Cuban Story

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Cuban Story takes an astonishing look at the Cuban Revolution--from the inside. This documentary owes quite a bit to fate. Writer-producer Victor Pahlen and film star Errol Flynn owned a business in Cuba when the revolution broke out. Realizing they had an amazing opportunity on their hands, they stayed, hung out with the revolutionary troops, and filmed right through Castro's ascent. The film is fascinating as an insider's look at the revolution, but also as a record of the times in many unintended ways: the narration refers to Castro's "girl soldiers," and we get a rare glimpse of a clean-shaven Castro. The filmmakers were in Cuba to witness and film the cruelties of Batista's reign, and thus take a decidedly pro-Castro stance. Viewers should be warned that the film also adopts what will come off to today's audiences as an oddly pro-terrorism point of view--is a sabotaged airport a brave blow for freedom or a senseless waste of life? Pahlen and Flynn follow the revolution beyond the end of the fighting as Castro reopens the university and tries to right some of Batista's wrongs. American viewers are rarely able to see such a pro-Castro piece and may find it alternately infuriating and thought-provoking. --Ali Davis

Description

This truly revolutionary motion picture is certainly the only film in history to star both Errol Flynn and Fidel Castro! Back in the 1950s, Errol Flynn and producer Victor Pahlen owned a movie theater in Havana. They happened to be there when Castro's revolution broke out around them, so they took to the streets with their cameras to document history as it happened, at ground zero. The result was a unique documentary of Castro's uprising, hosted by Flynn, featuring unrivaled footage of the conflict and Castro himself. Circumstances outside their control shelved the film for nearly fifty years; "Cuban Story" has never been screened, never seen, never released--until now. All Day Entertainment is proud to have worked with the Pahlen family to restore this landmark documentary from the only surviving negative materials, stored in England for nearly a half century. Includes an introduction by producer Victor Pahlen's daughter, Kyra Pahlen.

Customer Reviews:

A 1-star production scores 5-stars as a piece of history.......2006-10-13

Prepare yourself for what is surely one of the most poorly-made documentaries of all time - and quite astonishly bad considering it was made by people who had spent their lives making millions in the movie business. It fails in its script, camera-work, sound (truly awful!), sound and video editing, presentation - you name it, it's bad.

BUT!!! Set all of that aside and watch this must-see documentary for the fascinating piece of history that it is. It is a unique and previously unseen record of the Cuban revolution with the truly quirky aspect of being pro-Castro, the simple result of being made at such an early stage in the revolution that the governments of the USA and other western democracies were still in favour of the overthrow of the corrupt Battista regime .. all before Castro's Soviet links became apparent.

Intersting snapshot of Cuban Revolution.......2006-03-24

If you're thinking about buying this because of Errol, forget it. He only appears briefly, and indeed he is not the narrator. Also, if you love him, you might find it painful to see him in his later days of poor health. No, the real reason to buy this is because it has some unique footage of the Revolution and expresses a point of view you seldom encounter in media of the time. It was interesting because of that and worthwhile in its obviously subjective-historic narrative.

An Interesting Glimpse.......2005-11-04

This film would mostly of interest to Fans of Errol Flynn. Flynn later changed his mind about Castro but at the time of this film was one of those enamored of the revolutionary and his promise for Cuba after the excesses of the Batista regime. There is some interesting footage of the events and of Havana nightlife. However the film is really a strange mix and somewhat naive about Castro. The liner notes are despicable in their attack on Flynn, simply rehashing charges brought forth in Charles Higham's highly fictional biography. They also seem to be written by someone who has not the slightest real knowledge of the film or it's participants. For instance the writer mentions that Flynn's then girlfriend is "conspicuously absent" from the film. If the writer (also the producer of the dvd) had any knowledge of Flynn's girlfriend Beverly Aadland he would recognize her in one sequence arriving at a casino with Flynn and then standing with him at a gaming table. Also the narration of Cuban Story is once again mistaken. The writer states it is of a "more sober Flynn". Anyone who has seen an Errol Flynn film knows that the voice of the narrator is not the voice of Flynn. It is a lame attempt carried forth with a phony British accent. Most likely because Flynn wasn't around to be involved in the narration. The writer mentions the background of the film as being shrouded in mystery with "little more than supposition and speculation on which to go." Remember that phrase when reading the notes. As piece of film work it is odd but certainly interesting all things considered.

