Cuban films

[L.A.]

I haven't seen not that many Cuban films (I think Soy Cuba (1964) is probably the only one that I've seen so far) so recommendations of some great Cuban classics are more than welcome.

Also if anyone knows of a good online store where to order some Cuban DVDs then again would you kindly let me know.

Thank you!

[mikebowes]

This collection of shorts by Santiago Alverez is shockingly amazing:

http://othercinemadvd.stores.yahoo.net/ ... fihit.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Gregory]

I enthusiastically second the Alvarez set.

Cuba has long had one of the richest cinemas in the region, due to ICAIC (the Cuban Film Institute), but accessing most of it has not been easy. Fortunately, First Run Features has started to release some of the most well-known features in their Cuban Masterworks series. I think these are hit-or-miss. The Twelve Chairs is probably the best to start with.

Aside from that, three of the most celebrated classics are available in a new set from Mr. Bongo titled 50 Years Of The Cuban Revolution. It requires double-dipping on Soy Cuba for those who already have the Milestone box (and it's not even a Cuban film, strictly speaking). However, I'd guess it's still a great value. I haven't seen the discs but despite some complaints about transfer quality with some of their releases, I would wager that they're better than the other options. I have the Zafra Video releases of Lucia and Memorias, which are serviceable at best. As for Strawberry and Chocolate, there was a R1 release that was pan-and-scan, so I hope the Mr. Bongo release corrects that.

[Lemmy Caution]

I haven't seen Strawberry & Chocolate, but Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's 1968 film, Memories Of Underdevelopment, is fantastic.

The main character sees his wife and children off to America in the wake of The Bay of Pigs, while he stays to see how the revolution will unfold. And in this detached state, he contemplates the society and politics around him, while trying to get laid, like some sort of Cuban Fellini character. The film itself is very informed by the French New Wave and utilizes some documentary footage and still photos at times. A much more probing, ambivalent and critical film than one would expect from Cuba at that time. Highly recommended.

And at Amazon, I ran across this motherlode.

The Cuban Masterworks Collection (The Twelve Chairs / The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin / A Successful Man / Celia / Amada)
The first two are from the 60's and the other three from the 80's.
I'm not familiar with these, so hopefully others can weigh in.

[Gregory]

Yes, that FRF set groups together some of the titles from the Cuban Masterworks series that I was discussing above, including The Twelve Chairs (which is also by Alea).
And that DVD of Memories of Underdevelopment (which I referred to in shorthand as Memorias) is from Mr. Bongo and is included in the box set I also mentioned. I would recommend the set in order to get Lucia, which it doesn't appear Mr Bongo has offered separately.

[HarryLong]

Very intriguing that the same "Twelve Chairs" story tackled by Fred Allen and Mel Brooks would receive a treatment in Communist Cuba ...