Tango is a music that is widely known all over the world. It can be found anywhere from America to France to Japan, all a long way from its origin in Argentina. In America, it is known as a rigid dance full of passion and romance and is depicted often in different media including film and television, but this is not an accurate depiction of tango as it is known in Argentina (tango's birthplace), and it is quite different from its original form. Tango's perception has had a long journey from the lowly dirty dance form it started as to the pinnacle of romance as it is viewed today in American culture, and film, both domestic and foreign, has played a large part in shaping that journey (Aloff 2).

   Tango's origins are in the slums of Buenos Aires. It was a music that was created by the immigrant workers in Buenos Aires in the meat industry. It is interesting to note that a music which is so global now also started with a mixed heritage. These immigrant workers came from many different countries throughout Europe, especially Italy, and worked alongside many Uruguayan individuals as well as native Argentinians. It began to grow in popularity as upper-class men began to seek out experiences with it in an attempt to rub shoulders with a more dangerous crowd for their own excitement and reputation. In 1910 tango music made its way to mainstream cafes. Its growing popularity with upper-class Argentinians grew to popularity with all Argentinians. It was being played and danced by Argentinians of all socioeconomic backgrounds, and it became a staple of the cafes in Argentina where there was space to dance, plenty of amateur musicians, and a relaxed attitude (Goertzen and Azzi 67). Due to its connection to upper-class individuals, it was also shared with upper-class individuals in Paris, a location that many Argentinians viewed as having a high culture that they should aspire to. It was this introduction to Paris that started the two-fold track of tango. Tango continued to evolve in Argentinian cafes to the relaxed cafe tango that is well known as there, but in Paris, tango took on a very different transformation.

   Carlos Gardel was a native-born Argentinian who became a famous tango singer throughout Argentina and in Paris. He catapulted tango to its national status in Argentina through his recordings and live performances. He went on an extended tour in Paris where he started out performing the tango in formal dress but as his career continued, his performance dress began to change. His outfits became far more lavish, initially changing to resemble the high class of Argentina, but as time went on, his outfits became more outlandish and became representative of European status rather than Argentinian (Taylor 484). He eventually performed in several silent films himself, but none were greatly influential in the spread of tango. One film that did change the course of tango's perception by western cultures, was inspired by Carlos Gardel and his live tango performances.

   Rudolph Valentino starred in the 1921 foreign silent film Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Valentino used Gardel's performances as inspiration for his own, but Valentino's performance was far more exaggerated than the original. He costumes were exaggerated as well. He took the traditional gaucho look and altered it with the tango in mind (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse). The apparel choice was imported to audiences during promotional work for the piece because it was their only way to create expectations of the tango as they had never heard it before (Goertzen and Azzi 69). This work was widely popular and a successful across the globe, including the United States. This film would have been the first time that the masses of America would have been exposed to tango dance and culture. It became the basis for the understanding and stereotype of tango in the United States. Yet film was not the only medium through which tango came to America.

   A slight modification of the home-grown tango dance found its way from northern Europe to Vernon and Irene Castle, popular dancers in New York. They performed the dance without the sensuality or rigidness found in the film adaptation. Irene herself said, "when we danced there was nothing suggestive about it ... If Vernon had ever looked into my eyes with smoldering passion during the tango, we would have both burst out laughing". They performed and taught this form of tango on Broadway and in Vaudeville (Goertzen and Azzi 69). However, this simply wasn't enough. As prolific and widely known as the couple was, their work was just not as accessible as film, and the film industry continued to portray tango as it was in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because the portrayal had been such a wide success and the country's first introduction to tango. Hollywood produced many other films that continued to perpetuate this stereotype of tango music including Gilda (1946), Sunset Boulevard (1950), and Isadora (1968). These widely known films cemented the stereotype of tango in American culture. It was portrayed as a dramatic form full of passion, romance, as well as themes of love and loss. It was only once this stereotype was established that other films could in turn use the form as a means for comedy by using it satirically to emphasis the ridiculousness of something such as in Some Like It Hot (1959), and Addams Family Values (1993) (Savigliano 3).

   Tango began to continue an independent development within the western world it continued to focus on the dramatic and strict form that had been developed in the film industry. It truly became an art form that is respected and admired within American culture. The tango that remained in Argentina through all this time developed differently and became a representation of escapism where things are simpler and carefree. It is equally respected by those who partake in it in Argentina, the lower or working class individuals. Both of these styles of music and dance are called tango, but their differences are great. Similarly, tango has slightly different connotations in many different countries. The tango of America evolved to its present state due to the direct influence of film and its ability to reach masses of people in America.