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This study of Cuba--partially written by renowned poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko--captures the island just before it made the transition to a post-revolutionary society. Moving from city to country and back again, I AM CUBA examines the various problems caused by political oppression as well as by great discrepancies in wealth and power. Beginning in Havana in the pre-Castro era, we see how foreigners contributed to the citys prostitution and poverty; this sequence features dreamy, hallucinogenic camera work that creates a feeling of unease and dislocation. Then, in glorious images of palm tress and fertile land, the film looks at the sugar cane fields in the countryside, and the difficulties faced by peasants working the land. Finally, back in the city again, leftist students battle the police and a corrupt government--and pay a high price for their rebellion.
Four vignettes in Batistas Cuba dramatize the need for revolution; long, mobile shots tell almost wordless stories. In Havana, Maria faces shame when a man who fancies her discovers how she earns her living. Pedro, an aging peasant, is summarily told that the land he farms has been sold to United Fruit. A university student faces down a crowd of swaggering U.S. sailors and then watches friends shot by police when they try to distribute a pro-Castro leaflet. The war arrives on the doorstep of peasants Mariano, Amelia, and their four children when Batistas forces bomb the hills. Mariano wants peace, so he seeks out the guerrillas to join the fight.
Sergio Corrieri
Alberto
Salvador Wood
Pedro
José Gallardo
Enrique
Raúl García
Maria
Luz María Collazo
Jim (in Cuban version)
Jean Bouise
Ángel
Alberto Morgan
Gloria (in Cuban version)
Zilia Rodriguez
American activist
Fausto Mirabal
Teresa
Roberto García York
Pablo (in Cuban version)
María de las Mercedes Díez
Bárbara Domínguez
Jesús del Monte
Luisa María Jiménez
Mario González Broche
Tony López
Héctor Castañeda
Rosendo Lamadriz
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