Product Details

• Actors: Harvey Keitel, Iben Hjejle, Diana Bracho, Gael García Bernal, Gabino Diego
• Directors: Juan Gerard
• Writers: Juan Gerard, Letvia Arza-Goderich
• Producers: Harvey Keitel, Andrew Pfeffer, Bonnie Timmermann, Eberhard Kayser, Francesco Belfiore
• Format: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Velocity / Thinkfilm
• DVD Release Date: April 18, 2006
• Run Time: 110 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000EQ5T1U
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #65,540 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Cuban Blood" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The specter of revolution hovers over a small Cuban town in 2003's Cuban Blood, director Juan Gerard's first (and, to date, only) feature. Veteran and versatile actor Harvey Keitel, whose involvement clearly helped get the picture made, plays the charismatic Che (no, not that Che), a big fish in the small pond that is Holguin, a picturesque spot that's relatively removed from the pro-Castro, anti-Batista rebellion sweeping the country in 1958. But when the rebels knock out the town's electrical power in the opening scene, an outage that lasts a full year, things start to get a little hairy, and Che and his family (including his grandson, clearly a stand-in for Gerard himself) face some major choices and changes. Granted, it's hardly the most original movie ever made. The use of a seemingly crazy homeless man (played by Georg Stanford Brown) as a prophetic Greek chorus is not an uncommon device; and as several critics have noted, echoes of other movies abound, from Cinema Paradiso and Casablanca to Rebel Without a Cause and more. In fact, Cuban Blood was itself formerly known as Dreaming of Julia, a reference to both the film that's playing in the local cinema when the power goes out and to the real name of the enigmatic "La Gringa," the only American in town (actress Iben Hjejle is actually Danish, though you'd never know it from her perfect, unaccented English). In the end, the promotional material's claim that it's "a star-studded adventure in the tradition of (Sergio Leone's epic) Once Upon a Time in America" is hyperbolic in the extreme. Nonetheless, this film--sometimes amusing, sometimes dramatic, both heartwarming and sad, sentimental but not overly so--will appeal to viewers of all ages. --Sam Graham

Product Description

Harvey Keitel Daniel Lugo and Gael Garcia Bernal star in this action-packed drama about the sacrifices several Cuban revolutionaries must make in their efforts to stand up for what they believe is right.System Requirements:Running Time 87 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 821575546850 Manufacturer No: VL-54685

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprised, June 15, 2006

A Kid's Review

I have to admit I had no expectations for this movie. It surprised me. Well paced, interesting enough characters an overall feel good flick if thats possible with a backdrop like the cuban revolution.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprised, June 15, 2006

A Kid's Review

I have to admit I had no expectations for this movie. It surprised me. Well paced, interesting enough characters an overall feel good flick if thats possible with a backdrop like the cuban revolution.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another Look at Pre-Castro Cuba: An Homage to Family and Memory, January 15, 2007

By	Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

CUBAN BLOOD, a direct to DVD little film, has a long history. Shot in the year 2000 in the Dominican Republic as the first film for director/writer Juan Gerard (with writing assistance from Letvia Arza-Goderich) the film began as a 3 1/2 epic about the small town of Holguín, Cuba in the year 1958, a place where the Bautista/Castro clash was not as evident as in Havana. Originally named DREAMING OF JULIA (referencing both the sole entertainment for the little town - a movie house - as well as the sole Americana Julia who plays a significant pivotal role in the story), the film was next called CUBA LIBRE and finally titled (rather inappropriately CUBAN BLOOD. Juan Gerard has yet to make another film and one can understand why.

Holguín is a pretty, peaceful town whose patriarch is Che (Harvey Keitel - and the Che is an old grandfather, not the revolutionary), married to Beta (the very talented and dignified Mexican actress Diana Bracho), who are the beloved grandparents of the little boy (Andhy Méndez) whose story this film is as narrated by off screen mature Tony Planas. The impending revolution results in a loss of power for the town and the story is a simple coming to grips with the changes that are to be inevitable. The boy meets the Americana Julia (Iben Hjejle) who befriends him; he struggles with the town youths who mimic him as a chicken; he dotes on movies he watches with his grandmother Beta; he falls in love with the older Carmen (Farah Alfonseca) who in turn is in love with a quiet revolutionary sympathizer Ricky (Gael García Bernal in his second film after his debut in AMORES PERROS); he learns of Che's infidelity to Beta; and he watches the town and his family disperse with the coming of Fidel Castro's revolution. Seeing the events of 1958 through the eyes of a child is enchanting and for the most part makes for a sweet, though saccharine, film.

Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau takes terrific advantage of the 'year without electricity' motif and makes most of the film shot at night with candles and lanterns creating a storybook loveliness that heightens the romantic aspect of this film. Perhaps in the original 3 1/2 hour version there were better character developments - especially in the case of Gael García Bernal's very small but pivotal role, and in the use of Georg Stanford Brown as a Greek Chorus 'Black Bum' who seems to be placed to make the events unfold with some sense of order.

The supporting cast includes some strong actors: Gabino Diego, Cecilia Suárez, Aline Küppenheim, Daniel Lugo, etc whose roles were no doubt better fleshed out in the original. But it is clearly the influence of Harvey Keitel that helped Juan Gerard make this film happen. It has moments but it too often falls into the novella melodrama realm to make it work for audiences trying to figure out whether this is an historic drama or a Cuban version of 'Cinema Paradiso'-type Italian films. Grady Harp, January 07