<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The film <i>Soy Cuba, </i>directed by Mikhail Kalatozov in 1968, shows the country in a time right before and during the revolution and made examples of the many problems of oppression by the government.<span> </span>The film also displayed the interactions of the wealthy and powerful.<span> </span>Kalatozov was heavily influenced by the Russian film master Eisenstein, and Kalatozov took advantage of many of his techniques.<span> </span>As in Eisenstein’s film <i>Que Viva Mexico, </i>Kalatozov developed his film in sections.<span> </span>The first revealed the perception how many outsiders perceived the country of Cuba, and they basically followed through to the end of the film with the last story showing the uprising of the people and the rise of Castro.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">In this time period, Cuba is a highly developed country in the Latin American region.<span> </span>The opening chapter of the film involved showcasing the highly developed city of Havana.<span> </span>The clip looked like a vacationing ad, showing resort top patios, swimming pools, and, most importantly, women in bikinis.<span> </span>This is how most of the U.S. viewed Cuba.<span> </span>In the capitol city, the Cuban economy was centered heavily around trade, which lead to the expansion with export opportunities.<span> </span>(Eckstein 503) </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span> </span>Before the revolution, the United States imported three quarters of Cuba’s exports, and they also invested highly in the farms, sugar mills, and even communication companies.<span> </span>(Chasteen 268)<span> </span>In the second chapter of the film, a poor sugar farmer loses everything when his landowner sells his house and fields out from under his feet to the United Fruit Company.<span> </span>Although this does show a United States investment/involvement in Cuba’s economy, at this point in history the United States’ role in sugar production had been in a decline.<span> </span>(Eckstein 503)<span> </span>The film is still accurate in this area because, although there was a decline in the activity, these events still took place.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Kalatozov was accurate in describing Cuba in an ideological perspective, also.<span> </span>He used the class warfare in Cuba to promote anti-capitalist and anti-American feelings and place Marxists thoughts in the audience’s mind.<span> </span>(Chasteen 250)<span> </span>When the American Navy chases a Cuban lady through the streets in chapter three, Enrique protected her from the likely abuse that would have occurred.<span> </span>This portrayed the Americans as believing to be greater than the locals, and that they should be able to take what they want.<span> </span>This sparks the local Cuban revolutionists toward the anti-American feelings.<span> </span>Fuente quoted Jose Marti saying, “A man is more than white, more than mulatto, more that Negro.”<span> </span>(Fuente 44)<span> </span>This pro-Marxist idea says that there are no longer divisions in color or race, but each is the same, a Cuban.<span> </span>The film did a successful job in promoting the Marxist ideas, by uniting the common Cuban against their pro-American government and creating a new feeling of nationalism against the elite formed by the United States’ involvement in Cuba.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4519892394579927293-4341269929227363461?l=jeremiahglass.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
