A Cuban Cinema Companion

404 Pages·2020·5.055 MB·English

by  Salvador Jiménez Murguía, Sean O'Reilly, Amanda McMenamin (eds.)

ACUIAN
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COMPANDO
A Cuban
Cinema Companion
National Cinema Series
Series Editor: Cynthia J. Miller
The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films edited by Salvador Jimenez Murguía
The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Films edited by Salvador Jimenez
Murguía
The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Spanish Films edited by Salvador Jimenez
Murguía and Alex Pinar
Spaghetti Westerns: A Viewer’s Guide by Aliza S. Wong
A Cuban Cinema Companion edited by Salvador Jimenez Murguía, Sean O’Reilly,
and Amanda Eaton McMenamin
The Encyclopedia of Sexism in American Films edited by Salvador Jimenez
Murguía, Erica Joan Dymond, and Kristina Fennelly
A Cuban
Cinema Companion
Edited by
Salvador Jimenez Murguía
Sean O’Reilly
Amanda Eaton McMenamin

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
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Copyright © 2019 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

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™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
To Cuba,
its cinematic art,
and the people who have fallen in love with it
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
Film Titles in English xv
ENCYCLOPEDIA
El acompañante (The Companion) (2015) 1
Afinidades (Affinities) (2010) 2
Alicia en el pueblo de Maravillas (Alice in Wondertown) (1991) 6
Amor vertical (Vertical Love) (1997) 8
La ausencia (Absence) (1968) 10
Las aventuras de Juan Quin Quin (The Adventures of Juan
Quin Quin) (1967) 13
Azúcar amarga (Bitter Sugar) (1996) 18
Barrio Cuba (2005) 23
La bella del Alhambra (The Beauty of the Alhambra) (1989) 27
El bohío (The Shack) (1984) 31
Boleto al paraíso (Ticket to Paradise) (2010) 32
El brigadista (The Teacher) (1977) 34
Buena Vista Social Club (1997) 38
Capablanca (1986) 42
Caravana (The Caravan) (1990) 46
Carnaval (Carnival) (1960) 50
Cartas del parque (Letters from the Park) (1988) 51
Ciudad en rojo (City in Red) (2009) 54
Clandestinos (The Clandestine) (1987) 57
Coffea Arábiga (Arabica Coffee) (1968) 62
Conducta (Behavior) (2014) 66
Cosmorama: Electro-pintura en movimiento (Cosmorama:

Electro Painting in Movement) (1964) 67
Crónica cubana (Cuban Chronicle) (1963) 69

Cucarachas rojas (Red Cockroaches) (2003) 74
Cumbite (1964) 76
De cierta manera (One Way or Another) (1974) 79
De espaldas (Backs Turned a.k.a. Cuban Confidential) (1956) 84
Desarraigo (Uprooting) (1965) 87

Desde La Habana ¡1969! Recordar (From Havana 1969!
Remember!) (1969) 89

Los dioses rotos (Fallen Gods) (2008) 90

vii
viii CONTENTS
Las doce sillas (The Twelve Chairs) (1962) 92
Dolly Back (1986) 98
La edad de la peseta (The Silly Age) (2006) 100
El elefante y la bicicleta (The Elephant and the Bicycle) (1994) 105
Elpidio Valdés series (1979–Present) 107
Entre ciclones (Between Two Hurricanes) (2003) 113
La Época, El Encanto y Fin de Siglo (The Epoch, the Spell and Fin de
Siecle) (1999) 115
Espejuelos oscuros (Dark Glasses) (2015) 117
Existen (They Exist) (2005) 122
El extraño caso de Rachel K. (The Strange Case of Rachel K.) (1973) 124
Fábula (Fable) (2011) 127
Fresa y chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate) (1993) 130
Guantanamera (1995) 137
Habana Blues (Havana Blues) (2005) 141
Hanoi, martes 13 (Hanoi, Tuesday 13th) (1968) 143
Hello Hemingway (1990) 144
Un hombre de éxito (A Successful Man) (1986) 145
El hombre de Maisinicú (The Man from Maisinicú) (1973) 147
Hombres de Mal Tiempo (Men of Mal Tiempo) (1968) 151
José Martí: El ojo del canario (José Martí: The Eye of the
Canary) (2010) 153
Juan de los muertos (Juan of the Dead) (2011) 156
Komu tančí Havana/Para quién baila La Habana (For Whom
Havana Dances) (1963) 163
Larga distancia (Long Distance) (2010) 167
LBJ (1968) 169
Lejanía (Parting of the Ways) (1985) 171
Lisanka (2010) 174
Lista de espera (The Waiting List) (2000) 176
Madagascar (1994) 182
Madrigal (2007) 186
El maná (Manna) (1960) 188
Manuela (1966) 189

