Cuba: Viva La Revolucion? 2001
Distributed by Chip Taylor Communications, 2 East View Drive, Derry NH; 800-876-CHIP
Produced by Journeyman Pictures
Director n/a
VHS, color, 30 min.
Adult
Latin American Studies
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Gerald Notaro, University Librarian, Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg St. PetersburgCuba: Viva La Revolucion? is part of a 14 program Global Connections Series: World Cultures Issues from Chip Taylor Communications. The video includes interviews with residents, mostly from Havana, and mostly in Spanish with English subtitles. Dissatisfaction is expressed in hushed tones from the streets, while teachers, Zone leaders, and other government officials praise Castro and his Revolution. The propaganda, from both sides, is the same after more than 40 years. The Cuban Freedom fighters in exile are "mercenaries" for the American government. People can't live on what the Cuban government pays, so citizens must turn to crime and dream of leaving the island. Cuba is crime-free, all schooling and health care is free. Since the collapse of the Soviet Block, Cuba is crumbling and close to overthrowing Castro. The U.S, Trade Embargo is really a "blockade." The video focuses exclusively on the politics of Cuba, not on its bountiful and varied cultures. Nothing new or interesting is revealed in these interviews. A better choice would be Cuba at a Crossroads: A View from Havana and the Bay of Pigs (Cinema Guild, 1999) or its sequel, Cuba at a Crossroads: The Roots of the Revolution (Desert Steel Productions, 1999).