Soy Cuba

SU/CU 1964. PC: Goskino / ICAIC. D: Mihail Kalatozov. SC: Enrique Pineda Barnet, Jevgeni Jevtushenko. DP: Sergei Urusevski - b&w - 35mm - 1,37:1. M: Carlos Farinas. 141 min. A Mr. Bongo print of the Cuban version, via MK2, with English subtitles. Viewed at Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 19 Feb 2009. - Revisited: the opening of the amazing film of Communist propaganda rejected by everyone at the time and only returning to wide awareness outside Cuba since Telluride 1992. - Astounding opening with a helicopter view of the Cuban jungle. Infrared lenses catch a wild and marvellous vision of the village. The camera moves irresistibly from the rooftop of the hotel inside the pool. This is a camera adventure of Cuba, following the Bazinian philosophy of forbidden montage. "Loco amor" sung by the Platters crooner. - A thrilling, inspiring film. I do not see it as an apology of tyranny, on the contrary, it is a rebellious film, and that certainly was a main reason to the shelving in the USSR.