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

Adolfo: There are always problems. And there are always solutions.

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Connections

Referenced in Last Night (1998)

User Reviews

Good but insufficiently provocative entertainment

The movie seems ambitious in its elements - a satire of bureaucratic Cuba (via the red tape associated with cross-country funeral delivery arrangements), frequent broad comedy (mainly in the truck driver's entanglements with his various women), much romantic wistfulness as the old man deals with a life largely wasted through lack of courage and Gina realizes the aridity of her marriage to Alonzo, within which her own creativity is stifled; the economic and cultural diversity of Cuba sketched in bits and pieces along the way. As executed, the overall framework for all of this - that of a loosely structured road movie - sets the tone more fully than might have been advisable: the rhythm reflects the leisurely procession along the road and the jauntily resigned renditions of the title song, which makes for good but not very provocative entertainment. The film seems to look back more than forward, with a pervasive sense of quiet nostalgia and regret about it, although there's also a gentle postivism that things can be overcome (with no thanks to the political infrastructure, it subtly suggests).