Cuba

source: Cuba

Plot: A British mercenary is hired by the Cuban government to defeat Fidel Castro's insurgency but finds an old love instead. If there is such a thing as failing with verve, thenthis film does it. It has an interesting concept - counterinsurgency expert fresh from Malaya tries to help Batista's regime - which is swiftly abandoned in favour of a rekindled romance with an old flame. Finally the revolution occurs and the movie descends into a few mediocre action sequences. Pre-revolutionary Cuba is splendidly re-created in all its glamour and glitz; seething with vice, poverty and intrigue. Sadly the script isn't all that convincing and seems to take ages to get anywhere. A handful of stand out scenes and the brilliantly conjured atmosphere can't conceal the lack of forward momentum, although this is partly imposed by the tragic nature of events (Connery's character can't stop the rebellion and doesn't get the girl). Worth one viewing.

Set during the days leading up to Castro's revolution in 1959, "Cuba" is a wide-ranging character study that also happens to be a convincing portrayal of the unrest -- political, social and otherwise -- surrounding that event. It also has a great cast attached to it, including Sean Connery, Brooke Adams, Chris Sarandon, Martin Balsam, Denholm Elliott and Jack Weston (who is particularly good as the opportunistic American businessman). And look for David Rappaport -- future Time Bandit -- in a small role (sorry, bad joke) as the cigar factory overseer. This was director Richard Lester's fifth and final film with writer Charles Wood, a collaboration which produced such 1960s classics as "The Knack," "Help!," "How I Won the War" and "The Bed Sitting Room." "Cuba," which came ten years later, can most definitely be added to that list.

Cuba (1979) Plot In A Paragraph: Robert Dapes (Connery) a British mercenary (with surprisingly high principles given his job) arrives in pre-Revolution Cuba to help train the corrupt General Batista's army against Castro's guerrillas while he also romances Alexandra Pulido (Brooke Adams), a former lover now married to a plantation owner. In his last movie of the 1970's Sean Connery reunited with director Richard Lester who once again produces an uneven movie. It's almost as if he changed his mind mid filming about what type of movie he was trying to make. Connery (who looks great in his tan suit and fedora) who has saved worse movies than this, dominates every scene he is in, but seriously has his work cut out here. It's all just so bland and uninteresting, and it's dialogue would be rejected by the bosses of day time soap opera writers. It's worth noting Connery's future Indiana Jones co-str Denholm Elliot Jack Weston and Hector Elizondo all pop up in supporting roles. Other than that, there is nothing worth seeing in the cliché ridden snooze fest. A few years ago, I paid a silly price for the DVD on import, as I had never seen it( and it was missing from my collection. I wish I'd saved my money, as you can buy it considerably cheaper these days. Connery ended the 70's with a whimper rather than a bang, as Cuba bombed at the box office. Things would not really improve for him for quite a while, as for director Lester however, he went on to take over from Richard Donner and completed the filming on Superman 2.

This drama/love story could have been excellent. Played out against the last months of the corrupt and US/UK-supported Batista regime, the collapse of the old society as Castro's fidelistas begin to take over is shown compellingly. The point is well made that a revolution will only succeed if the people are behind it which, in this instance, they clearly were. It's a shame that the movie couldn't have been filmed in Cuba, as of course all the famous landmarks of Havana are missing, but its real problems are threefold. Firstly the storyline is confusing, complicated and unconvincing, with none of the characters being allowed to hold one's attention. Secondly, the acting is poor. Even Sean Connery - who is normally excellent - seems to have had his mind on other things the whole time. And thirdly, for some inexplicable reason, the chanting of 'Fidel' as Castro enters Havana in triumph morphs into a Nazi crowd chanting 'Sieg Heil'. Whatever was this trying to say? When Castro actually came into power, one of the first things he did was to open all the 'whites-only' clubs to black people, and to make it clear in an early speech that there was no such thing as a superior race. To liken Castro to Hitler is a travesty of the facts. So, ultimately a flawed film. Watch it not for the story or the 'message' but for what is going on in the background.

