Inquisition Shadows: Politics, Religion, Diplomacy, and Ideology in Mexican Film Censorship

Abstract

Cinema arrived in Mexico in 1896. It became very popular but simultaneously attracted not only criticism but also condemnations. When Un duelo a pistola en el bosque de Chapultepec (Pistol Duel in the Forest of Chapultepec, 1896, Gabriel Veyre) was shot—to reconstruct a duel between two deputies—the press was outraged and argued that cinema should not be used for “distortions” and, especially, should not be used to “trick” audiences. This triggered a string of controversies, which eventually led to the intervention of authorities. The new medium of social entertainment was condemned not only by journalists and intellectuals, but also by other pressure groups such as the Roman Catholic Church, political elites, and bureaucracies at various occasions and in various periods heavily attacked cinema. Another aspect of Mexico’s troubled film censorship history dealt with diplomatic interventions. After the prevalence of French and Italian films during the early years of film exhibition in Mexico, 1910 and onward, in addition to problems related to Hollywood’s distorted representation of Mexican culture and society, diplomatic interventions were also connected with the propagandistic use of film during the two world wars.