Tanya Gonzáles
University of California - Riverside
Email: tanya.gonzalez@sbcglobal.net

Conversaciones con Cantinflas: Ghostly Performance in Miguel Arteta's Star Maps

"The little chicken is getting cold and I'm gonna start in on it."
--Mario Moreno "Cantinflas"
The Great Mexican Comic

Even before the first titles come up on Miguel Arteta's 1997 film Star Maps, Mario Moreno's words appear on the screen: "The little chicken is getting cold and I'm gonna start in on it." Using Cantinflas's words to open the film indicates a potential homage to "The Great Mexican Comic" who passed away April 20, 1993. Read as an epigraph to the film, however, these words also signal Arteta's defiance of the Hollywood filmmaking industry, especially in regards to the ways Latinos are represented in film. If we read the "chicken" as a metaphor for the film industry, it would indicate that the time is ripe for Latina/o involvement and intervention into the Hollywood story. Indeed, this is precisely what Star Maps accomplishes through Carlos (Douglas Spain), its protagonist, a young man returning from Mexico to his family home in Hollywood in order to become an actor. His plan is to work for his father Pepe (Efraim Figueroa), a pimp who uses a Star Maps business as a cover for his prostitution ring. Carlos decides that he can use his father's "business connections" to enter the industry. This, of course, echoes the "real" Hollywood-where young people come to the city looking for fame and end up selling their bodies instead.
The fact that this happens within a family, and that this family is Latino, adds another dimension to the Hollywood "dream". In the course of the film, it becomes evident that Carlos's aspirations of stardom are, or were, shared by his father. The generational cycle of disappointment and the effects this has on the other family members demythologizes the road to stardom. Much like the chicken in Moreno's quote, the Hollywood industry is cold. The irony of the epigraph-the fact that one should "start in" while the chicken is "hot"-not "cold"-prepares one for the dark reality that Arteta presents in the rest of the film. It would seem, as Moreno's words indicate, that the timing is off for the characters dreaming of Hollywood success. As Cantinflas's presence in Star Maps indicates, it has been off for quite some time.
Cantinflas's ghostly appearance in Star Maps brings with it a history of Latino and Latin American involvement in film. Cantinflas represents the golden age of Mexican cinematic production in the 1940's. His presence also represents, however, Hollywood's failure to include Latinos in non-stereotypical images. According to biographer Jeffrey M. Pilcher, "Mario Moreno had received a succession of Hollywood movie offers through the years and turned down every one of them, refusing to compromise the Mexican character of Cantinflas to studio moguls" (165). (Pilcher) It wasn't until his role as Passepartout in Around the World in 80 Days (1955) that he engaged actively in the Hollywood film industry. Despite winning a Golden Globe Award for best comic actor in 1957 for his performance in this film, his Hollywood aspirations proved the turning point in an otherwise successful career. His follow-up film Pepe (1960) was an international failure as Hollywood reduced Mario Moreno's acting abilities to stereotypical "Mexican" images. Pilcher comments, "The bulk of the film portrayed crude stereotypes of Mexico as a nation of lazy, drunken charity cases fit only for tourist entertainment. […] The disaster of Pepe dashed Moreno's hopes of filming again in the United States, and thereafter even his Mexican movies seemed hollow masks of the former Cantinflas" (180; 183).
Miguel Arteta's clever use of Pepe as the name of the disturbing father figure in Star Maps is yet another way to invoke the danger of succumbing to the temptations of Hollywood. Even the highly successful Moreno cannot overcome Hollywood producer's control of the image that is eventually disseminated internationally. These producers used Pepe to perpetuate the "timeworn Hollywood myth … through the legend that stardom was a lottery and that anyone could be 'discovered' as the next Marilyn Monroe or Cary Grant. Not that Moreno was discovered; instead, he assisted a young Shirley Jones to make it in the movies" (Pilcher 179). Moreno becomes Jones's fairy godmother. Arteta's Pepe character also represents this means to success, as Carlos wants to "make it in the movies" and goes through his father to do so. But Pepe is not Pepe. Indeed, Pepe does everything in his power to hinder Carlos's success.
The conflict between Pepe and Carlos affects the rest of the family, especially Carlos's mother Teresa (Martha Velez), who goes mad struggling to keep Carlos away from Pepe's grasp. In a way, Teresa is keenly attuned to this myth through her intimate conversations with Cantinflas throughout the film. Thus, Star Maps, shows the family drama instigated by the Hollywood dream of wealth and fame by using the interactions between an apparently mentally unstable Teresa and her ghostly visions of Cantinflas. This essay thus reads Teresa's conversations with Cantinflas as pivotal points in the film where Arteta critiques the Hollywood system-and a Latino family structure-that contributes to cycles of violence and psychological abuse.
