The marginal migrant experience takes on one of two opposing views depending on the context of the experience conveyed. The first view is initiated by a mass general label on a minority (given by the majority) and the second view is the response to the general label by the minority. The latter of these views is indicated by the critique of Alberto Sanchez. Before actually watching West Side Story, I wanted to have a preconceived notion so that I can keep Alberto’s point in mind as opposed to watching the movie and then having a revelation through Alberto’s analysis. Much like Michael Rogain’s, Black Face, Alberto offers a shocking yet true critique of West Side Story. The use of romantic melodrama functions to shift the attention of the racist discourse as proposed by Alberto. The observations presented throughout Alberto’s analysis are appalling in that the examples he provides are downright outrageous! Personally, I found the quote from Stephen Sondheim (writer of the lyrics of West Side Story) to be the most powerful in Alberto’s argument, “I can’t do this show…I’ve never been that poor and I’ve never even known a Puerto Rican.” This makes it seem as though the Puerto Ricans depicted are just “simply literary products, ideological signs, and cultural discursive stereotypes.”
Paralleling that of Alberto Sanchez is William V. Flores. Flores also offers an inside view of a minor group. Just as Sanchez dispels the social image of Puerto Ricans, Flores dispels our own preconceived notions regarding how we label others. On his personal account, Flores was named Mexican though he was a resident of the United States, had never gone to Mexico, and knew very little Spanish. He notes that the term ‘Mexican-American’ is divided; the hyphen represents the Mexican and American world he lives in. [It is interesting when we realize that William Flores is composed of both an American (William) and Mexican (Flores) name so he himself is an example.] However, the more important idea is presented when we see that racism is essentially an “impassable symbolic boundary.” Even though Flores is American he still is not looked upon as an American.
Aside from dispelling the labels, many marginal migrants have an optimistic side. In Crossing The River I found what is perhaps a reference to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The narrator says, “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” He remains optimistic although he carries a tremendous guilt as a father when he sold his children. The optimistic attitudes of migrants are also expressed In the Shadow of Slavery. The malarial land that was disease-ridden and used as a dumping site turned away wealthy New Yorkers. However, “for the black people, it was an area in which they could settle in relative independence.”
Speaking of settling, the mute alien in The Brother from Another Planet lands on planet Earth, more specifically New York. In my opinion, this is the most prominent scene of the movie. Even though the mute alien is from another planet, he still is an immigrant. Traditionally, this means that he must pass through Ellis Island first. This is seen when the sign ‘Ellis Island Immigration Center’ flashes for a few seconds. The dub here is of the past immigrants who are anxious since they were not sure they would be accepted to New York. In order to achieve this anxious like feeling, there is a low-key lighting which makes the room seem to have a history behind it.
Lastly, West Side Story expresses the experience of being among New York’s permanent others and marginal citizens. At the beginning there is an establishing shot which overlooks the territory which the Sharks and Jets will fight for. The film then uses continuity editing to show how the two gangs fight each other, but more importantly how the Sharks/PR’s are forced out. This establishes the rivalry between the gangs, especially when the officer sides with the Jets, asking Bernardo (the minority) to stay out of the park. As for the camera position, we see that the gang leaders – Bernardo and Riff are at the center of most of the film in the first fifteen minutes signifying that the action is centered on them. This not only shows that the film will continue to revolve around them, but also that New York’s marginal citizens has to be prepared for tough conditions.
