Early Puerto Rican Cinema and Nation Building: National Sentiments, Transnational Realities, 1897-1940 (Bucknell Studies in Latin American Literature and Theory)

__Early Puerto Rican Cinema and Nation Building__ focuses on the processes of Puerto Rican national identity formation as seen through the historical development of cinema on the island between 1897 and 1940. Anchoring her work in archival sources in film technology, economy, and education, Naida García-Crespo argues that Puerto Rico’s position as a stateless nation allows for a fresh understanding of national cinema based on perceptions of productive cultural contributions rather than on citizenship or state structures. This book aims to contribute to recently expanding discussions of cultural networks by analyzing how Puerto Rican cinema navigates the problems arising from the connection and/or disjunction between nation and state. The author argues that Puerto Rico’s position as a stateless nation puts pressure on traditional conceptions of national cinema, which tend to rely on assumptions of state support or a bounded nation-state. She also contends that the cultural and business practices associated with early cinema reveal that transnationalism is an integral part of national identities and their development. García-Crespo shows throughout this book that the development and circulation of cinema in Puerto Rico illustrate how the “national” is built from transnational connections. Published by Bucknell University Press. Distributed worldwide byRutgers University Press. compress PDF online -> avepdf.com Cover 1 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Introduction 14 Established Frames and Images of Puerto Rican Cinema 16 Conceptions of the Puerto Rican Nation 19 An Alternative Approach to the Study of Puerto Rican National Cinema 21 This Study’s Framework 24 1. Contexts for a National Cinema: Cultural, Political, and Economic Movements in Puerto Rico (1860–1952) 27 Late Spanish Colonialism through 1898 28 Circumstances and Consequences of the U.S. Invasion 31 Initial U.S. Congressional Rule and the Formation of Puerto Rican Identity 36 Puerto Rican Conceptions of the Nation from 1930 Onward 39 2. Cinema Comes to Puerto Rico: Historical Uncertainties and Ambiguous Identities (1897–1909) 48 Film Exhibition in Turn-of-the-Century Puerto Rico 50 Rumors of War Footage 56 Representing U.S. Colonial Puerto Rico 60 3. Stateless Nationhood, Transnationalism, and the Difficulties of Assigning Nationality: Rafael Colorado in Puerto Rican Historiography (1912–1916) 69 Rafael Colorado, Film Exhibition, and the Transnational Circulation of Cultural Subjects 73 Rafael Colorado as Cinematic Producer: Negotiating the Local and the Global 77 Citizenship in a Stateless Nation: Constructing the Puerto Rican Subject 88 4. In the Company of the Elites: The Discourses and Practices of the Tropical Film Company (1916–1917) 91 Inconsistencies in the Received Histories of the Tropical Film Company 95 The Educational/Cultural Project of the Tropical Film Company 98 The Tropical Film Company’s Commercial Aims 104 The End of the Beginning: The Tropical Film Company’s Demise and Legacy 113 5. Perilous Paradise: American Assignment and Appropriation of “Puerto Ricanness” (1917–1925) 116 From Big Stick to Good Neighbor: Puerto Rico as Test Site for American Foreign Policy 119 Fictional Puerto Rico and Colonial Angst 121 Puerto Rico’s Commercial Production Model 126 U.S. Cinema Falls in Love with the Tropics 132 The MacManus/Pathé Productions 137 Famous Players-Lasky/Paramount Comes to the Island 144 Beyond Fiction: Other Aspects of the Puerto Rican Film Industry in the 1920s 149 6. Making the Nation Profitable: Industry-Centered Transnational Approaches to Filmmaking (1923–1940) 152 The Film Enthusiast: The Career of Juan E. Viguié Cajas 154 Romance tropical: Remaking the Dream 159 The Film Impresario: The Career of Rafael Ramos Cobián 167 Mis dos amores: The Union of Hollywood and Latin America 168 Los hijos mandan: The Separation of Hollywood and Latin America 173 The End of an Era: The Local Government as Producer 178 Conclusion: Early Puerto Rican Cinema and Stateless Nation Building 181 Finding the National in the Transnational 184 Acknowledgments 188 Notes 190 Bibliography 222 Index 236 About the Author 240 Early Puerto Rican Cinema and Nation Building focuses on the processes of Puerto Rican national identity formation as seen through the historical development of cinema on the island between 1897 and 1940. Anchoring her work in archival sources in film technology, economy, and education, Naida García-Crespo argues that Puerto Rico’s position as a stateless nation allows for a fresh understanding of national cinema based on perceptions of productive cultural contributions rather than on citizenship or state structures. This book aims to contribute to recently expanding discussions of cultural networks by analyzing how Puerto Rican cinema navigates the problems arising from the connection and/or disjunction between nation and state. The author argues that Puerto Rico’s position as a stateless nation puts pressure on traditional conceptions of national cinema, which tend to rely on assumptions of state support or a bounded nation-state. She also contends that the cultural and business practices associated with early cinema reveal that transnationalism is an integral part of national identities and their development. García-Crespo shows throughout this book that the development and circulation of cinema in Puerto Rico illustrate how the “national” is built from transnational connections. Published by Bucknell University Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press. Early Puerto Rican Cinema and Nation Building' focuses on the processes of Puerto Rican national identity formation as seen through the historical development of cinema on the island between 1897 and 1940. Anchoring her work in archival sources in film technology, economy, and education, Naida Garcia-Crespo argues that Puerto Rico's position as a stateless nation allows for a fresh understanding of national cinema based on perceptions of productive cultural contributions rather than on citizenship or state structures. This book aims to contribute to recently expanding discussions of cultural networks by analyzing how Puerto Rican cinema navigates the problems arising from the connection and/or disjunction between nation and state. The author argues that Puerto Rico's position as a stateless nation puts pressure on traditional conceptions of national cinema, which tend to rely on assumptions of state support or a bounded nation-state. She also contends that the cultural and business practices associated with early cinema reveal that transnationalism is an integral part of national identities and their development. Garcia-Crespo shows throughout this book that the development and circulation of cinema in Puerto Rico illustrate how the 'national' is built from transnational connections "National Sentiments, Transnational Realities focuses on the processes of Puerto Rican national identity formation as seen through the historical development of cinema on the island between 1897 and 1940. Anchoring my work in archival sources in film technology, economy, and education, I argue that Puerto Rico's position as a stateless nation allows for a fresh understanding of national cinema based on perceptions of productive cultural contributions rather than on citizenship or state structures. This book aims to contribute to recently expanding discussions of cultural networks by analyzing how Puerto Rican cinema navigates the problems arising from the connection and/or disjunction between nation and state. I argue that Puerto Rico's position as a stateless nation puts pressure on traditional conceptions of national cinema, which tend to rely on assumptions of state support or a bounded nation-state. I also contend that the cultural and business practices associated with early cinema reveal that transnationalism is an integral part of national identities and their development. In other words, I show throughout this project that the development and circulation of cinema in Puerto Rico illustrate how the "national" is built from transnational connections"-- Provided by publisher