Throughout Star Maps, Teresa inhabits the role of the madwoman-a ghost of her former self. When Carlos returns from Mexico, he expects to find a woman jubilant because of his return. Indeed, Teresa is thrilled to see Carlos; but it is quickly evident that she is ill, confined to her bedroom and subject to moments of excitability. When Carlos enters Teresa's bedroom to greet her, Teresa spends the first moments touching his face and repeatedly asking him how he is. Then Teresa takes Carlos's face in her hands and states, "La luna. Siempre fuiste como la luna. Triste pero muy bonito." The camera cuts to a shot of Maria looking on, a bit worried, and then cuts to a reaction shot showing Carlos's concern. Teresa continues, "Tu sabes, cuando tu naciste, tu papa notó que tus ojos estaban un poco mirados. Y yo los arreglé con mis dedos. Con mis dedos!" The anxiety this scene demonstrates-especially through Teresa's ramblings and the reaction shots showing Carlos and Maria's concern-sets up the tensions in the home. It is clear that the home will not be a haven from the chaos of the outside world and the struggles Carlos will face working for Pepe and trying to succeed in Hollywood.
Indeed it is quickly evident that Carlos's Hollywood dreams hinder his mental tranquility as well. In a scene when Carlos is unable to sleep because of his anxiety over a potential acting opportunity, he seeks Teresa's comfort and advice. Teresa disappears into a string of incoherent phrases and songs that confuse Carlos even more.
Carlos opens the door and partially enters the room.
Carlos: ¿Despierta?
Teresa: ¿Cómo estas, mi petit pois. ¿Que quieres?
Carlos: No puedo dormir.
Carlos walks to her bed and sits by Teresa.
Teresa: ¿Por qué, mijito?
Carlos: Mamá… Yo voy a ganar dinero y te voy a cuidar. Voy a ser un
actor y ganar mucho dinero.
Teresa: ¿Sabes lo que yo hago cuando tengo una pesadilla como esa?
Carlos: No es pesadilla…
Teresa: Dejo que las pesadillas hagan lo que hacen. ¿Entiendes?
Carlos: Si, mami. Te quiero mucho. Pronto todo estará bien.
(Cick here to see video. ..\..\My Videos\Teresa y Carlos.wmv)
Teresa's indication that Carlos is experiencing a nightmare instead of chasing a "dream" position her character as wiser than her state of mental instability indicates. Even though he will dismiss her advice as incoherent rambling, Teresa seems to know the difficulties Carlos will face, especially in light of the way he means to succeed. After all, Pepe has made money and taken care of her as well. If Carlos follows Pepe's lead, his dreams will turn into nightmares. Pepe's activities-his experience of Hollywood-has placed the entire family in a nightmarish situation. Teresa realizes her inability to control the nightmare. So she lets it do what it is going to do. Thus, the function of her incoherency is to present certain truths to the other characters of the film.
Most of Teresa's insights in the film come through her conversations with the ghostly apparitions of Cantinflas. First, his voice haunts her as he gives her pieces of wisdom to share with her family members. Then, as the film progresses, his form becomes a physical manifestation. The first time we witness their special connection, Teresa is twirling around in her room, humming, waiting for Maria to come with her medicines. As she hums, we hear the voice of Cantinflas calling her as the camera moves from a shot of her twirling to a pan shot of her wall hangings that stops at a framed picture of Cantinflas. When the camera stops on this frame, we hear Cantinflas's voice call to Teresita. Teresa smiles and shyly plays with a strand of hair as she gazes on Cantinflas. He then states that he has something to tell her. Apparently it is a piece of advice for her daughter Maria, because when she returns with Teresa's medicine, Teresa relays Cantinflas's message:
Teresa: --¿Sabes lo que me dijo Cantinflas?
Maria: --¿Ahora que te dijo?
Teresa: -- El dijo, que uno necesita tres cosas para la vida.
She takes her pill and drinks it with a swig of water. She gives the glass back to Maria as she continues.
Teresa:--Algo para hacer, alguien para amar, y un poquito de esperanza.
Even though her family lacks the ability to recognize their mother's wisdom in her seeming mental instability, it is nevertheless present. This otherworldly source of guidance from Cantinflas's ghost is finally what makes sense for Teresa, who spends much of her time in a nightmarish reality.
Teresa's "Cantinflas moments" do not always manifest in incoherency. When she confronts Pepe, for instance, she is watching Cantinflas on television, but her use of "sayings" is more clear and to the point. Teresa watches Cantinflas tell the story of Adam and Eve in his own nonsensical fashion. There is a shot of the small black and white television screen and then one of Teresa laughing. Pepe's voice interrupts her:
Pepe:--Vieja!
Teresa starts and sits up in her bed.
Teresa: --¿Qué Paso?
Pepe enters with a tray of food.
Pepe: --Nada. Te traigo una comidita no mas.
Pepe sits by Teresa after placing the tray of food before her. Teresa sits back to watch television with her arms folded.
--Hey… Cantinflas! Tanto tiempo que no lo veo… ey. Esa lo
hemos visto, no?
Teresa, smiling at the television, nods yes.
Her smile fades.
Teresa: --¿Que haces con mi Carlitos?
Cuts to Pepe who responds with a look of discomfort.
Pepe: --Pues nada. Solo siendo que sea hombre. Pienso que tus padres lo encriadon demasiado.
Cuts to Teresa who looks upset. There is a moment of silence.
Teresa: --Un muchacho no es perro.
