I Am Cuba (1964)

Boring

Absolutely the worst movie.

The first must-see film of the year.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I am Cuba is a movie best enjoyed by adults, 18 and older, who either enjoy "artsy" films, are artists in the film industry, are artists in other genres, and who enjoy the "different" kind of film. This is certainly the "different" kind of film. Since I don't belong to any of the aforementioned categories, I did not appreciate the artistic nature of the film nor the film itself. I found the film meaningless and rambling through the scenes. The music was okay. The movie was incredibly long, I think the film should have been edited down to one hour. I wouldn't bother with this film unless you like to torture yourself with something "different" for a change. Remember, different does not mean better in this case. Eat your whole dinner through this one. You won't miss a thing.

The critic's dilemma with propaganda films lies in the controversial subject matter and the fact that they are generally made by the crème de la crème of directors - a blessing and a curse. All these films are supposed to convey is a certain political mind-set, the glorification of a person, revolution or regime - in impressive imagery that is, the rest is artistic license. The latter is why directors are carefully chosen for these projects in the first place - their unique style should warrant the film's success. This was the case with Eisenstein's and Dovzhenko's masterpieces in the 1920s/1930s or Riefenstahl's infamous "Triumph of the Will" aestheticising Nazis, and it also applies to Mikhail Kalatozov's "I am Cuba" retracing the Cuban revolution. Interestingly however Kalatozov, whose breathtaking "Cranes are Flying" took the Cannes Grand Prize in 1958, failed in the eyes of the Cubans and the Soviets, who didn't consider it revolutionary enough, too naïve, too stereotypical. Its rediscovery however is well deserved, and it's due to its sublime beauty.More than half a century on much more has remained from "I Am Cuba" than just a historic document tinged by communistic propaganda. Above all it is a poetic portrayal with incredible visuals, a riveting collage of very different lives on the same soil, connected by their love for their country. "I Am Cuba" is a feeling. It comprises the Cuban homeland and a time of upheaval, strong emotions that have bottled up for years and years to finally come to the forefront leading up to inevitable confrontations. The film's perspective still comes across as powerful and relevant, story-wise and camera-wise. Kalatozov films in long takes which are often choreographed with absolute precision, uses stylized high contrast black and white cinematography, extraordinary crane and tracking shots, tilted camera angles and seemingly even moves freely through Havana in one of the most famous continuous camera shots in film history. With his superb technical and cinematic artistry Kalatozov transcends the moment and while his approach wasn't appreciated back in the days, his rediscovery in the 1990s prompted an array of quotes from this work. Indicator enough that Cuba is worth a visit, at least on the silver screen.

Mikhail Kalatozov's 1964 film, I Am Cuba (Soy Cuba) is probably the most divergent film I've ever watched in terms of the quality of its constituent parts. It is, as its reputation boasts, visually stunning, imaginative, innovative, and flat out great. But, in terms of its narrative, it is hackneyed, trite, and unimaginatively anti-American in its blatant agitprop, and laughably bad. And I say this fully aware of the Ugly Americanism that has wrought the communist fervor that still grips South America, as well as the Islamic Extremism, because the propagandizing in the film has a seriously negative effect on the film, to the point that its labeling as 'Commie kitsch,' by many of its detractors, and even some of its champions, is dead on.The film was a joint Soviet-Cuban production, meant as blatant propaganda for the Communist cause, but Kalatozov's film so rhapsodized Cuban sexuality and reveled so in its visuals, that even its backers as Mosfilms, the Soviet State film company, pulled it after a short distribution period. It was critically denounced both in Cuba and the Soviet Union. It was not until filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Francs Ford Coppola saw and championed it in 1995 that the film got its first taste of critical success in the West. The film was written by Enrique Pineda Barnet and Russian state poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko and the cinematography by Sergey Urusevsky, as mentioned, deserves all the plaudits it can muster. The acting is passable, at best, and wooden, stilted, and forced, most of the time. The film was shot in black and white, and used using color filters to exaggerate contrast, as well as using wide angle shots in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The film's music is diegetic and not, but the one aspect of the film that is neither good not bad, overall; although in certain scenes the singing and music are wonderfully evocative of time and place.

An amazing film. That Yevteshenko sat down and put the ideology of Cuban and Russian understanding into perspective for the world is beyond much literal beauty. People need to wake up and get a hold of this movie, especially since the subject of Cuba is only poorly touched on in most places. "I Am Cuba" introduces viewers to a culture, a system and a country that possesses a unique beauty and an ethical, well educated mentality, despite its struggles and poverty. It teaches us that Cuban people struggle with dignity and self awareness, much like what can be seen in many Alea films. The world looks at Cuba with ignorant eyes, but Cuban cinema can easily correct our initial judgment. "I Am Cuba" was for a long time the most exquisite portrayal of Cuban culture I had seen, with a careful and original story that could not have been imagined in another society. But while the shots are gorgeous and the story compelling, for today's Cuban Talent fanatics I highly recommend a VLaMarko play in the city. "I Am Cuba" is hard to create on the stage, but the young Cuban writer seems to derive a lot of influence from Russian and Chilean literature, particularly Yevtushenko for his first production. Both of these monuments display a Cuba still ripe with revolution, humanity and struggle among beauty, although made nearly half a century apart. Thumbs up+++++