Educational Media Reviews Online

Just when the steady decline of Fidel Castro’s vitality has become painful to watch, the young Fidel has been resurrected in a reissue of Saul Landau’s documentary. Shot with hand-held cameras in 1968 and originally issued in 1969, the film is essentially a jeep tour with Fidel going from town to town, visiting various development projects and speaking to groups large and small. The excursion is interspersed with pre- and post-revolutionary footage selected from the Cuban Film Archive.

In his distinctively personal exchanges with rural residents we see a robust Fidel bursting with plans and confidence. The inclusion of both mass political speeches and small group conversation shows the range of charismatic styles that have kept Castro’s audiences engaged for a good portion of his fifty year rule. The film is neither an endorsement nor a criticism but a fascinating series of encounters with an extraordinary individual – what Landau has called “a personal portrait of a political phenomenon.” The piece would make a good accompaniment to presentations on post-revolutionary domestic policy or to general studies on political leadership.

The film was shot “in the field” but its technical quality is good and the raw feel of it adds to its appeal. Extra features include a printed excerpt from Landau’s 1968 diary; two interviews with the producer that round out and contextualizes the piece giving biographical information on Fidel along with a 2007 update and a twenty four minute documentary that Landau subsequently taped in 1974. The extras are a bit repetitious but worth the effort especially for those who are unfamiliar with Cuban history.