The film is not as bad as I have read, of course it is not to great either. The main reasons to watch the film are of course Connery and Cuba (with good/historic landmarks). However, niether the story, nor other acting is memorable. The film deals with something about a love interest that brings Connery deeper into the Cuban crime/vigilante world. Bottle factories are broken along with peoples dealths. Anyway, more recent movies have done similar stories better, of course they don't have the CUBA

This movie is set during the build up to the Cuban revolution in 1959.Former British Major Robert Dapes arrives in Cuba.He is there to train the corrupt General Batista's army against Castro's guerrillas.He also meets his former lover, Alaxandra Lopez de Pulido, who's married now to a man called Juan Pulido.But the old love still hasn't died.Cuba from 1979 is directed by Richard Lester.Sean Connery, who turned 80 earlier this week, is brilliant as Robert Dapes.There's a little bit of James Bond in that character, I noticed.Brooke Adams does very fine job as Alexandra.Chris Sarandon is great as her lousy husband Juan.Jack Weston is terrific as Jack Gutman.Hector Elizondo gives a great performance as Capt.Raphael Ramirez.Denholm Elliot is very good as Donald Skinner.Martin Balsam is marvelous as Gen. Bello.Those scenes where there's some bloodshed are the most memorable.In one of them people are dining together in their finest outfits and the gunmen arrive.In the end we see some actual footage of the revolution and the rise of Fidel Castro.Not a masterpiece but a movie worth checking out.

There have been many stories of people going to countries on the eve of a revolution and finding out why there's a revolution. "Cuba" is kept afloat by strong performances. Sean Connery plays Maj. Robert Dapes, sent to Havana to help Batista fight the revolutionary army, but he soon figures out that the revolution is clearly going to succeed. In the process, he meets Alexandra (Brooke Adams), an old flame now married to a philandering cigar factory owner. I guess that overall, there's nothing here that we haven't seen before. But the way that they filmed it gives one the feeling of a society about to explode. Also starring Jack Weston, Hector Elizondo, Denholm Elliott, Martin Balsam, Chris Sarandon, Lonette McKee, and Alejandro Rey (aka Carlos Ramirez on "The Flying Nun"). Worth seeing. One more thing that I have to ask is whether or not Sydney Pollack remade this as "Havana". The two movies don't have the exact same plots, but they're certainly pretty close.

There is an error in the movie. Someone in The Prop Department placed a 1961 Chrysler New Yorker 4-Dr. Hardtop in what supposed to be December, 1958 Havana. However the actor who played Batista didn't look like him & the scene where Batista left was a good scene. So in all it was a good movie. Also Castro's Rebels were portrayed as Saints and there were other things that were good like an ambush at dinner scene & also Julio trying to be a hero and keeps killing the wrong people but in the end gets the guy who was messing with his sister. Sean Connery did a good job playing a guy who wondering if he's fighting for the wrong team. However The 1961 Chrysler shown in the movie was an error & shouldn't have been in the movie that is supposed to be Havana, December, 1958 to January, 1959. So that's it for now.

An enjoyable thriller, which although filmed in Spain, manages to capture the atmosphere and lunacy of the last days of Batista's dictatorship perfectly. Probably a contractual purposes project on the behalf of director Lester, he manages to inject just enough of his own idiosyncratic style to lift this adventure flick out of the run of the mill. Connery is totally convincing in his role as Brit counter-insurgency advisor/mercenary. Brook Adams is stunning. Good anglo-american supporting cast. Plot begins to lose its impetus about a reel before the end, and at a running time of nearly two hours, is overlong. But well worth renting the video. Socialists will not find its political interpetation of events offensive, but may be puzzled or angered by the soundtrack over the final titles - as a victorious Fidel approaches the podium, chants of 'Fidel! Fidel!' are over dubbed with a Nuremberg chorus of 'Sieg Heil!'. Discuss.