El elefante y la bicicleta (1994) User Reviews

A fantastic fantasy film that deserves to be watched by all.

[larnie · 9/10 · 20 February 1999]

This film is an excellent example of how a film does not need big movie stars and all-action effects scenes to be a charming and well-constructed piece of entertainment.

Although this film is Cuban, this should not put anyone off from watching it. It still has humour and style in all the right places. If you have ever seen and enjoyed 'The Icicle Thief', then you'll enjoy this film.

I would (and regularly do, but to no avail) recommend this film to anyone who appreciates the cinema.

highly structured and symbolic on cuba

[camel-9 · 21 February 2000]

The story starts in 1925. Ends in the present. There are two stories. One of the real people, the ones that are watching movies, and the one portrayed in the movie itself, fictionalized. With a series of film clips from the fictionalized stories, we see different cinematic styles of the 20's, 30's, 40's, 60's and 70's. And as the fictionalized stories parallel the real stories, the two get closer and closer together, until the ending, in which the audience sees exactly themselves portrayed on the screen, as if of a refletion from a mirror. What is art? should it portray reality? or should it take liberty and license to be a little different? The different characters in life and in the movies have evolved in style, clothing, and attitute. There is one character, however, that did not change. He is wearing the same 1920's suit and panama straw hat through out the entire time evolution. Not sure what he symbolizes, but at the very last screening, he is locked out on purpose. This movie is symbolic, and a couple of viewing may be necessary to see small details such as this.