Fidel (2001)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Estela Bravo

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Plot:

Documentary about Fidel Castro, covering 40 years of Cuban Revolution. Rare Fidel Castro footage: he appears swimming with a bodyguard...

Plot Keywords:

Fidel Castro | Cuban | Interview | Government | Communism

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Fidel Castro	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Muhammad Ali	...	Himself
Harry Belafonte	...	Himself
Angela Davis	...	Herself
Elián González	...	Himself
Nelson Mandela	...	Himself
Ted Turner	...	Himself
Vlasta Vrana	...	Narrator (voice)
Alice Walker	...	Herself

Also Known As:

Fidel: The Untold Story (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Bravo Films

and there's even more since the documentary came out

By the time that I saw "Fidel", I had known about the situation between Cuba and the United States for many years (I think that I first became aware of it when I was about ten). But it was quite fascinating to see Fidel Castro - who turns 81 today - just as a regular man, doing things that anyone else does in his/her daily life; some early footage even shows him without a beard! Along with Castro himself, there are also interviews with people like Harry Belafonte and Sydney Pollack putting in their two cents about him. As for the famous people who have gone to Cuba, I wasn't surprised about Jack Lemmon, Jack Nicholson and Muhammad Ali, but it was an eye-opener that Ted Turner has gone there (but then again, Ted Turner isn't Rupert Murdoch). Other famous Americans who have traveled to Cuba include Jimmy Carter, Robert Redford, Jane Fonda and Steven Spielberg.

Now, the Bush administration of course does everything in its power to vilify Cuba. But you know something? Cuba has national health care, Cuba has never invaded any other countries, Cuba has no nukes, and Cuba helped the South African people bring down apartheid. How does the Bush administration plan to respond to that? As it is, that last part brings us to some of the things relating to Cuba since the documentary came out. On September 11, 2001, all flights into and out of the US were canceled, so Cuba offered its airspace to planes that couldn't enter the US. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Cuba offered medical assistance (but the Bush administration naturally refused to answer). And, as we saw in "Sicko", Michael Moore took 9/11 rescue workers there to get medical treatment, and they got quality treatment.

All in all, I staunchly recommend this documentary. Also appearing in it are Alice Walker, Angela Davis, Elian Gonzalez and Che Guevara.