María Antonia (1990) 195
Más vampiros en la Habana (More Vampires in Havana) (2003) 197

Melaza (Molasses) (2012) 199
Memorias del subdesarrollo (Memories of Underdevelopment) (1968) 201

Miel para Oshún (Honey for Oshún) (2001) 206
1912, Voces para un silencio (1912, Breaking the Silence)

(Chapters 1, 2 and 3) (2010, 2011, 2012) 209
Mina, viento de libertad (Mina, Wind of Freedom) (1976) 215

¡Muerte al invasor! (Death to the Invader) (1961) 218
La muerte de un burócrata (Death of a Bureaucrat) (1966) 220
La noche de los inocentes (The Night of Innocents) (2007) 226

Una noche (One Night) (2012) 228
CONTENTS ix
Una novia para David (A Girlfriend for David) (1985) 231
Now! (1965) 232
La obra del siglo (The Project of the Century) (2015) 235
8-A (1992) 236
La odisea del General José (General José’s Odyssey) (1968) 239
Oggún: Un eterno presente (Ogun: Forever Present) (1991) 240
La ola (The Wave) (1995) 242
Omega 3 (2014) 244
Omertà (2008) 249
Oscuros rinocerontes enjaulados (muy a la moda) (Dark Jailed
Rhinoceroses [Very Much in Style]) (1990) 252
El otro Francisco (The Other Francisco) (1975) 253
Páginas del diario de José Martí (Pages from the Diary of José
Martí) (1971) 257
La pared de las palabras (The Wall of Words) (2014) 260
Una pelea cubana contra los demonios (A Cuban Fight against
Demons) (1971) 263
La película de Ana (Ana’s Movie) (2012) 269
Personal Belongings (2006) 271
La piscina (The Pool) (2011) 272
p.M. (1961) 274
Polvo rojo (Red Dust) (1981) 277
Por primera vez (For the First Time) (1967) 279
Preludio 11 (Prelude 11) (1964) 280
La primera carga al machete (The First Machete Charge) (1969) 284
Raíces de mi corazón (Roots of My Heart) (2001) 288
Reina y Rey (Reina and Rey) (1994) 290
Retrato de Teresa (Portrait of Teresa) (1979) 292
Un rey en La Habana (A King in Havana) (2005) 297
Roble de olor (Scent of Oak) (2004) 299
79 Primaveras (79 Springtimes of Ho Chi Minh) (1969) 303
Severo secreto (Secret Severo) (2016) 304
7 días en La Habana (7 Days in Havana) (2012) 306
El siglo de las luces (Explosion in a Cathedral) (1992) 310

Los sobrevivientes (The Survivors) (1978) 311
Soy Cuba (I am Cuba) (1964) 316

Suite Habana (Havana Suite) (2003) 319
El tigre saltó y mató, pero morirá . . . morirá . . . (The Tiger Pounced

and Killed, but It Will Die . . . It Will Die) (1973) 323
La última cena (The Last Supper) (1976) 325

¡Vampiros en La Habana! (Vampires in Havana!) (1985) 331
Vestido de novia (His Wedding Dress) (2014) 333

El viajero inmóvil (The Traveler Still) (2008) 334
La vida es silbar (Life Is to Whistle) (1998) 336
La Virgen de la Caridad (Our Lady of Charity) (1930) 341

Viva Cuba (Long Live Cuba) (2005) 343
x CONTENTS
Appendix A: Sample of Fifteen Postrevolutionary Documentaries 349
Appendix B: Sample of Fifteen Postrevolutionary Animated Films 353
Appendix C: Fifteen Most Prominent Cuban Directors 357
Appendix D: Fifteen Most Prominent Cuban Actresses 361
Appendix E: Fifteen Most Prominent Cuban Actors 365
Index 369
About the Editors and Contributors 385