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// Mikhail Kalatozov
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Soy Cuba
“Soy Cuba”, the astonishing film made by Russian director Mikhail Kalatozov in 1964 has recently been re-released as a double DVD. A wonderful way for film buffs and aficionados of Cuba alike to discover this highly innovative and passionate work. One that was commissioned by the Soviets and banned by the Americans at the height of the Cold War. But far beyond the petty bickering of politics and the shiny veneer of propaganda worn by the film, “Soy Cuba” is above all a film with a ‘unique presentation of imagery’, an ‘epic poem’ in the words of Martin Scorsese whose faith in cinema was redeemed when he saw Kalatozov’s chef d’œuvre (one of the DVD’s extras, a fascinating interview with Scorsese who distributed the film in the US in 1995). Working with a technical team of pure genius, whose inventiveness continues to inspire today, the Russian filmmaker re-defined the language of cinema. No need for endless dialogue (an idea somewhat foreign to the true actors of the Cuban revolution), the strong visual imagery and ingenuous art of story-telling carry the film through its 140minutes with ease. And far from the rigidity of propaganda, the powerful end shot is more a question mark than a statement: what next? History has answered to some extent. But Cuba’s future is still, and ever more so, a mystery. What is certain is that this beautiful Caribbean jewel has not ceased to amaze and charm us.
Marushka
// ALSO
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- Closed Zone – animated support for freedom of movement in Gaza
- Paranoia and passion: Almodovar’s movie music
- Rich Mix explores 50 years of the Cuban Revolution 27 Jan – 27 Feb 2010
- Maisha Film Lab, Kampala’s African Film Festival
- World Audio Foundation, Sacred sounds
- The Cuban diaspora, Buena Vista Exile Club
// ALL MIKHAIL KALATOZOV'S REVIEWS
// LINKS
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