Crimenes de estado y contra el Estado: Variaciones del western argentino y mexicano

Abstract

The paper analyzes the transformations that western film undergoes-a genre that represents thefoundational and constituent crimes of the nation state-, in the appropriations made byArgentine and Mexican cinema. I focus in particular on the changes that can be perceived inthe figure of the hero, in the representation of indigenous peoples and in the representation ofwomen. Within Argentine cinema, I discuss in particular the film Pampa bárbara, while inMexican cinema I investigate some characteristics that the revolutionary western develops fromthe various representations of the figure of la soldadera. I also investigate some importantvariations in the plots based on the ways in which the cinema has articulated the stories of thebirth of the nation and the different roles of the army, the different revolutionary factions, andcivil society.