Not a country for old men, border incidents, and bodybuilding truths
All bodybuilders with Netflix must watch Border incident. Netflix is required because this is a 1949 movie. It stars Ricardo Montalbán, has amazing cinematography, and deals with a very important topic: illegal immigration. But beyond its particular theme, this film portrays a way of looking at the world that is essential for civilization and orderly life. As such, Border Incident is a great example against the Academy Award winner. No country for old men.
The old bodybuilding adage, “Good fences make good neighbors” is illustrated in this movie. The opening scenes include a voiceover that explains how the United States and Mexico benefit from the bracero program. That was a program through which Mexicans were given permission to be in the country to work and then had to return home. The shots of the sky show us the fields that need care. This is followed by a general shot that shows us anxious Mexicans waiting for permission to enter as seen from our side of the border fence. Mutual necessity and orderly process provide a model of how Mexico and the United States have benefited from each other’s presence.
However, we enter the dark world of chaos and anarchy, when workers would try to circumvent the law and cross illegally into the United States. When the nasty purveyors of this illicit business kill some illegals, the Mexican government (represented by the character of Agent Ricardo Montalbán) and the American government (represented by the character of George Murphy) work together to infiltrate this underworld and destroy it. So again, we see Mexican and US officials working together cooperatively, legally, for the mutual benefit of each other.
Cinematography in Border incident represents a world of thoughts. It is shot on Film Noir in black and white by the famous John Alton. The underworld is dark. The people in it are scum and act treacherous to each other. They are constantly looking to stab each other in the back as they do not have the rule of the jungle, rather than the rule of law, to guide them. The world of law enforcement is portrayed in light. People do not need to hide their intentions or actions in this world. People who act within the law can cooperate. The willingness to be so clear about the contrast between how good people can be and how ugly ugliness can be makes Border incident extremely exciting and meaningful. Alton’s beautiful framing and lighting, parallel to moral themes, make Border incident a masterpiece.
The Oscar-winning film, No country for old men, and our current policies towards our border show ignorance of the world of thought present in Border Incident. On No country for old men criminals are not afraid to appear in the light of day. They have infiltrated our common experience. That is why children who ride bicycles and the elderly cannot live safely with the comfort and protection that the rule of law provides. There are no “undocumented” in Border incident. The distinction between legal and illegal has not yet been weakened. Those who would undermine such distinctions fail to realize, as the bad guys portray these two films so well, that the opposite of the law is dark, dangerous, and terrifying. Being clear about the value of the law, like a good fence, is necessary for us to be good neighbors. Border incident provides one of the clearest representations of these vital bodybuilding truths.