In this free-ranging and discursive discussion, Alekx, Eilex, and Ethan talk about Western films (cowboy movies, not the whole capitalist cultural category) and how they portray Mexico and Mexicans, how the films launder settler Manifest Destiny and settler-colonialism, how gender is depicted and reified through the films, and US perceptions of citizenry, property, and morality are all mixed in with the ideas they contain. It goes all over the place. Yee haw.

Suggested reading/viewing:

Black, Liza. Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film, 1941-1960.

Hernández, Kelly Lytle. Migra! A History of the U.S. Border Patrol

Molina, Natalia. How Race Is Made in America: Immigration, Citizenship, and the Historical Power of Racial Scripts



Diamond, Neil & Bainbridge, Catherine & Hayes, Jeremiah. dirs. Reel Injun: On The Trail of the Hollywood Indian. 2009.

Ford, John. dir. Stagecoach. 1939

Leone, Sergio. dir. Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful of Dollars). 1964

McLagen, Andrew. dir. The Shadow Riders. 1982

Peckinpah, Sam. dir. The Wild Bunch. 1969

Sturges, John. dir. The Magnificent Seven. 1960