Customer Reviews

Fidel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This English language film does well in bringing Fidel Castro to life as a personality and showing his role in the Cuban revolution. It has a great deal of excitement and drama, especially during the revolutionary period of the 50's, including a fair amount of military life and action.

The filmmakers try to give a balanced view of Castro--illustrating his passion for the welfare of Cuban people but also showing how power in some ways went to his head. As Celia Sanchez tells him (around 1980 I believe), "Listen to what I have to say--don't interrupt me--you're losing touch with the people."

"Fidel" is historically accurate from what I know and all the major characters in the Cuban revolution are depicted here including Sanchez, Raul Castro, Ernesto (Che) Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos.

I think the filmmakers took on too much, however, in attempting to cover Fidel's life from 1949 to present. Many events are given too little exposure. Yet this film is much too long at about 3 hours and 20 minues. A better film might have focused on the revolution up through 1959 and ended with the march into Santiago--about two-thirds of what this one covers--leaving the rest for another day.

All in all, "Fidel" is well done. For people in the U.S. it gives a good account of a major, and fairly recent, historical event (the Cuban Revolution) occuring just south of our border--an event of which most U.S. people have little knowledge.

Almost like a book. When you have an interesting person and stick to the facts, you automatically have a good story.

This the actors do as the acting here is quite good. Victor Hugo Martin played extremely well.

Warning it is quite long film over 3 hours but I could have watched another three hours. I wish they had shown more of the Cuban crisis and Fidel Castro in the 1970s

Being that this was a TV mini-series through the production of Showtime it was pretty good. To me the first two hours of this movie was great. There are some very strong performances all round, and the activities are well researched and offer a fairly objective view of events. Obviously, many events are skirted over in order to fit the running time, but what is shown is a fairly accurate portrayal of history. The violence in particular is extremely well done, offering a very realistic portrayal of gunfire and its consequences, instead of some needlessly flashy OTT action.

The problem comes towards the 2nd half of the movie as Castro (played by Victor Huggo Martin) takes power of Cuba. Suddenly, the time-line lurches drastically to try and mention important events. The films low budget shows itself up as the film spans years and events with little or no regard to objective film making.

The movie is about Fidel, however, over the second half we suddenly cut to a very badly filmed sequence showing the death of Che Guevara (played by Gael García Bernal). Whilst certainly an important part of Fidel's life, the narrative shift from Fidel to Che seems clunky and out of place with the rest of the film. As a fan of Gael Garcia Bernal, I was especially interested in his character. However, I was left especially disappointed by Che's one-dimensional portrayal.

The desire to portray Fidel in a bad light, sacrifices the characterizations of the first half of the movie, and instead offers a clumsily scripted/filmed series of events designed to show Fidel in a bad light. The film should've ended when he took power. As it is, the final hour and a half ruin an otherwise great movie.

Grand Ideals and Theory Run Amok That pretty much sums up nearly every Communist revolution from Lenin to Fidel. This film showed that Fidel was living in the communist dream world, where everything would be alright as long as people sacrificed "For the Revolution!" What happened was crop shortages, political prisons getting filled with people who became just as oppressed under Castro as they had under Batista.

This movie showed the simple truth. As long as men are men, Communism can never work.

Fidel Castro is committed to abstract Marxist principles. In his way of looking at the world, The revolution of the masses is historically inevitable and will result in an utopian paradise. Faith in class consciousness is all that is required. But what if things don't go smoothly? Well, it is then obvious that the people are being victimized by reactionary propaganda. A totalitarian government is required to protect the misguided hoi polloi from itself. Is this the mindset of Castro in 2006? No, these were his essential antidemocratic views in the early 1950s. One only had to listen carefully. Alas, few did.

This over three hour movie clearly shows how Fidel Castro pulled the wool over a large number of gullible Cuban left-wingers. These middle class useful idiots never asked the number one logically unavoidable question. Why was there a need for a violent revolution? Foreign investment capital ceaselessly flowed into the country. The Cuban economy was growing and improving the lives of most citizens. Fulgencio Batista was admittedly a scoundrel. Nonetheless, wouldn't a milder approach be more appropriate? In many respects, Batista was insufficiently ruthless. He, after all, did not kill Castro and his comrades when he had the chance. An adversarial press and radio programs consistently took Batista to task. How can anyone realistically assert that all hope was lost? Is "Fidel" too long of a movie? It is if you plan to view it in one sitting. I wouldn't advise doing this. This is not a five star production. There is enough here, though, to make it a worthwhile experience. You might also wish to see Andy Garcia's currently released "The Lost City."

David Thomson
Flares into Darkness

I happened to see a brilliant film called Fidel at last year's Toronto Intl. F.F. It was the # movie on my list and it far surpassed my expectations. It shows the Cuban leader as a private man, and a socialist who set his native Cuba free 40 years ago and gave it back to the people as opposed to American Imperialistic swine. It was also a movie dir. by an American, Estella Bravo who moved to Cuba over 25 yrs. ago, this movie is great and I recommend it to anyone either socialists/or capitalists, political or none, it is a true representation of a man who has been one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century, and highly mis-understood. For the truth, look no further than this masterpiece.

