Not just a Bolshevik hallucination, but also a feverish ballet. Sure, it's propagandistic, but the outsized emotions are emphatically physical. The actors are dancing, acting out their drama in their movements, from the prostitute dancing in the club, to the revolutionary marching against any and all oppression. The camera, of course, is the prima ballerina.

Let's get down to business: No matter how much praise you've heard of this movie's cinematography, the astonishing long-takes in this are likely to floor you. They easily live up to the hype. I'm probably rating Kalatozov's very accomplished film too low, considering his great ambition and skill, but that's simply because the loosely plotted story and political statements are of little interest to me, personally. But make no mistake, this is absolutely essential viewing.

The camera work here is stunning, left me wondering how they did a few scenes so my jaw is on the floor for that. I Am Cuba shows oppression, communism, and life in Cuba, its a story about life, man. I would say that this is one of my favourite movies of all time, I was captivated from the get go.

This is definitely one of the most gorgeous films I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. I never thought that government propaganda could be done with such beauty. The film is compromised of several short stories about the plight of common Cubans and without a doubt the one about the poor farmer is the most emotionally gripping. That's not to say that the others aren't well done as well.

Have strong leftist views? You'll love this film.
Have strong right wing views? You'll still love this film.

Watching I Am Cuba while sitting next to the chairperson of the League of White Liberal Ladies made its clunky spots stand out a lot more - but no one (except for White Liberal Ladies) really cares about the textual content of I Am Cuba - it's the visuals that make this an essential. And those visuals are as spectacular now as they were in 1964 - maybe even more so.

Just like the 2 other films of Mikhail Kalatozov that I've seen - The Cranes Are Flying (1957) & Letter Never Sent (1959), - I am Cuba is an incredible technical masterpiece. Highly recommended.

Everytime I see this film I can't deal with all the technical prowess on display here. Spellbinding!

One of the most beautiful films i have ever seen.

On a technical level, I Am Cuba is easily one of the greatest films ever made. The film and the camera are more energetic than most movies I've ever seen, rivalling the camera work of the great Max Ophuls. Though I Am Cuba can be very heavy-handed throughout, this is nonetheless an amazing film that anybody interested in the craft should see at least once. The acting is consistently incredible, the cinematography is breathtaking, and the sheer filmmaking ability on display here is something that needs to be seen to be believed. The highlights are the incredible opening roof-top sequence, and the stories of the poor sugar cane farmer and the young Cuban revolutionaries. See this film immediately if you're interested. 9.5/10

The camera work here is stunning, left me wondering how they did a few scenes so my jaw is on the floor for that. I Am Cuba shows oppression, communism, and life in Cuba, its a story about life, man. I would say that this is one of my favourite movies of all time, I was captivated from the get go.

This is definitely one of the most gorgeous films I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. I never thought that government propaganda could be done with such beauty. The film is compromised of several short stories about the plight of common Cubans and without a doubt the one about the poor farmer is the most emotionally gripping. That's not to say that the others aren't well done as well.

Have strong leftist views? You'll love this film.
Have strong right wing views? You'll still love this film.

This needs a Criterion blu ray release, stat.

-- CMLT280 --

3 stars entirely for cinematography alone, because the plot is pretty sparse/boring and also obvious communist propaganda. Some of the best long takes ever though, you can really see why Martin Scorsese loves this movie (same with Paul Thomas Anderson). Cool overall, probably the first genuinely good movie of this class.

Publiqué el 16/01/2012:

"Soy Cuba", filme de Mijail Kalatozov (1964) rescatado del olvido politburocrático por Cabrera Infante (vía @aasiain).
t.co/2TVSNv8v
2012-01-16 15:30:52 (EST)