La ciudad perdida

Solidní zpracování nelehké látky a pohled na revoluční události na Kubě v roce 1958 prostřednictvím jedné bohaté rodiny. Film zdobí kvalitní herecké výkony, pěkná kamera a všudypřítomná hudba. Trochu mě štve tradiční producentský tah - lákadlo na Dustina Hoffmana, jenž nás ve filmu poctí tak pěti minutami a deseti větami. Mužským divákům to alespoň kompenzuje dostatečný prostor poskytnutý Inés Sastre. (14.10.2014)

Legends of The Fall with a smaller budget, set some 50 years later, at the time of the coup in Cuba, a time where a lot of people had lost a lot of ideals about a free, independent and democratic state. One of them is the character of Andy Garcia, who, besides the main role, also did the music and directing. You can feel that this is an extremely personal story for him from the first shots, with beautiful Havana, lots of typical music, clubs, beaches, etc. There's a lot there, plus a nice grainy image reminiscent of retro gems of the last century. Of course, Andy is primarily an actor, so he doesn't manage to grasp some of the dramatic passages with complete precision, but that doesn't change the fact that this family saga is definitely worth watching. It is historically quite plausible, and even a dullard will notice the enthusiasm with which Garcia realizes his cinematic dream. (05.11.2017)

Andy Garcia's life project, through which he expressed his love for Cuba, where he comes from, and expressed his relationship to the Cuban revolution, the past and present of Cuba, and a bit of Cuban culture. The dramatic storyline of one family and the conflict between three sons divided by political opinions work very well, especially the unfulfilled love relationship of the main character when politics once again separates the lovers. I was a bit disappointed by the relatively unremarkable use of the environment of the best Havana cabaret, as I expected the film, where the main character is a cabaret singer and artist, to be full of musical numbers, and distinctive dance and music creations. I was expecting a new Cabaret. Surprisingly, it is quite lacking, as the Fico Fellova club only serves as a background for displaying fateful political events. Andy Garcia in the lead role acts reliably, but I still get the feeling that compared to his early films, he has lost a bit of his spark. Overall impression: 80%. The political dimension of the film is interesting, somewhat limiting the result. Andy Garcia proves that as an immigrant, he simply does not understand certain events and characters of Cuban history because he cannot even understand them. He does not understand the essence of the Cuban revolution, its roots, and the motivation of its participants. His characters are members of the Cuban social elite, and dissatisfaction with the Batista regime is mainly perceived as dissatisfaction with the lack of political rights during the dictatorship period. The Cuban revolution was motivated by social inequality and anti-Americanism typical for Latin America as a whole. The interference of the US government in the internal politics of the continent's countries was simply highly unpopular, and Garcia, as a successful American citizen and well-positioned member of the upper-middle class, does not admit it. For example, his portrayal of Che Guevara as a cynical murderer is one-dimensional, and it is essentially a negative caricature that greatly flattens this character. Che Guevara was not only a Jacobin revolutionary who could put his defeated enemies against the wall without blinking an eye but also a brilliant intellectual, and unlike Castro, who was a power manipulator and practical politician, he was a person who truly believed in the ideals of the revolution. (31.07.2009)

You can think practically anything about all regimes and governments, and still Garcia will lock you in his lost city and forgotten world, whether directorially or actorially. The first is thanks to the perfect atmosphere that captivates the viewer from the first shot and thanks to many ideas (the colored flag on a black and white background or a flagpole in the distance and a grenade explosion in the foreground are true delicacies), the second is due to his character, which possesses so much justice and humanity that you wish Fico to change fate and history and achieve his happiness. Sometimes, the only possible next move is the one that causes you to lose everything. (08.08.2007)