History at the Turn of the Century:

1
History at the Turn of the Century Childhood
and Memory in Recent Hispanic Cinema Natalie Nix,
Ronald E. McNair Scholar Dr. Vania Barraza-Toledo
Introduction The transition into new millennium
brings attention to how history and past events
influence the construction of identity. By using
children, Hispanic films depict how history and
memory influence the construction of a personal
and collective identity in Latin America and
Spain. The three films involved in this project
depict how revisiting the memories constructed
during traumatic times in Hispanic history is
essential to the formation of contemporary
Hispanic identity during the transition to the
21st century.

• Results
• A strong connection between history and the
  current collective and personal Hispanic identity
  was found.
• Films
• Films remind viewers of old experiences or
  present history to a younger audience. Without
  memories, formation of identity is greatly
  hindered. Strong historical moments combined with
  personal stories help create a personal and
  communal Hispanic identity.
• Hispanic identity
• The films were analyzed with respect to three
  categories
• Family
• Spatial Boundaries
• Social Boundaries and Reality
• Situations involving the three categories
  differed in each film, but all films portrayed a
  lesson or moral. Thus, it can be concluded that
  1) importance of historical times augment the
  persistence of memories in children and 2)
  memories serve as constant reminders of events
  during growth of a child, thus greatly
  influencing identity.
• Conclusion
• A definite connection exists between the
  hardships children faced during their experiences
  in the film and the formation of who they become
  as adults. Individual identity is greatly
  influenced by memories and experiences gained
  during childhood.

Historical Context Spain 1936-39 Taking place
during the second Spanish Republic, the Spanish
Civil War centered on a conflict between liberals
and conservatives. Liberal Prime Minister Manuel
Azaña was elected president of Spain in 1936. In
1939, a coup détat led by General Francisco
Franco overthrew Azaña and his government. At
that time, Nationalists took control of Spain,
appointing Gen. Franco as dictator.
Chile 1973 Salvador Allende ran for president on
a Socialist platform and was elected in September
of 1970. Upon his election, Allende implemented
his idea of Unidad Popular (Popular Unity) and
made radical changes to the economy of Chile. A
coup detat overtook Allende and his government
in 1973 replacing him with General Augusto
Pinochet and his anti-communist, military
government.
Selected Films El Espinazo del Diablo A boy
living in Spain during the Spanish Civil War,
Carlos is brought to an orphanage after his
father is killed in battle. There he avenges the
ghost of a murdered orphan and shows the power
of perseverance (Guillermo del Toro,
2001). Machuca A young boy living in Chile during
the early 1970s, Gonzalo Infante Ignores social
constraints befriends a member of the working
class, Pedro Machuca. Through their friendship,
the hardships present in Chile at the time are
seen from two diverse perspectives (Andrés
Wood, 2004). Kamchatka Explores the alternative
realities created for children by their parents
in times of crisis. After fleeing the city, Harry
copes with the surrounding political situation
by immersing himself in games and stories
played within his family (Marcelo Piñeyro,
2002).
Argentina 1976 Juan Domingo Perón was the elected
President of Argentina in 1946 and 1973. Upon his
death Peróns second wife remained in power until
1976, when she was ousted by Videla and his
military coup detat. Videla assumed the role of
President, and implemented his military rule onto
the previously democratic nation of Argentina,
including mass human rights violations against
any who opposed his rule.