A Soviet-Cuban two-part feature film directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, released in 1964. The film was shot after the triumph of the Cuban revolution, the advent of the socialist regime in Cuba, and allied relations between Cuba and the USSR.
Plot-wise, it consists of four unrelated novellas that tell the story of the Cubans fighting against "American oppressors" to turn their country into the Island of Liberty. In the 1960s, due to the rise of socialist ideals, the theme of revolution became relevant both for Soviet and Western cinema.
The film is made on a high professional level, primarily due to the innovations of DP Sergey Urusevsky and his crew. This was the last time Urusevsky, and director Kalatozov worked together. The films’s production was challenging in regards to staging, camerawork, intraframe editing, hand-held shooting for creating dynamic scenes using a hand-held camera in motion and transferring it from hand to hand, using specially made engineering structures, etc.
The film was shot between 1963 and 1964 with a considerable support from the Soviet and Cuban authorities during one of the most strained episodes of the Cold War - the Cuban Missile Crisis, the US blockade of the island, and the difficult economic situation in Cuba.
Year of production: 1964
Directed by: Mikhail Kalatozov
Written by: Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Enrique Pineda Barnet
Director of photography: Sergei Urusevsky
Music: Carlos Fariñas
Production designer: Yevgeni Svidetelev
Starring: Sergio Corrieri, José Gallardo, Raúl García, Salvador Wood, Luz María Collazo, Jean Bouise, Celia Rodriguez
The film was digitally restored by Mosfilm Cinema Concern
Find out more: cg.mosfilm.ru/en
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