ERROL IN LATE YEARS.......2005-08-20

THERE ARE ONLY 2 REASONS TO BUY THIS,FIRST IF YOU WANT TO SEE A FEW BRIEF GLIMPSES OF ERROL IN HIS LATE YEARS,SECOND THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWSREEL FOOTAGE,IT'S PLODDING AND UNFORTUNATELY IN HINDSIGHT WRONG IN ITS THOUGHTS ON FIDEL,FURTHERMORE THE NARRATION IS DEFINITELY NOT ERROL'S VOICE

Unique Film.......2005-08-07

. . . It gets four stars.

This film is a look at the Cuban Revolution through the eyes of an American film-maker. The Revolution at the time of this film's creation was evidently still young. It had yet to come into conflict with the United States, and it had not yet embraced the Marxist-Leninist path to revolution. This, in-itself, is a very unique attribute of the film; you will not see this in subsequent films about Cuba. For this reason, it probably better than any other film, represents the zeitgeist of those idealistic, early days.

In the film, we get a rudimentary overview of the Revolutionary War. It is unique in that we see emphasized the role that Urban Resistance played in toppling Batista's regime. Through the eyes of history, the role of the Urban Resistance is continually downplayed, and the mystique and romanticism of the guerilla army is touted as the sole cause of Batista's fall. Although brief in its mention, it lends a balance to the history of the Revolutionary War that one is not likely to get outside of books.

The remainder of the film focuses on the triumph of the Revolution. We see a good deal about the atrocities of Batista- torture, extrajudicial killings, bombing of civilians, police repression of street demonstrations, etc. We also see how the Revolution plans to change this: carrying out trials of Batista loyalists, building schools in place of police stations used for torture, exhuming and properly burying the bodies of those murdered by Batista, etc.

The film has sound problems. There are times when the narrator becomes unintelligible as his voice melds with background noises. I am sure this can be chalked up to the film sitting in a vault somewhere for 40+ years.

The film, sadly, features very 'live' sound. All of the shots of Castro giving speeches, or people being tried for crimes, are silent pictures. The only sounds we hear are the narrator's voice, background music he added, and the occasional sound of a car passing, a plane's propellors, or something to that effect.

I also wonder how much this film would interest somebody with little knowledge of or interest in Cuba and the Revolution.

Overall, this film is very interesting for what it is, a look into the Spirit of a Revolution untouched by outside influences. Whatever one's politics are, and wherever one stands on Cuba, I would recommend this film as something to give insight to the spirit at the heart of the Cuban Revolutionary War.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding documentary :-)
A fantastic insider's look at the story of the habano

The Fabulous Story of the Cuban Cigar
Starring: Fabulous Story of the Cuban Ci
Manufacturer: Palm Pictures / Umvd
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 6305419760
Release Date: 1999-05-25

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding documentary :-).......2004-06-03

I have been smoking cigars for over 15 years and consider myself an aficionado. I found this DVD very informatiive. This DVD is well done, and after viewing, one walks away with an even greater appreciation for the hard work that goes into each and every handmade cigar! A must have for anyone who enjoys fine cigars!

A fantastic insider's look at the story of the habano.......2004-05-25

This DVD was a blind purchase for me, having not seen it previously but being a huge fan of Habanos and Cuba in general. It is amazing that we are only 90 miles away but know so little about the life and culture of these people, so as an interested person I purchased this DVD. It was so good that I literally watched it all the way through two times when I first got it. Far more than your typical documentary about sorting, rolling, and packaging cigars for export, this DVD explores the whole story of the Habano and how it is so tied in with cuban life and culture. There are many memorable stories told by the people involved in the manufacture and sale of these cigars. One that stands out for me was when one of the first spanish saw a Tainos indian smoking a huge bundle of rolled leaves, really the first cigar. He took some tobacco home and repeated this procedure, and wound up in jail because the authorities suspected he was possessed by the devil--emitting smoke from his mouth and sparks from his eyes. The soundtrack is great--it puts you right there in the vuelta abajo, and the salsa makes you want to dance. The DVD ends with an interview with Vahe Gerard, maybe THE preeminent scholar of the habano (see my review of the book Havana Cigars), and I love how he tests, smells, and explains the different sizes as if each cigar were a small miracle. My only complaint is that I wish the video was TWO hours long, because it is that good. An absolute must for any cigar lover.

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