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.

After finished watching The Lost City DVD last week for the first time, I just checked how many Oscars this movie must have won. But sadly there was none. I am still trying to come to terms why in 2005 they won some as well as were there so many nominations for a pretty boring movie like 'Good night and good luck' while a brilliant piece of work like The Lost City did not even get a single nomination! Academy is so ridiculous!! Lost City is truly a Latino romantic drama with the right balance of love, joy, anguish despair and melancholy. It is of a sombre theme, but enriched with courage and hope and freedom for Fico in the end. I actually think Andy Garcia is the hero in this whole episode. His acting, music and directing stand tall out of many great things this movie renders. I knew he was an excellent actor alright but never thought he could be a maestro in combining music and movie direction in to such great levels! The story moves smoothly connecting each phase with the next one flawlessly. There are no serious flaws in the movie except for Aurora's occasionally conflicting character. It's sometimes hard to fathom whether she really wants Fico or she had an affair with Ernesto (Che)? Or her love is only for the revolution Fidel and Ernesto brought in? She is an enigma alright but acting goes well at par with the romantic and melancholic nature of the movie's main theme.All other actors have done real justice to their roles. Tomas Milian as the father does an exceptionally great job. He unrolls the love, tenderness, pain and the agony that belongs to a father figure of his calibre at that time, with very natural expressions. The writer (Bill Murray) adds lots of color to the movie with his philosophical, staid but witty dialogs and of course his profound acting. In fact he is the catalyst for Fico's growing frustration of the Cuban socio-political change that was radically initiated by Castro and Ernesto. In the end Fico and his family face the gruesome reality of the Cuban revolution when Ricardo; his own brother's behaviour see the demise of their uncle, devastating their age old family traditions and cohesion. It would be really interesting to watch this movie in the backdrop of 'Motorcycle Diaries' and compare the two polarized characters of the same Ernesto, depicted by two different directors. Poles apart!You may need some patience in the first 10 or 15 minutes to sit and try to gather pieces here and there but then only you will get in to a smoother, effortless flow of great movie making. You will not be disappointed - It certainly is a great movie!

When you ask yourself while watching a movie "OH GOD.. When will it end ?" To discover later that you were right in the middle of it, then.. This is heavy.The story is good, with touching characters. It has the criticisms against the Cuban revelation's start, told from the rich people's point of view; hence caustic and bitter as far as it can be. Being long was caused mainly by the thickness of the story and the years it covers. So what's really heavy about it ? I think some moments could have been cut. I suppose the endless shots for Garcia playing the piano whenever he's sad, the brother's regret over his dead uncle in the church along with the scene of judging him (shooting himself later is enough dramatically and artistically), like half of the photomontage in which the lead was enjoying his love with every beautiful place in Cuba, or some of the last song. Anyhow, more work had to be done in the editing room.Some matters were vague; the way the main character's love lives with the leaders of the revolution (so, was she a whore ?!), who bombed the casino if the mob didn't ?! And I didn't quite get the matter of the handkerchief on the shoulder ? Was that a gesture to imply how embarrassed the lead was, at first, of loving his late brother's girl ? And if it was, then were all of the dancing girls inappropriate lovers for the men they were dancing with ?! Sometimes the piano music got on my nerves, like uncreative improvisations were being loose non-stop annoyingly. The soundtrack is heaped up with old Cubin tracks. They are all sweet no doubt, nevertheless still heaped up soundtrack. And by the way I hated putting dancing music to the scene of butchering the lead's brother. I didn't get the reason of such an artistic touch, unless it was done for pure sadistic purpose.And then, the matter of casting newcomers. Sure they did it good, but being not that charismatic led to a fact where Garcia was the only one to be watched for the whole time. Another factor of bore. The notion of making such a movie pushes you to respect its star / director Andy Garcia for. Since he didn't go to make an assured comedy or action in Hollywood. The man got another agenda. However as a director he didn't impress me. On one side he overdid using the close and medium shots, so it felt too TV-ish. And on the other, his cadre was nice but with not much action in it. Look at the scene of murdering the uncle, by confiscating his farm. It was inactive, rather coldly usual. I felt that there was more care of "lovely" and "colorful" but not the same with "intense" and "active".Though, as an actor he's fine. He reminds me more of the Eastern actors, whereas he's passionate, with everything inside of him must be shown in a way or another. Yet, he still Western as well, with the method of using a sigh, side-glance, or a moment of blazing silence. I know that a lot of Americans may not appreciate him for that Eastern part. While the same thing could be considered awfully romantic for others. Many lines from the dialog got me. The movie is a bit poetic when it comes to express; namely short and into the point softly. However, still Murray, as the nameless careless buddy, is the best element this movie has. His cynical persona worked finely like happy face for the lead's alienation, alienation based on the desire to live free in newly-restricted world, being lost with his freedom or due to it. Murray's serene acting sounded like no acting, as something truer; which is a top any actor must dream of.For most of the time this movie slumps. It has unmistakable sense of heaviness. (The Lost City) could have been made as TV-mini series, or more catchy movie. But not like this, dear Andy. P.S : Putting the real stock shots of executing the revolution's protesters was gruesomely shocking. It scars the innocent viewers who, in their wildest Tarantino nightmares, didn't expect seeing actual killing like this. Makes you think, so furiously, while this is rated R, there must be a higher rating for images like that. Because truly, what could be more inhuman ?!

