A thorough disappointment and why? This "documentary" smacked of propaganda like I don't know what. Staggeringly one-sided and manipulative it is a puff piece if there ever was one. No matter what I think of his politics, or what you do — this film is so one-sided it is insulting.
Director Estela Bravo is to Fidel what some may say Leni Riefenstahl was to Hitler. Some serious hyperbole going on but keep reading... Old Edward R. Murrow interviews of Fidel with his son and his dog... come on...! Crowd says, "ooh how cute!" Manipulation. The ever-fantastic, nay brilliant, Sydney Pollack asking us why we can't forgive this guy if we've forgiven other enemies? Crowd goes: "Yea! Sydney is respected so how wrong can he be?” Manipulation. Footage of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who claims that Castro reads and edits his manuscripts before they're published speaking about Fidel’s generosity and kindness. More manipulation. Go ahead and trot out footage of Muhammad Ali and Jack Nicholson with Castro - yea we all like both but intellectual heavy hitters they ain't and neither makes any particularly insightful comments on Fidel. More manipulation... and why the parade of celebrities? Bravo knows Americans have a fascination, nay worship, of any and all celebrities and credit them with far more intelligence and respect than they deserve.
On that note this film is clearly tailored towards Americans. Bravo wrongly assumes Americans will buy what Hollywood types have to say about political figures rather than folks like David Corn, Eric Alterman or even William F. Buckley Jr. and it is an assumption that is clearly wrong. Where are the dissenting voices? The ever irascible and yet endearing journalist Mike Wallace and Jesse Helms, which in totality on screen last about five minutes, make the only non-flattering comments about Castro in the film.
On a positive note the footage of Che and Fidel is historically accurate - one senses that the connection politically and personally between these two men was profound. Somewhere in the middle of what our government tells us about Castro and what Bravo portrays in this film is the truth.
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