Educational Media Reviews Online

Yanqui Walker and the Optical Revolution explores the role of U.S. expansion in Central America during the 1800's through the biographic tale of William Walker. The rational for U.S. expansionism throughout the Americas were political, social, economic, and religious and U.S. expansionist (also known as filibusters) felt it was their "Manifest Destiny" to conquer all of the American Peninsula. This territorial conquest was also a manner to pacify growing tensions between southern and northern states. Manifest Destiny encouraged many private citizens to conduct border raids in Cuba, Canada, Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean. While their actions violated U.S. laws of neutrality these individuals were thought as of heroic.

William Walker graduated with his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in the mid 1800's. However researchers would say it was his puritanical roots that would turn him into a maniacal tyrant. Walker was best known for his exploits in Central America but he cut his teeth as a military dictator by invading northern Mexico in 1854 and proclaiming himself as president of the newly occupied area. He was forced out the country a few months later but his passionate and eloquent dispatches from the field, which were published in a San Francisco newspaper, made him a local hero and he was soon recruited by a government faction in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua became independent from Spain in 1821 however between 1847 and 1855 the country had 13 different political leaders. Nicaragua's unregulated market environment created by political upheaval aroused American entrepreneurs, who were ready to exploit Nicaragua's geographical assets. William Walker's plan was to invade Nicaragua and eventually capture all of Central America to turn the region into slave states. The war against Walker forced countries such as Costa Rica to cultivate a national identity and was a catalyst in developing unity among Central American nations. After his third attempt to invade Central America Walker was finally put on trial for crimes against the Central American people and executed by firing squad on September 12, 1860. Walker's demise marked the end of the filibuster era and begun the era of Neocolonialism. Walker is considered an obscure footnote in history due to the fact that his invasions were not very successful and they took place in the period right before the Civil War. However his popularity with the American people makes him the poster boy for the mentality of American expansionist and Manifest Destiny.

Ramey's avant-garde filming making is refreshing. She narrates the film as a travelogue and blends black and white footage, and photography with celluloid manipulation and other experimental film techniques to bring a fresh look to documentary work. While this film is very impressive as a work of art, the information is secondary to the aesthetics. It would have been better to give more in-depth information on the historical background of the expansionist movement in the United States (this topic was only briefly mentioned in the film) and its repercussions in both Central America and the United States, and to also provide more information on Neocolonialism. Yanqui Walker and the Optical Revolution is a great example of how to create a documentary in a nontraditional manner and would work great in a film studies course but its historical content on inter-American relations only scratches the surface and falls short.

Awards

• Jury's Choice, Black Maria Film + Video Festival, 2010,
• Best Short Documentary, Athens International Film + Video Festival, 2010