-spanish-version.html. Access in: 7 February 2020.
Paz, Octavio. El laberinto de la soledad. México: FCE, 1991.
Reid, Michael. Forgotten Continent. A History of the New Latin America. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009.
Reyes, Rodrigo. Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border. DVD 1h 21m., Foprocine, La Maroma Producciones, 2013.
Ruiz-McGill, Rebecca. “UA Filmmaking Student Captures Life in His Backyard: the Border”. UA. News 8 March 2008. Avaible to: https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/ua-filmmaking-student-captures-life-in-his-backyard-the-border. Access in: 7 February 2020.
Zambrano, Jaime. “Virgen de Guadalupe, acompañante de los migrantes”. Milenio. 12 December 2017. Avaible to: https://www.milenio.com/opinion/jaime-zambrano/desde-el-biopoder/virgen-de-guadalupe-acompanante-de-losmigrantes.
Access in: 7 February 2020.
Téléchargements
Publiée
Comment citer
Numéro
Rubrique
Licence
Autores mantêm os direitos autorais e concedem à revista o direito de primeira publicação, com o trabalho simultaneamente licenciado sob a Licença Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Internacional (CC BY) que permite o compartilhamento do trabalho com reconhecimento da autoria e publicação inicial nesta revista.
Autores têm autorização para assumir contratos adicionais separadamente, para distribuição não exclusiva da versão do trabalho publicada nesta revista (ex.: publicar em repositório institucional ou como capítulo de livro, com reconhecimento de autoria e publicação inicial nesta revista).