ican industry at that time. First, there was the matter of a common language and cultural background which gave Mexican movies an appeal to the mass Latin American audience. Second, Hollywood production at this time had been given over entirely to supporting the war effort, and American product thus held little appeal for Latin Americans. Third, the pro-Axis inclinations of various Argentine governments at the time caused the United States to apply sanctions against that country, one of which was to cut off raw film for Argentine producers. Mexico, however, declared war on Germany, Japan, and Italy and subsequently supported the Allied cause, leading to reciprocal actions on the part of Washington and to support for the Mexican filmmaking effort. The U.S. allocated raw film and cinematic equipment to Mexico and seemed quite willing to support the Mexican film industry during a period when Hollywood had to be resigned to the temporary loss of the Latin American market.
The view taken of women in the films of the
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