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Havana (1990)

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In 1950s Cuba, a professional gambler falls for a woman heavily involved in the revolution movement.

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers:

Judith Rascoe (story), Judith Rascoe (screenplay) | 1 more credit »
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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Redford ... Jack Weil
Lena Olin ... Bobby Duran
Alan Arkin ... Joe Volpi
Tomas Milian ... Menocal
Daniel Davis ... Marion Chigwell
Tony Plana ... Julio Ramos
Betsy Brantley Betsy Brantley ... Diane
Lise Cutter Lise Cutter ... Patty
Richard Farnsworth ... Professor
Mark Rydell ... Meyer Lansky
Vasek Simek Vasek Simek ... Willy
Fred Asparagus Fred Asparagus ... Baby Hernandez
Richard Portnow ... Mike MacClaney
Dion Anderson ... Roy Forbes
Carmine Caridi ... Captain Potts
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Storyline

Cuba, December 1958: The professional gambler Jack visits Havana to organize a big Poker game. On the ship he meets Roberta and falls in love with her. Shortly after they arrive in Cuba, Roberta and her Cuban husband, the revolutionary Arturo, are arrested and tortured. Arturo is reported "shot while trying to escape," but Jack manages to get Roberta free again. He can't, however, keep her from continuing to support the revolution. Jack has to make a choice between the beautiful woman who keeps putting herself in harms way and the biggest poker game of his life; between the man he could be and the man he is. Written by Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

A gambler who trusted no one. A woman who risked everything. And a passion that brought them together in the most dangerous city in the world.

Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Sydney Pollack's first film since winning his Oscar for the very successful "Out Of Africa". He took a very long time filming it, and it was hugely expensive. He gave small acting roles to both his brother Bernie Pollack (costume designer) and his cameraman Owen Roizman. The film received very poor reviews on the whole and was a miserable box-office flop, regaining less than a quarter of its budget. It was the last of the seven films Pollack directed with Robert Redford. See more »

Goofs

The final scene takes place, according to the movie, in 1963 so the Santo Domingo reference would be correct. See more »

Quotes

Bobby Duran: You're very straight forward.
Jack Weil: Hey, I can be suave. But I figure you know a lot of suave guys. I've got no edge that way. But how many crude guys do you know?
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Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of Sydney Pollack (2000) See more »

Soundtracks

The Christmas Song
Written by Mel Tormé & Robert Wells
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User Reviews

 
Underrated
26 June 2005 | by GregFromOaklandSee all my reviews

I just saw this one again on DVD and was surprised at how good it was. The acting, story and environment made it very easy to follow what was going on. I fail to see big holes in the plot: the characters are very well developed. What is created is a very sweet romantic thriller in a historical setting - the viewer knows that the revolution will take place so that part is anti-climatic.

The film didn't attempt to make the revolutionaries into the good guys - Batista's forces did come across as corrupt and arrogant though.

One mistake: Redford's character convinces the security chief he works for the CIA which is implausible since he's supposedly on assignment in Cuba and doesn't speak Spanish.


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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Release Date:

14 December 1990 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Havana See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,175,360, 16 December 1990

Gross USA:

$9,243,140

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,645,440
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)| Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »

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