I found this film to be quite perplexing due to the flexible relationships and unique character roles portrayed. Particularly the way that Mike Windgreen (Elvis) was depicted; as extremely 
desirable from the first scene of the film, yet his actual success did not occur until scenes later when he performed his first successful gig as the replacement for a hotel performer. Almost every eligible woman in the film essentially throws themselves at him with no regard for his disinterest in commitment. This was most evident in his relationships with Dolores and Margarita whom are both more or less aware of his relation with the other, yet continue to pursue him. This was especially surprising to see from the character, Dolores, as she was depicted throughout the film as very dominant and assertive. When the audience and Mike are introduced to her at the bar in Acapulco, she is literally wearing pants – which we can see later can apply direct transference to “wearing the pants in the relationship” (ex. driving Mike to the make out spot, pursuing dates with him etc.). Overall I saw this unjustified adoration of Mike as something that the film makers believed would be accepted by the audience because they would know it was Elvis before getting to know Mike Windgreen, the character. Therefore, as the audience was already attracted to, and impressed by Elvis Presley, Mike Windgreen was able to take on a similar perception right away, rather than having to demonstrate tangible success prior to gaining this attractive/impressionable status.
Another perplexing observation I had about the scenes of the film had to do with the relationship of the two main lovers in the film – Mike and Margarita. Both characters were played by white, non-Hispanic actors, and seem to manipulate locals in order to further perpetuate their flirtations with each other. For example, it is clear that Margarita is much more interested in Mike than the lifeguard/diver, Moreno, by the way she quickly accepts a date with him while already going out with Moreno. However, later on in the film, Margarita decides to go on another date with Moreno and informs Mike. This leads Mike to invite Dolores to a date on the same night (in order to prove that he is not emotionally attached to Margarita, but therefore taking advantage of Dolores’ feelings in order to try to keep on top of the relational power dynamic between himself and Margarita). This manipulation of Mexican locals in order to perpetuate their relationship seemed very abusive in my opinion because it demonstrated their lack of respect for Moreno and Dolores as equals with sensitive feelings. They were in a sense the backdrop to Mike and Margarita’s own romance. In some ways I feel this could be used as a metaphor for the way western countries and countries of lower GDP relate to each other; usually with western countries using their power to manipulate/take advantage of their relationships with the other for their own benefit. However I don’t know that this comparison was an intention of the film…
As a final area of consideration, I thought it was interesting to see the dynamic between the three main Mexicans – Raoul, Dolores, and Moreno, and the foreigners Mike and Margarita in terms of their pursuit of each other. Throughout the film, the three Mexican locals are constantly moving towards Mike and Margarita for romance or business, yet the opposite is less common. I saw it as an unusual desire or dependency on the foreigners, which seemed quite irrational considering neither foreigner had much higher success than the locals to begin with; Dolores was the famous female matador and Moreno the best diver in all of Mexico. Whereas Margarita was simply a staff member at the hotel. Her father used to have a high position before they left Russia, but that status had no transference to their life in Mexico. It seemed as though Mike and Margarita’s combined beauty, and foreign qualities were their key assets in the film. However, at the end of the film, at which point Mike finally conquers his fears and is able to dive from a high distance, he immediately proceeds to perform a final song fully in Spanish and wearing a sombrero; two things he had never done previously. I saw this as somehow showing that he had “become Mexican” in order to overcome his fears. Yet that was were my perception became a bit foggy as all of the information prior to this point hadn’t really shown much benefit to being Mexican, other than the lyrics of the songs in Mike’s performances which spoke of romance and relaxation in Mexico. I will be interested to hear other people’s perceptions of this film in class and hope to uncover some of the potential theories of what the film’s intentions were (specifically in its depiction of Mexico and what it meant to be Mexican).