An interesting film by Andy Garcia that looks back on the Havana that was. Garcia was only five years old when his family fled Cuba in 1961 after the 1959 revolution and Fidel Castro's takeover. "The Lost City" is a nostalgic tribute to his homeland and especially Havana and its musical culture. In a bonus short with this film on DVD, Garcia explains that most people who have had to leave their homelands forcefully always have a longing, a connection with it. That applies to emigrants forced out and those who fled the persecution of oppressive governments. And, children of emigrants as well, he says. This film was some 16 years in the planning. Garcia assembled an excellent cast and craftsmen to produce the film, from the writing to the filming, locations and all aspects. He starred in it himself and also directed it. The shooting locations were in the Dominican Republic with its countryside, shoreline and buildings that are similar to those in Cuba. This is a very good story about family, culture, love, loss, tragedy and freedom. It also is a window on the very beautiful music and culture that was Cuban and Havanan in the past. At the time Garcie made this film, Havana was in a terrible sate of decay. Efforts since have been made to save the city, but much of it is falling into ruin. The film was made in English except for the songs. I don't speak Spanish, so I appreciated the English sub-titles for the music, since the lyrics of the songs are a great deal about the people and culture.

This film works at all levels and is excellent. The writing is superb, believable, entertaining. All of the actors do a believable job. The directing, with great transitions and 'cross-scenes' for lack of the correct film term, is also excellent. The scenery is beautiful and adds to the story like a character or characters depending on whether it's a beach scene or a city street scene. This film definitely deserves 10 stars if one is to be fair & unbiased. If this were a different type of film, done by different people in Hollywood it would be considered one of the great films. I would recommend this film to others. It manages to entertain without the sex and extreme violence of many modern films. If you are a fan of Andy Garcia you will definitely love this film. I have purchased it for my media library to watch over again.

One day someone is going to make a decent film about the Cuban revolution, but in the meantime we will have to put up with half-baked efforts like this and Havana.There is no doubting the earnestness of actor-director Andy Garcia's convictions but what we basically have here is an overlong and rather dull vanity project. Garcia plays Fico, an affluent nightclub owner who finds his family and life slowly disintegrating in the midst of the events leading up to - and consequences of - Fidel Castro's Cuban revolution. Long, deliberately-paced films are usually that way to establish a number of characters in depth and to lure the viewer into investing their sympathy and concern for these characters. But this film seems to take forever to tell us very little about Garcia's Fico or any other members of his family. Garcia looks perpetually miserable and seems to be trying to imitate Al Pacino in the Godfather movies, while the film itself seems to be trying to establish an epic sweep that it completely fails to achieve.The film looks and sounds terrific, but Garcia isn't a great, or even particularly accomplished director. And what exactly is the purpose of Bill Murray's character? He's supposed to be a writer with an infectious sense of humour but he rarely says anything funny despite the reactions of other characters, and his presence adds nothing to the plot. Similarly, Dustin Hoffman pops in for a couple of meaningless scenes as Meyer Lansky which wouldn't be missed if they were removed.

I enjoyed this film a great deal. I am a history teacher and want to learn more about the history of Cuba. I think this film brings an interesting viewpoint of an event that most Americans (myself included) don't know a great deal about. The film's makers argue that the revolution was not a peasant revolt. Instead, they argue that it was caused by the middle class. I also think that the presentation of the conflicts within Cuban families was heartbreaking. I think that the makers of the film did a great job with a small budget. I loved the costumes, sets, and music. The story behind the film is fascinating. I have always been a fan of Andy Garcia, a breathtaking man and a fine actor. This film increases my respect for his work and his manner of balancing "the Hollywood thing" and his private life. I am delighted that I stumbled upon this film and I hope that more people discover this interesting film.