The 1978 film “The Border” centers on a disturbing reality: the complicity of some border patrol officers in human trafficking, a dynamic brought to life when a young Mexican migrant, Maria, has her infant stolen from a detention camp.
A Stolen Child and a Troubled Production
The film’s depiction of migrants sparked controversy, with actress Elpidia Carrillo challenging the director’s portrayal of her character.
- Elpidia Carrillo, who played Maria, confronted director Tony Richardson about the film’s depiction of migrants as largely voiceless.
- Carrillo recounted an incident where Jack Nicholson “playfully” touched her inappropriately during rehearsals, and her subsequent reaction.
- Richardson’s posthumously published memoir offered critical assessments of his fellow actors, including Nicholson and Valerie Perrine.
- The film’s narrative follows a border patrol officer grappling with corruption and a desperate search for a stolen infant.
Elpidia Carrillo, the actress portraying Maria, hails from Michoacán, Mexico, and has a personal connection to the film’s themes, having lost family members to violence. She began acting at the age of twelve, but “The Border” marked her first American feature film role. She found herself working alongside Jack Nicholson, known for his iconic roles in films like “The Shining” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (for which he won an Oscar in 1976). Remarkably, Carrillo admitted she was unaware of Nicholson’s fame at the time, stating, “I had no idea who he was.”
In the film, Maria is presented as a largely silent and passive figure, dressed in simple clothing and seemingly lacking agency. She is depicted as being moved around like “a dry leaf on a high wind,” her primary motivation being maternal instinct. The film’s portrayal extends to other migrants, who are presented as a faceless mass, lacking the individualization afforded to white characters.
Carrillo strongly objected to this representation, voicing her concerns directly to director Tony Richardson. “The way you tell this story, this very humble woman, that’s just completely for you,” she recalled telling him. “We’re not like that. We know our roots.”
“I was not happy to play that role,” Carrillo stated. She also mentioned that she sensed a lack of approval from Hartley, Bovino’s great-uncle, who reportedly favored another actress for the part.
During rehearsals, Carrillo recounted an incident involving Nicholson, who she said “playfully” tapped her buttocks. She responded by kicking him, causing him to lose his balance. (A representative for Nicholson did not respond to requests for comment.) Following the incident, Richardson approached Carrillo and encouraged her to channel her anger into her performance, telling her, “That’s exactly who you are. You’re going to fight for your baby.”
In his 1993 memoir, published posthumously, Richardson described Nicholson as “meticulously prepared.” However, he was less complimentary towards Valerie Perrine, who played Charlie’s wife, Marcy, labeling her “a difficult and needlessly bitchy and offensive woman” to those around her. (A representative for Perrine disputed this characterization, stating that “everybody who’s worked for her had high praise for her on sets” and that “she was very professional about her work.”) Carrillo is simply referred to as “an unknown Mexican actress” whom Richardson “found.”
The film also features scenes set outside the immediate border context. Initially, Charlie works in Los Angeles before relocating to El Paso with Marcy, where they move into a duplex with Marcy’s high school friend Savannah and her husband, Cat. Upon arriving at their new home in a desolate West Texas subdivision, Marcy and Savannah perform a playful cheerleading routine for their husbands, culminating in a suggestive promise. Charlie reacts with a mixture of amusement and discomfort, while Cat boldly declares, “Charlie, I feel you and me have scored the best damn pussy in the whole state of Texas.”
