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Fidel Castro’s revolution led to a rebirth in Cuban cinema. This 7-disc set features films from the ‘golden age’ following the Revolution of 1959, and the foundation of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry, to more recent and equally powerful works from the 1970s and 1980s.
Che Guevara As You Have Never Seen Him Before
This documentary pieces together the story of Che's life, from early childhood to his revolutionary activities in Cuba, the Congo and Bolivia. Using previously unseen archive footage and stills, this remarkable diary of events includes interview footage with his father Ernesto, Fidel Castro, and many other people who met and worked with him throughout his lifetime.
The Adventures Of Juan Quin Quin
Juan Quin Quin, a poor but shrewd farmer, survives in pre-revolutionary Cuba by living on his wits; as a church functionary, as a circus performer, as a bull-fighter, and as a coffee planter who is swindled of his wages by the plantation owner. He even plays the part of Christ with a travelling theatre company. As the Revolution begins, he and his friend Jachero join the supporters of Fidel Castro and subsequently become ensnared by Batista troops. On a secret exploratory mission, Jachero is killed, and Juan looks back on their joint adventures together in the revolutionary cause.
The Death Of Bureaucrat
When a well-loved sculptor is accidentally killed by the machine he created to mass-produce busts of 19th century revolutionary hero José Martí, his family decides he should be buried gripping his union work permit as a symbol of his dedication to Castro’s cause. Unfortunately, when his wife goes to receive her pension, the paperwork cannot be completed without her dead husband's work permit. Distraught, she enlists her nephew to exhume the body, and so begins a maddening paper trail that ends in a hilarious climax exposing the insanity of bureaucracy.
Twelve Chairs
On his mother-in-law’s deathbed, Hippolito learns that to avoid their confiscation during the revolution, she hid her jewellery in one of the twelve English chairs that formerly stood in the blue salon of her villa. Seeing an opportunity to make some easy money, Hippolito wastes no time going in search of them. The villa itself, however, is now a retirement home, and after running into Oscar, one of the villa’s former servants, they join forces to search, but to no avail. Also, unknown to them, his mother-in-law had also confided the secret to someone else.
Beloved
Havana, 1914. After the death of her father – a wealthy former slave trader – Amada lives on the estate with her unfaithful husband Dionisio and her blind mother. Trapped in a loveless marriage, she lives from day to day until a renewed meeting with her younger cousin, Marcial, stirs deep passions within her. Only in her dreams, however, does she dare toy with the idea of leaving with the revolutionary journalist. Meanwhile, Dionisio has coerced his mother-in-law to terminate the leases with the estate tenants and to sell out entirely to American interests – forcing the workers into a struggle for survival. Unable to carry on, they stage a hunger march on the villa...
Cecilia
Cuba, 1830. Cecilia is the beautiful, proud and unusually light-skinned daughter of a poor native tailor and his wife. Brought up by her mother and grandmother as a courtesan in wealthy white society, Cecilia meets Leonardo Gamboa, the son of a slave owner and master of a vast estate who falls in love with her. Taking advantage of the situation, Cecilia agrees to his demands on condition that Leonardo hides a badly wounded member of the rebellion at his home. Meanwhile, Leonardo's brutal father begins to make arrangements for him to marry a woman from his own class, leaving him with no alternative but to make a choice. Based on Cirillo Villaverde's famous 19th century novel, it is set during one of Cuba's many battles for the abolition of slavery.
A Successful Man
Spanning many decades of one wealthy Cuban family, A Successful Man follows the story of two brothers - Darío and Javier Arguelles - as they struggle to come to terms with their differing political beliefs before, during and after the Spanish Civil War. Whilst Dario becomes editor of a left-wing newspaper, Javier, who during his student days also sympathised with the Left, steers his way between the two fronts in the political field. Promoted by anarchists, he becomes a scrupulous senator. However, loneliness is the price he has to pay for his political success.
Film: The Viva Cuba Collection
Release date: 27th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 680 mins
Director: Manuel Pérez, Julio García Espinosa, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Humberto Solás & Nelson Rodriguez
Starring: Júlio Martínez, Salvador Wood, Enrique Santiesteban, Daisy Granados, Eslinda Núñez
Genre: Comedy/Documentary/Drama
Studio: Network
Format: DVD
Country: Cuba
Film: Lucia
Release date: 1st March 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 160 mins
Director: Humberto Solas
Starring: Raquel Revlizita, Eslina Nunez, Adela Legra
Genre: Drama
Studio: Mr Bongo
Format: DVD
Country: Cuba
In 1969, Humberto Solás - one of the greats of Cuban revolutionary cinema – released Lucía. Shot in three parts, and spanning seventy years of Cuban history, it focuses on the changing attitudes of the Cuban people through the political turmoil of Cuba’s fight for independence.