Andy Garcia is the apolitical, upper-middle class owner of a nightclub in Havana who finds himself in the middle of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, which divides his family and finally drives him in exile to New York.It's a long, languid movie, focusing as much on family and love as on politics. It's punctuated by occasional bouts of violence, but not the kind that might satisfy an audience of action-movie aficionados. Most of the bodies we see punctured are not nameless heavies but people we know. The ones who are nameless are mainly hapless victims of the revolution. The executions are from newsreel footage and not very exciting or fun to look at.I can put up with the movie's slow tempo for a number of reasons. One is that it matches Andy Garcia's gradual realization that one form of tyranny (Fulgencio Batista's) has been replaced by another (Fidel Castro's). Under Batista's dictatorship, people are murdered and robbed, and Havana seems to be under the thumb of the Mafia, Meyer Lanksy (Dustin Hoffman), and United Fruit Company. Under Castro's dictatorship, people are murdered and robbed, and in an excess of zeal everything seems to be appropriated by the state -- from vast plantations to the use of the saxophone in Garcia's orchestra. (The saxophone was invented by a Belgian named Sax, and the Belgians were notorious colonialists.) As absurd as it may sound, I believe it without having to look it up. Think the saxophobia is too crazy to be true? Google "freedom fries".Another reason I put up with the slowness is that the writers appear to be sincere beyond belief, with their convictions sometimes being expressed in images and voice overs that descend into the obvious or even into the not-so-alien corny. The movie sometimes seems aimed not so much at a worldwide audience but at the refugees from Castro's tyranny, encouraging an nonconstructive sense of victimhood. I doubt that the Cuban-American refugees need to be reminded of their mistreatment under Castro. They were mostly middle- and upper-class who wound up in Miami or the big cities of the North after being stripped of their material possessions. The clobbering they took was real enough to be memorable and extremely distressing. And no relief in sight -- "Who needs elections?", asked Castro rhetorically, "The people have already voted." As one of the victims, the young daughter of a doctor, put it to me, "We had to fled." You would have fled too if you'd had anything to lose by staying.Not that Batista wasn't a murderous thug, not much different from Saddam Hussein, though the US supported Batista and opposed Castro. An explosion destroys part of Garcia's nightclub, killing his prima ballerina (Lorena Feijoo). I hated that scene. I always hate to see ballerinas get blown up. Especially girlishly beautiful and more than moderately supple ballerinas like Feijoo. I don't like to see ANY dancers blown up. Except maybe Tommy Tune -- and him only because of his name.The score is outstanding, mostly coming out of the orchestra in Garcia's club -- Habanero pop tunes and dreamy love songs, but not particularly dumb. And sometimes Garcia sits at his piano and tickles out pieces that resemble a Chopin notturno. The musical scenes make you feel like dancing or sucking up a Cuba Libre.I have to add, too, that many of the cast members are Cubanos. Not just Garcia himself, but Steven Bauer is in here, and Lorena Feijoo, and Elizabeth Pena, among the better known of the performers. I wish Elizabeth Pena had had a more prominent role. I love the things she does with the English language. And add to it that she grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey. At a time -- in the 1960s -- when it was becoming increasingly dangerous to drive around in urban minority neighborhoods, the Cuban section of Elizabeth was invariably quiet and unobtrusively welcoming to aliens. You could buy a tiny cup of espresso for a nickel.The movie shows us the Cuba of 50 years ago. The country has now entered a sociopolitical juncture, with Fidel stepping aside and the more relaxed Raoul taking the reins. We once sponsored an invasion of Cuba that failed miserably. The movie prompts the question of whether it might be time to adopt a different tack.