Border Issues

I was particularly interested in the lighting techniques used for the married couple in this film. It appeared to me that hard lighting was used for Mike Vargas; his facial features were very defined, attaching a sense of masculinity to his character. His wife Susie, on the other hand, had an elegant, flawless face. This, I deduced, was the result of soft, complimentary lighting. The fact that opposite lighting techniques were used for this couple reinforces their opposite characteristics. While Vargas is a brave, strong, Mexican citizen, his wife is weak, American, and (to me) a stereotypical "damsel in distress."

A scene that struck me was the one in which the couple has an intimate conversation in their parked car. They discuss what must be done in order to eliminate the "border" that exists between them. With that being said, I took their relationship as a metaphor for Mexico and the United States, Vargas obviously representing the former and his wife, the latter. It is interesting that the writer of the screenplay chose a "damsel in distress" as a symbol for the most powerful country in the world. Perhaps this goes to show how reliant citizens of the U.S. were (and are) on other nations? In fact, we would hardly have food and clothing if it weren't for all the Mike Vargas' throughout the world. All that is really resolved between Vargas and his wife is his rescue of her, so I don't believe their "border" issue was ever truly diminished. Sadly, issues that existed between Mexico and the United States in the days of this film not only survive, but have also developed into an even bigger disaster of today.

I can't help but compare the film's view of Mexican/American relations in 1958 to society's view of Mexican/American relations today. If this movie were to be re-made now, I don't think Susie's fear of the Mexican gangsters would make her appear weak, but rather angry with hysteria. Maybe she would demand to see Pancho's legal documents in an attempt to have him arrested instead of being seized (only if this scene took place in Arizona, of course!) Whatever the case, I would have to say that both Vargas and his wife would play different roles in a modern-day version of this film.

Paige Brinkmann