2013 Essays

Cube Bonifant

Consuelo Pérez Solano, Rocío del

Born in Mexico City in 1904, Cube Bonifant published her distinctive film criticism in newspapers and magazines throughout the early twentieth century. Her criticism covers the end of the silent film era, the transition from silent film to sound motion pictures, and the birth of the sound motion picture industry in Mexico. The need to learn more about the early days of film criticism—especially film criticism written by women—brings one to examine Bonifant’s work. While she was intent on attacking the Hollywood film industry, she had a journalist’s commitment to objectivity. Her colleagues such as Catalina D’Erzell criticized her for her biting, mocking style while at the same time praising her writing.