My friends and I love going to the movies. There is nothing like the taste of buttery, warm popcorn, an ice-cold soda and a great movie. We enter the movie theatre and find the perfect seat, not too close and not too far, but perfectly in the middle. As the pre-views finish and the lights begin to dim, our anticipation and excitement builds for the movie we having waiting to watch. When the movie starts and the credits begin we are sometimes presented with Latino names, such as, "Lopez," "Garcia," "Hayek," "Banderas," "Perez," "Rodriguez," "Gonzalez," and many others. When I am with my friends we can't help but cheer and feel a sense of pride. However, this feeling is quickly disrupted when we realize that the roles of our Latino stars are that of servants or drug addicts. As I witness these images, my pride slowly disappears and I feel embarrassed. I ask myself why are they speaking that way? Why do they act that way?

The answers that I found were more profound than I imagined. In this paper, I will explore the various representations, depictions and portrayals of Latin American women in American Hollywood. Specifically, I will identify the dark shadow of negative i

The best way to explain the vamp and spitfire character is by describing the Latina that exaggerated its characteristics most flawlessly. Film reviews of Rosie Perez often focus on her appearance and street-savvy speech rather than her performance. Her style is characterized by hoop earrings and is complemented by big hair. In Untamed Heart, she begins with large silver or gold hoops and sports a pair of black hoops for the funeral scene. The earrings have not gone unnoticed by the reviewers. For example, Mim Udovitch describes her Fearless performance as, "her first non-big-earring role." It should be mentioned that Rosie Perez was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Fearless. Her hair is also an indicator of her subordinate roles in these films. Big hair goes with big hoops. Rosie's curls and tall bangs are especially large compared to the white women in the films the blonde, straight hair of Briget Fonda and the stylishly short brunette look of Isabella Rosellini. Another reviewer comments on her "cartoon soprano...peppered with slang and expletives (Valdivia 1998). Still another complains that her "vocal range.... starts with Betty Boop and ends somewhere around car alarm."

One of the stereotypes of Latinos, in general, whether male or female, is their ability to dance. The sensual cantina image is revisited in most of Rosie Perez's movies. The opening scene of Do The Right Thing, features her body gyrating to the tune of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power." In Untamed Heart she is shown dancing, even though her role in the movie is that of a waitress. In fact, the film shows her dancing at work, as she conveniently plays the jukebox while cleaning up, and at the disco, where she drags her non-dancing friend, played by leading lady Marisa Tomei. Finally, in It Could Happen she seduces the older tycoon by dancing (Valdivia 1998).

Some common words found in the essay are:
Latin Americans, Films Perez, Latin American, According Griffith, Keller Latinas, Asians Latinos, Spike Lee's, Spy Kids, Lupe Velez, Rosie Perez, latin americans, latin american, del rio, white race, film industry, cantina girl, american film, dominant culture, anglo love, american cinema, duties richard 462, depictions portrayals latin, faithful self-sacrificing señorita, dolores del rio, latin american women,
Approximate Word count = 2920
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)