Guantanamera (1995)

It is a satire about life in Cuba. The members of a funeral procession and some truckdrivers who have to take the same route begin to talk about god and the world ending up in discovering ... See full summary »

Directors:

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío

Writers:

Eliseo Alberto, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Stars:

Carlos Cruz, Mirta Ibarra, Jorge Perugorría

7 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carlos Cruz	...	Adolfo
Mirta Ibarra	...	Georgina
Jorge Perugorría	...	Mariano
Raúl Eguren	...	Candido
Pedro Fernández	...	Ramon
Luis Alberto García	...	Tony
Conchita Brando	...	Yoyita
Suset Pérez Malberti	...	Iku
Assenech Rodriguez	...	Grieving Woman
Luisa Pérez-Nieto	...	Marilis (as Louisa Pérez Nieto)
Idalmis Del Risco	...	Hilda
Ikay Romay	...	Wina
Mercedes Arnáez	...	Vivian
José Ángel Espinosa 'Ferrusquilla'	...	Justo (as Jose Antonio Espinosa)
Alfredo Ávila	...	Tirso

Storyline

It is a satire about life in Cuba. The members of a funeral procession and some truckdrivers who have to take the same route begin to talk about god and the world ending up in discovering that life for both groups has many similarities as well as a lot of differences depending on the point of view.

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Plot Keywords:

funeral procession | satire | cuba | one word title | truck driver | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

Cuba Spain Germany

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

4 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Guantanamera - Eine Leiche auf Reisen

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$73,703, 25 July 1997

Gross USA:

$751,478, 7 December 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alta Films, Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (ICAIC), Prime Films S.L.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea.

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Quotes

Candido: Loneliness is the worst sort of hungry.

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Connections

Referenced in Last Night (1998)

User Reviews

Reporting on Cuba: Subtle metaphors, and "slices of life"

As pure entertainment, the film does seem scattered and unfocused. However, it packs in many social, political and cultural messages on different levels. For instance, as the characters enter Bayamo, we hear a tour guide telling of Bayamo as historical center for smuggling and how this motivated rebellious action against colonial Spain. I took this as a commentary about present-day Cuba. The film is filled with metaphors, starting, of course, with the plot: a former economics teacher falls in love with a trucker and leaves her crass, heartless, bureaucrat husband. To really enjoy this movie, you have to understand that it is a report on the state of the country, and the characters and plot serve to veil documentary as movie fiction. Knowledge about recent Cuban history certainly helps understanding the movie, though, and you may want to see other films or read about present-day Cuba first.