Cuts to Pepe who looks over at Teresa and says in a serious tone,
Carlos: --No te preocupes Teresa.
(Click here to see film clip: ..\..\My Videos\Teresa and Pepe Watch Cantinflas.wmv)
The relationship between Pepe, Teresa, and Cantinflas is interesting here as Pepe interrupts Teresa's interaction with Cantinflas with a tray of food. He is seemingly providing her with nourishment as the provider of her economic security and sustenance. Yet Pepe disturbs her emotional and psychological well-being, which she apparently receives from Cantinflas. Also, Pepe has not watched Cantinflas in a long time, signaling his detachment from the family. When he looks at the screen, he has a recollection of seeing the film, but not the familiarity that Teresa has, which also indicates his stronger connection to the world outside-to the Hollywood Teresa rejects through her connection to Cantinflas. Pepe's separation is further illuminated by his look of discomfort when Teresa asks him about his intentions with their son. When she notes that "a child is not a dog" and Pepe looks over at her, there is a sense that if Cantinflas had not been present on the television screen, the conversation might have take a more serious, potentially violent, tone-much like the other conversations Pepe has with people who attempt to question his authority.
Teresa's discomfort with Pepe-the way he disrupts her happiness-is another way Hollywood intervenes into the family dynamic. Teresa finds hope in Cantinflas until Pepe, himself abused by the Hollywood machine, comes in and takes it away. For this reason, Teresa must interact with the ghost of Cantinflas, even if it is in her own mind. Just as Carlos goes to his mother for assistance when he cannot sleep, Teresa turns to her comfort. "Cantinflas" first appears in the film during a full moon. Teresa goes to the window, parts the curtains and looks out at the moon. "Cantinflas's" face appears in the moon and he says, "No se peocupe Teresita". The camera cuts to a close up of Teresa, who smiles. The shot is reversed and Cantinflas states, "Todo llegará bien. Ya veras." Their subsequent exchange of smiles gives a sense of peace and trust. (Click here to see the clip: ..\..\My Videos\Cantinflas in the Moon.wmv )
While these moments of comfort pepper Teresa's scenes in Star Maps, the film does not offer any resolution for her mental state, or for the way the family is affected by Hollywood's mythic promises. Cantinflas's assistance is a personal one. In the end, Teresa commits suicide by overdosing on the medicine her daughter Maria hid in the pantry. As she lays on the ground, Cantinflas's spirit returns and calls Teresa's ghost up from her body:
In the background is music and the voice of Cantinflas calling Teresa.
The shot turns toward the voice. It is the ghost of Cantinflas, in a white longsleeve t-shirt, white pants, his signature kerchief around his neck, his hat, and a cigar.
Cantinflas: --Teresa! Teresa! (Pause) Teresa
The camera turns toward Teresa's body on the floor. You can see her spirit leaving her body. She wakes up a little confused. The camera turns to Cantinflas who nods, encouraging Teresa to get up. She gets up smiling.
Teresa: Cantinflas!
Cantinflas: Vamonos ya, Teresita! Ya tenemos misión. Vamos a ser los
primeros Mexicanos explorar la luna. Como la debe de ir.
Teresa: ¿Conmigo?
Cantinflas: Con Usted!
He reaches out his hand and cigar to Teresa. She reaches for his hand. When she touches him, their appearance transforms into astronauts. Hand in hand, they turn and float up the street where Teresa lived.
(Click here to view the clip: ..\..\My Videos\Cantinflas Takes Teresa.wmv)
Teresa's conversion into a spirit is the only release she has from the torments inflicted on her by Pepe and, by extension, Hollywood. Teresa returns to the moon-to the image that reminds her of Carlos as a child, and the screen for Cantinflas's reassurances. Her final role as the first Mexican space explorer turns out to befar fetched. Nevertheless, even though it occurs in the afterlife, by giving Teresa this mission Arteta presents a hope that there might be relief from the incessant negation of happiness in the world, and that there is space to imagine non-stereotypical images of Latinos on the screen-images that have never been seen before. The Hollywood industry continues to replicate stereotypes of Latinos. While Teresa's map to the stars might be in Cantinflas's pocket, Carlos has to get rid of his dreamy star maps if he is to survive in Hollywood.
Cantinflas's cultural haunting of Star Maps thus illumines the complexity of Latina/o existence in the United States by remaining the popular comedic personality so famous across Latin America and other Spanish speaking nations, yet so misunderstood by the Hollywood film industry. But Cantinflas's presence also marks a perpetual hope and the potential to imagine more complex images of Latinidad, reminding the viewer that it is o.k. to start in on the little chicken, even if it is cold.
Works Cited
Arteta, M. (1997). Star Maps. Fox Searchlight Pictures. M. Arteta, Twentieth Century
Fox.
Brogan, K. (1998). Cultural Haunting : Ghosts and Ethnicity in Recent American
Literature. Charlottesville, University Press of Virginia.
Gordon, A. (1997). Ghostly Matters : Haunting and the Sociological Imagination.
Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press.
Pilcher, J. M. (2001). Cantinflas and the Chaos of Mexican Modernity. Wilmington, Del.,
Scholarly Resources.