ANYONE OFFERING FIDEL (2002) IN SPANISH OR WITH SPANISH SUBTITLES?
REALLY'D APPRECIATE IT.

¿ALGUIEN TIENE EN VENTA "FIDEL" EN ESPAÑOL O CON SUBTITULOS EN ESPAÑOL? SE AGRADECE CUALQUIER ASISTENCIA.

This 2000 3 part mini-series on the life and times of Fidel Castro, 40+ ruler/dictator in Cuba, is excellent and exhausting at the the same time. From 1949 Havana through the 1959 Revolution clear up to 2000 when Castro is poised to hand over control of the country to his brother (which just happened), director David Attwood covers an immense amount of ground, people, places, countries that, as far as I know and recall, is accurate historically. Attwood, shows us the man as the idealist who himself becomes the very embodiment of what he so much disliked-a dictator. The film is very fair in showing the accomplishments and the obvious failures, the love of the "little man" and the forgotten promises, and the openness of ideas to "off with their heads" mentality. Depending on which side you are on, you might feel there is a bias,which I could understand; but I honestly feel that this SHOWTIME series did it's level best to present an honest yet conflicted man who deposed a leader and set himself up as ruler.

Why three stars? There is an awful lot of information that gets thrown at you and glossed over in it's treatment, especially in the last hour of the film. The screenplay lurches forward, bouncing time zones, and you best be prepared. The only other problem that I saw, is that the entire production has that "made-for-T.V." look about it- very staged, and low-budget looking, especially in the scenes with lots of "extras" who chant "Fidel" and raise their placards. The series uses Latino actors speaking in a broken English. I can't help but wonder if the entire film would have been more effective if the actors had performed in their first tongue which would have given more dynamic to the piece. I noticed that especially with Gael Garcia Bernal, who played Che Guevara here in English, then played him in Spanish with far more lasting effect in The Motorcycle Diaries (Widescreen Edition).

One last note: I first watched this on VHS which is only 140 minutes and severely edited. The DVD contains the entire 206 minute running time. I actually would have been okay with the 140 minute version because the additional hour only stretches things out more with no added info except more time.

For other David Attwood mini-dramas, check out To the Ends of the Earth.

Most excellent and even handed biography of Fidel Castro. Entertaining and lively, yet true to all other sources of information I have encountered about Castro and Cuba. I have watched "Fidel" many times and each time am charmed by the swashbuckling representation of Castro's takeover of Cuba later sobered by the realities of his rule. Also excellent role for Gael Garcia Bernal as Che in all too abbreviated sequel to Motorcycle Diaries.

Having recently read Tad Szulk's excellent biography of Fidel Castro, I was curious to see this movie. Although based on different material, the movie story line is indeed similar and covers a substantial amount of detail. Perhaps because it is not a Hollywood production, the director takes great pains in trying to present an unbiased view of Castro. In this he is indeed succesful, as the Castro we see is here is far from being the evil being that many would like us to believe. Instead, we see a man driven by his relentless desire to correct many of the injustices and social problems existing in Cuba in the 1950's, and tormented by his failure to achieve a better life for his countrymen.

The only problem with the movie is the superficial treatment of the Cuban missile crisis and the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Both topics are dispatched within barely a few minutes of the film. Even so, the film is long (over 3 hours).

All in all, this is a very good film, with good, credible acting.

1) The movie claims that equality promotes laziness. Polemic: In Capitalist Society, the Proletariat (Working class) work the 'means of production' producing commodities. The Bourgeoisie (Capitalist class), own those same 'means of production' and take the commodities the Proletariat produced, sell them take the overwhelming majority for themselves and give a small fraction of it back to the Proletariat. In short, in Capitalist society, those who work do not profit and those who profit do not work.
2) The movie claims "Communism doesn't work because there is no competition". Polemic: The stage that capitalist societies have reached is the stage of monopolies. At this stage Corporation do not compete, but merely make deals with each other (i.e. "you take care of this part of the market and I take care of that part of the market").
3) They denounce Cuba for being "undemocratic". Polemic: Whom a country is democratic for depends on who owns the 'means of production'. The amount of civil liberties assured to the masses in Capitalist society is minimal at best and non-existent at worst. In a Bourgeois Democracy, a worker cannot criticize their boss, because the boss will fire them. The masses cannot express their opinions of public television, because they cannot afford a channel. The masses cannot move wherever they want because in many places the property owners charge too much rent. The masses cannot assemble wherever they want, because too many places are private property. Capitalists get favoured in court because they can afford better lawyers. In addition, the Bourgeoisie control the cops, military, the secret service, the courts and the prisons as well as the government, the press and the education system.
4) They completely ignore the jailing of Cuban Trotskyists.
5) They ignore the fact that the Proletariat hold 'state power' (i.e. own the 'means of production') even though they do not hold political power (i.e. manage the 'means of production').
6) They completely ignore the US blockade on Cuba.
7) They completely ignore the US backed Terrorist attacks on Cuba.