The film is separated into three stories, each about a different female central character called Lucía, and each living in politically relevant times in Cuba. The first is set in 1895, amidst the Cuban war of independence, and sees well-to-do Lucía become embroiled in an infatuation and romance with a stranger who’s hiding a politically scandalous secret.
The second story is set in the 1930s and sees socially isolated society girl Lucía fall for a guerrilla resistance fighter, and she herself becomes mixed up in the political struggle.
In the third and final film set in the 1960s, we see a newly liberated Cuba, the resistance in full swing. Everywhere, societal advances are being made and cultural freedom is flourishing. Except for Lucía that is, who’s seemingly idyllic new marriage quickly turns sour as her husband reveals himself to be an insanely possessive and controlling bully…
To show Cuba’s struggle for independence through the eyes of three different women over a number of years is a brave and visionary idea which has its fair share of hits and misses. No-one can deny Solás’ extraordinary eye as a filmmaker and his unique approach to bringing his vision to the screen. Lucía features some strikingly beautiful imagery, including some hypnotic dream sequences which rival Fellini at his best. Equally, the chaos and brutality of war is filmed with shocking realism and surprising savagery in contrast to the beauty and care he lavishes on his protagonists - and this is a film that’s clearly in love with its three female leads. In many ways, it is a film which deals with the beauty of women and how they are betrayed, captivated and often destroyed by the ignorance and fear of men and their wars.
It’s also a film about the insanity of conflict. The theme of insanity runs strongly throughout Lucía, particularly in the first story ‘1895’. Here, much is made of the mental casualties created by the awful atrocities and inhumanity of war. Its hard going at times, with some of the imagery and unfeeling cruelty proving tough to watch, but it is a subject which Solás handles compassionately and intelligently. Indeed, strangely, some of the characters who appear most delusional prove to have the most rational grasp on the events surrounding them. It’s a clever paradox which illustrates the madness of the circumstances.
Lucía’s greatest achievement is as a film primarily of the heart. Solás breathes incredible life into his characters, and succeeds in wrenching extraordinary performances from his actors, with all three of his Lucía’s veering from moments of ecstatic joy to hysterical anguish and back again. It’s to the actors’ credit that, for the most part, the performances are entirely credible and intensely soulful, with the cast clearly giving their all to realise Solás’s vision.
With so much in its favour, it’s a crying shame that Lucía’s inadequacies often overshadow its virtues. Granted, it’s a film principally about and for the Cuban market, but to anyone who isn’t well versed in South American history they may really struggle when it comes to keeping up with the plot. Solás makes no effort to explain the political events surrounding the stories for an outsiders’ point of view, so, as a result, many of the references are obscure and exclusionary, in turn making the plot almost indecipherable. You might argue that the main themes of Lucía are of the affects of war and political climate change in general, and so the specifics of the conflict are unimportant. However, since the plot often hinges on the protagonists’ political beliefs, and their roles in shaping these events, if you’re not already familiar with the events themselves, you’re going to struggle to stay completely absorbed in the narrative.
Technically the film suffers also from some atrocious editing, which results in scenes and set pieces jumping about randomly unannounced. There are many instances where it appears as if dialogue – particularly expositional dialogue - has been lost on the cutting room floor, and none of this helps the flow of the stories. It’s also lamentable that sometimes Solás slips over the line into self-indulgence, and the film undoes all its own good work, slipping almost into parody. The finale of the first story springs to mind as an example, where, in the midst of a raging battle, a posse of naked black revolutionaries suddenly appear from nowhere riding on horseback, and proceed to join in the fray. It’s an unnecessary detail, and without the relevant explanatory detail – frankly bizarre.
