Memories of Underdevelopment (1968)

A Cuban man cycles through his opinions and memories as the threat of foreign invasion intensifies and the rest of his family moves to Miami.

Director:

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Writers:

Edmundo Desnoes (novel), Edmundo Desnoes (screenplay)

Stars:

Sergio Corrieri, Daisy Granados, Eslinda Núñez

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sergio Corrieri	...	Sergio Carmona Mendoyo
Daisy Granados	...	Elena
Eslinda Núñez	...	Noemi
Omar Valdés	...	Pablo
René de la Cruz	...	Elena's brother
Yolanda Farr
Ofelia González
Jose Gil Abad
Daniel Jordan
Luis López
Rafael Sosa
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eduardo Casado Revuelta
René Depestre	...	Self / Panelist
Edmundo Desnoes	...	Self
Pello el Afrokán

Storyline

Sergio (Sergio Corrieri), through his life following the departure of his wife, parents and friends in the wake of the Bay of Pigs incident. Alone in a brave new world, Sergio observes the constant threat of foreign invasion while chasing young women all over Havana before finally meeting Elena (Daisy Granados), a young virgin girl he seeks to mould into the image of his ex-wife, but at what cost to himself?

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Plot Keywords:

cuba | cuban missile crisis | new latin american cinema | fidel castro | havana cuba | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the US National Society of Film Critics awarded the film a special prize in 1973, Alea was denied a visa to attend the ceremony.

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Quotes

Sergio Carmona Mendoyo: One thing about people that upsets me is their inability to sustain something without collapsing. Take Elena: she was totally inconsistent. Didn't relate things. That's a symptom of underdevelopment: the inability to relate things, to gain experience, develop. It's difficult here because women are conditioned by sentiments and culture. A soft environment. People waste talents on inconsistent adaptations. They always need someone to think for them.

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Connections

Followed by Memorias del desarrollo (2010)

User Reviews

An excellent, telling perspective of post-revolutionary Cuba

In this excellent perspective of post-revolutionary Cuba, we see how Sergio has decided to ignore the changes in the world around him even after his parents and wife leave for Miami. Instead he stays in his home and lives off past rent money while focusing on women who attract him and the way the world seems not to have actually changed as he looks out his window with a small telescope. "All of a sudden," he claims,"it looks like a set, a city of card board." The movie is interesting and telling of this world and one man's desire to avoid it. Sergio visits the home of Hemmingway in Cuba and comments on his reasons for living there. The movie ends with an outside view of Cuba by President Kennedy's warnings to the new communist state.

The movie is quick-paced and packed with information, as well as interesting and enjoyable.

Details

Official Sites:

Mr Bongo Films Official site [Japan]

Country:

Cuba

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

17 May 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Memories of Underdevelopment

Filming Locations:

Havana, Cuba

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,244, 14 January 2018

Gross USA:

$29,647

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,103

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cuban State Film, Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (ICAIC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 90 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1