I Am Cuba

Soy Cuba (1964)
Timing: 2:21 (141 min)
8.1/10
17 515

no scores
7.8/10
255
8.2/10
12000
Rate the movie:
Release date
Country
Production
Genre
Budget
$600 000
Box office
$168 100
Website
Actors
Sergio Corrieri, Salvador Wood, José Gallardo, Raúl García, Luz María Collazo, Jean Bouise, Alberto Morgan, Roberto García York, Luisa María Jiménez Rodríquez, Mario González Broche
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
Enrique Pineda Barnet, Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Producer
Camera operator
Composer
Carlos Fariñas
Artist
Yevgeni Svidetelev
Audition
Editing
Nina Glagoleva
Whole Team (18)

Short description

A study in contrasts set in and around Havana that explores Cuba's 1959 revolution: a young woman's fascination with the excess of an American-owned casino leads to her downfall in the eyes of her street vendor boyfriend; a tenant farmer revolts the only way he knows how, attacking the land he works; university students gain first-hand knowledge of political upheaval; and, in the hills outside the city, the members of a poor peasant family are patriotically swept up into the burgeoning revolt.

What's left behind the scenes

  • The Soviet Union, which financed the filming, stated that the film was too focused on “art for art’s sake.” Director Mikhail Kalatozov was accused of formalism.
  • Fidel Castro (1926-2016), Raúl Castro, and Che Guevara (1928-1967) took the film crew to the Sierra Maestra mountains, where they had hidden during the preparation for the revolution. All three acted as technical consultants on the film.
  • The film was criticized in both the Soviet Union and Cuba. Cubans believed the film showed not the real Cuba, but the one molded by the USSR. In the Soviet Union, on the other hand, they had hoped to see a straightforward propaganda piece.
  • In the Soviet Union, which funded the production, officials claimed the film focused too much on 'art for art's sake.' Director Mikhail Kalatozov was accused of formalism.
  • The now-famous plan, which begins on the roof of a hotel and gradually descends, ending underwater in a pool, originally continued with the camera re-emerging from the water. This was all filmed continuously, with the camera being passed from one crew member to another. Director Mikhail Kalatozov (1903-1973) ordered all footage after the camera reappeared from the water to be removed.
  • Fidel Castro (1926-2016), Raúl Castro, and Che Guevara (1928-1967) took the film crew to the Sierra Maestra mountains, where they had hidden during the preparations for the revolution. All three served as technical consultants for the film.
  • The now-famous shot, which begins on the hotel roof, gradually descends, and ends underwater in the pool, originally continued as the camera resurfaced. This was all filmed in one continuous take, with the camera being passed from one crew member to another. Director Mikhail Kalatozov (1903-1973) ordered the removal of everything filmed after the camera emerged from the water.

Similar movies

Did you like the film?

To leave a comment, please log in or sign up. Free sign up!

© ACMODASI, 2010-2026

All rights reserved.
The materials (trademarks, videos, images and text) contained on this site are the property of their respective owners. It is forbidden to use any materials from this site without prior agreement with their owner.
When copying text and graphic materials (videos, images, text, screenshots of pages) from this site, an active link to the site www.acmodasi.com must necessarily accompany such material.
We are not responsible for any information posted on this site by third parties.