Lucía is an adventurous, brave attempt to represent a nation in change through the suffering of its women. It has many successes, but sadly just as many failures. Worth seeing for the extraordinary visuals and intense performances, but if you haven’t read up on your Cuban history expect to emerge confused. LB
Film: Sons Of Cuba
Release date: 19th March 2010
Certificate: TBC
Running time: 88 mins
Director: Andrew Lang
Starring: Yosvani Bonachea, Cristian Martinez, Santos Urguelles
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Windfall
Format: Cinema
Country: Cuba/UK
Anyone with a keen interest in sport, and particularly the Olympics, will be aware that Cuba have been a dominant force in boxing – not surprising given most boxers emanate from underprivileged backgrounds, and, as this documentary starkly illustrates, conditions in this country are appalling enough to breed “fighters” (according to the film’s coach, “We Cubans are fighting from the moment we are born.”)…
This award-winning film focuses on three promising child boxers - Cristian ‘The Old Man’, Santos ‘The Singer’ and Junior ‘The Dalmation’ – who have been hand-picked to train at the Havana Boxing Academy (essentially, a detention camp) by a single-minded coach, Yosvani Bonachea, desperate to avenge a previous defeat, and so dedicated that he “can’t give his own kids the love they need.”
With unprecedented access, we follow these three talented youngsters over an eight month period, as they aim to reach the National Boxing Championships for the under-12s, where it’s win or nothing, offering an insight into how this country, despite its restrictions, has become a leader in the sport’s amateur field.
Given the country’s mistrust and contempt for outsiders (in one scene, a 10-year-old boxer talks about his fears of an eminent US military attack, and being ready to fight when that happens), it’s a major feat that Lang has been able to capture such personal and intimate moments on film – the subjects open up, and this as honest an account as you could hope for.
Most viewers will be repelled by the treatment of these children (who “enlisted now can’t quit”), a number of whom sleep on bunk beds in a small box room, and are woken daily at 4am to begin a gruelling exercise regime that is only interrupted by school (which seems to focus on brainwashing with political propaganda) – they understandably struggle to stay awake. In some scenes, the coach has them barking and howling like dogs, and in others you see the sacrifices forced upon them to ensure they are kept underweight (i.e. starving them) – what they are fed is basic, unappealing, and served on what resembles a prison food tray (or out of a bucket). Santos, in particular, struggles to keep his weight borderline anorexic (when he wants to leave, his family show zero compassion and ignore him), and is caught out when a pastry shop sends a bill to the academy. Methods to induce sweat and weight loss include covering them with mattresses as they sleep. Even their heads are shaved to ensure there is not even the smallest unnecessary additional weight.
Your views will waver, however, when the children are allowed to leave for a short home stay. Cuba is shown as bleak and crumbling, and the children return home to what are essentially slums, and broken families – Cristian’s ever competitive father, now separated from his mum, is a former Olympic and world boxing gold medallist, but given his clear despondency, and the poverty he now finds himself in, it’s a massive contradiction to the children’s belief they are competing for “a better future.”
But you can understand why these children strive for this opportunity. For now, their surroundings have been improved, and when you see the camaraderie and bonds between them (Cristian is unable to hide his upset at having to fight, and ultimately beat his friend in a forced match-up), and with their coach, who is genuinely close to the boys, showing moments of real care and emotion (tucking them into bed, shedding tears, and comforting a distraught Junior whose parents are separating), despite otherwise being a strict disciplinarian. One child describes the academy as his home, whilst another refers to people there as his family.
Still, whilst we warm to the children, and ultimately root for their success against main rivals the Matanzas (farmer’s sons who “eat stones” and can “punch you to the north pole”), what really stays with you is the empty look in their eyes and continuous emotional and physical distress they are forced to endure (in one scene, a group of children are stood in just their pants to be weighed, resembling a cattle market). There are also comparisons to an underground dog fight, in the manner these children are put to fight each other, providing a slightly perverted spectacle for the older audience.
Even if their lives are being marginally improved by attending this academy, it’s only because of the country’s regime, and its warped sense of pride and self-worth. As much as you can admire a country’s individual, non-capitalist footing, it’s clear this is not a just system, with children manipulated and bullied.
The film opens with Fidel Castro’s (a now fashionable, iconic, and even revered figure by many in the west) words that sport was “on the frontline” and “Fatherland or death,” and he is omnipresent throughout (from posters, wall gravity, to marches and news footage), with children under the belief their efforts were making him proud, with reading matter and schooling focussed on their “duty” - anyone that deferred from his rules (three former Olympic champions defected to the US) are said to have “betrayed” their country.
Under the pretence of examining a comparatively small subject, and with little effort to delve or force, Lang has succeeded in exposing wider socio-political issues. Deeply affecting. DH
