I Am Cuba

Soy Cuba (1964)

Timing: 2:20 (140 min)

7.8/10
242

8.012/10
5097

8.2/10
12000

All about film

Video 1

Photo 11

Actors and characters

Release date

1964-10-26

Country

Cuba,

Production

Mosfilm, ICAIC

Genre

Drama

Budget

$0

Revenue

$168 100

Website

Director

Mikhail Kalatozov

Actors

Sergio Corrieri, José Gallardo, Raúl García, Luz María Collazo, Jean Bouise, Alberto Morgan, Roberto García York, Luisa María Jiménez Rodríquez, Mario González Broche, Raquel Revuelta
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Enrique Pineda Barnet, Yevgeny Yevtushenko

Producer

Operator

Sergei Urusevsky

Composer

Carlos Fariñas

Artist

Audition

Editing

Nina Glagoleva
All team (16)

• 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 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 financed the filming, it was stated that the film was too focused on "art for art's sake." Director Mikhail Kalatozov was accused of formalism.
• 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.