The film is immensely entertaining and occasionally inspiring, a delirious combination of Slavic solemnity, Latin exoticism, Communist idealism and breathtakingly beautiful images. It is best enjoyed on the big screen.
I Am Cuba (1964)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:31
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.6/10
Runtime: 3 hrs 20 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: This Russian-made study of Cuba, partially written by renowned poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, captures the island just before it made the transition to a post-revolutionary society. Moving from city to... This Russian-made study of Cuba, partially written by renowned poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, captures the island just before it made the transition to a post-revolutionary society. Moving from city to country and back again, I AM CUBA examines the various problems caused by political oppression as well as by great discrepancies in wealth and power. Beginning in Havana in the pre-Castro era, we see how foreigners contributed to the city's prostitution and poverty; this sequence features dreamy, hallucinogenic camera work that creates a feeling of unease and dislocation. Then, in glorious images of palm tress and fertile land, the film looks at the sugar cane fields in the countryside, and the difficulties faced by peasants working the land. Finally, back in the city again, leftist students battle the police and a corrupt government--and pay a high price for their rebellion. [More]
Starring: Jean Bouise
Starring: Jean Bouise
Director: Mikhail Kalatozov
Director: Mikhail Kalatozov
Screenwriter: Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Enrique Pineda Barnet
Composer: Carlos Farinas
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Release:
Jan 4, 2000
Reviews for I Am Cuba
Cinema’s singular dream, so often betrayed elsewhere, is to deliver such visions as this.
A work of dazzling cinematographic invention that still has the ability to astound.
A work of dazzling cinematographic invention that still has the ability to astound.
In a sense, it's a movie about looking past surfaces to see what's in front of you. It takes the time to look around and discovers majesty, beauty and pathos everywhere it turns.
Being suppressed by those who wanted [I Am Cuba] made in the first place is a vindication of sorts. Mere propaganda only reinforces the status quo. True art is revolutionary.
While it has its clumsy elements, there is no denying its remarkable cinematic impact.
Considering the power of the film today, it’s hard to believe it fared poorly when audiences finally saw it.
Politically naïve maybe, but it works beautifully as straight cinema.
The film fails to convince in its propaganda, but as a goofy view of a new Cuba it is heartily appreciated.
I Am Cuba is a cinephile's wet dream, a collage of Herculean feats of technical wizardry that would be easy to dismiss if it wasn't so humane.
It is one of the most visually hypnotic films ever -- and that's not hyperbole.
Propaganda that transcends its own numbskull earnestness... When it connects, it's as poweful as anything you've ever seen.
It's a vibrant, joyous piece of technical accomplishment that's probably one of the most relentlessly innovative films you'll ever see.
This loony, quasi-masterpiece is one of the great jagged edges of film history.
visual impressions that will forever remain embedded in your mind's eye%u2014just as much as Picasso's La Guernica communicates the horrors of war
Some of the most exhilarating camera movements and most luscious black-and-white cinematography you'll ever see inhabit this singular, delirious 141-minute communist propaganda epic.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- I Am Cuba at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


