Mikhail Kalatozov's 1964 film, I Am Cuba (Soy Cuba) is probably the most divergent film I've ever watched in terms of the quality of its constituent parts. It is, as its reputation boasts, visually stunning, imaginative, innovative, and flat out great. But, in terms of its narrative, it is hackneyed, trite, and unimaginatively anti-American in its blatant agitprop, and laughably bad. And I say this fully aware of the Ugly Americanism that has wrought the communist fervor that still grips South America, as well as the Islamic Extremism, because the propagandizing in the film has a seriously negative effect on the film, to the point that its labeling as 'Commie kitsch,' by many of its detractors, and even some of its champions, is dead on.The film was a joint Soviet-Cuban production, meant as blatant propaganda for the Communist cause, but Kalatozov's film so rhapsodized Cuban sexuality and reveled so in its visuals, that even its backers as Mosfilms, the Soviet State film company, pulled it after a short distribution period. It was critically denounced both in Cuba and the Soviet Union. It was not until filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Francs Ford Coppola saw and championed it in 1995 that the film got its first taste of critical success in the West. The film was written by Enrique Pineda Barnet and Russian state poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko and the cinematography by Sergey Urusevsky, as mentioned, deserves all the plaudits it can muster. The acting is passable, at best, and wooden, stilted, and forced, most of the time. The film was shot in black and white, and used using color filters to exaggerate contrast, as well as using wide angle shots in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The film's music is diegetic and not, but the one aspect of the film that is neither good not bad, overall; although in certain scenes the singing and music are wonderfully evocative of time and place.

An amazing film. That Yevteshenko sat down and put the ideology of Cuban and Russian understanding into perspective for the world is beyond much literal beauty. People need to wake up and get a hold of this movie, especially since the subject of Cuba is only poorly touched on in most places. "I Am Cuba" introduces viewers to a culture, a system and a country that possesses a unique beauty and an ethical, well educated mentality, despite its struggles and poverty. It teaches us that Cuban people struggle with dignity and self awareness, much like what can be seen in many Alea films. The world looks at Cuba with ignorant eyes, but Cuban cinema can easily correct our initial judgment. "I Am Cuba" was for a long time the most exquisite portrayal of Cuban culture I had seen, with a careful and original story that could not have been imagined in another society. But while the shots are gorgeous and the story compelling, for today's Cuban Talent fanatics I highly recommend a VLaMarko play in the city. "I Am Cuba" is hard to create on the stage, but the young Cuban writer seems to derive a lot of influence from Russian and Chilean literature, particularly Yevtushenko for his first production. Both of these monuments display a Cuba still ripe with revolution, humanity and struggle among beauty, although made nearly half a century apart. Thumbs up+++++

"I am Cuba" is a Soviet funded propaganda film designed to promote international socialism. It deals with the Cuban revolution but is mostly remembered for its acrobatic and innovative camera work.The film was virtually unknown for a number of years, before reappearing in the late 80s. Its inventive style would prove hugely influential on both Paul Thomas Anderson and late period Scorsese. "Goodfellas" and "Casino" owe much to this film. "Boogie Nights" also copies a long take, in which a camera prowls a party before eventually diving into a swimming pool.Director Mikhail Kalatozov, who made the excellent "The Cranes are Flying", remains virtually unknown today. His films are filled with remarkably complex long takes and some pretty daring camera-work. For "I am Cuba" he custom made his own rigs, dollies and camera mounts, and as a result the film has a virtuosity that you simply didn't see in the 50s and 60s. Kalatozov zooms along buildings, hurtles up staircases, zaps down Cuban streets and plunges through pulsating crowds. The film's actual plot consists of 4 interwoven stories, designed to promote revolution and the "greatness of socialism". The problem is, Kalatozov is so in love with his camera that he completely forgets he's making a propaganda flick. The film touches upon some facts, highlighting that a handful of American owned mega corporations were oppressing the vast majority of Cuban people, but it also makes Capitalism seem damn seductive, by focusing on snazzy American hotels, partying Cubans and the fun nightlife.As a result of the film's confused message, "I am Cuba" was rejected by its Marxist backers. The film's flamboyant style was seen to be too free, too liberating, thereby obscuring the intended message. We see shanty towns and poverty and yet Kalatozov makes it all seem so damn sexy.7.5/10 - A strange film. Still, it remains a technical milestone.Worth one viewing.

Maybe one of the best movies ever made! I think I could watch Kalatozishvili (say it three times fast) film grass grow and be spellbound. The camera literally dances, and is a character in it's own right.Four stories about the Cuban life before, during, and ending with the revolution. We see the Havana nightclub prostitute (the films most dazzling moments, like coming to Cuba for the firs time), a farmer whose loosing his land to US Fruit(the films most spiritual moment), a student activist poised to be a terrorist or a martyrs, and a family man and pacifist driven to war...but who cares! This is not an effective propaganda film because by the end of the movie, your not so much mad at the big bad West, as you are just disappointed there isn't more. You care about the characters certainly, but you care about them as individuals, beset by the troubles of "life", and not as a faceless nation, engaging in a "fight". Propahganda to work needs a "them" for "us" to turn our attention towards, look at Micheal Moore's films, for examples of this. "I Am Cuba" has foreign and internal devils, but each story is told so well, you feel for the characters, and not some abstract notion of the "the Cuban people".The sheer cinematic strength of the film, it's composition, AMAZING tracking shots(ripped off by Paul Thomas Anderson, Martin Scorcesse, and Tartovsky, to name a few...they each steal scenes, and even then that's not half of the amazing images.), music, and performances are so good they transform and transcend the story. What Sergio Leone did for the Western in "Once Upon A Time In The West", and Stanley Kubrick did for science fiction in "2001: A Space Odyssey", is equivalent to what this film does for propaganda.Cuban public at the time though it was too stereotypical (a fair critique, the director and crew are mostly Russian), Soviets thought it was too soft on capitalism and the west, film makers everywhere I imagine wet themselves.Quite possibly one of the best films ever, never seen in the US, til the mid 90's. The portrayals of Americans are amusing to say the least (think of all those furry hated evil Russians in cold war movies to be fair. Think "Red Dawn" for Christ sakes) Anyway if you like "great films" see this, its exhilarating and beautiful, and as a whole it more than makes up for the sum of its parts. Incredible.