Although this film isn't exactly true in the way it portrays history (the ending wasn't quite accurate), then this is a pretty exciting film about a group of revolutionaries in 1930s Cuba--well before the days of Castro and Batista.
The film begins with the government suspending basic freedoms. In response, a group of students spread fliers demanding an end to the dictatorship. Shortly after this, a couple of these students (including the brother of the character played by Jennifer Jones) are killed by the police. This event propels Jones to the side of the revolutionaries. The leader of this group is played by John Garfield--who is supposed to have emigrated to the US years before (though, oddly, he hasn't a trace of a Cuban accent). The group comes up with a bold plan--to tunnel under the cemetery and blow up most of the government officials during a state ceremony. All they need to do is dig a tunnel from Jones' basement and arrange to have an important member of the Senate killed in order to provide this funeral. There's more to it than this as well as a romance. However, I don't want to say more and spoil the suspense.
The film is very good all around despite the odd casting of Garfield (without accent) and Jennifer Jones (though she did a pretty good job). What I liked about the film was the tense and intelligently written script. While not perfect (especially because I didn't find the romance all that believable), the film is interesting and unique--how many other Hollywood films deal with this period in Cuban history?
The film begins with the government suspending basic freedoms. In response, a group of students spread fliers demanding an end to the dictatorship. Shortly after this, a couple of these students (including the brother of the character played by Jennifer Jones) are killed by the police. This event propels Jones to the side of the revolutionaries. The leader of this group is played by John Garfield--who is supposed to have emigrated to the US years before (though, oddly, he hasn't a trace of a Cuban accent). The group comes up with a bold plan--to tunnel under the cemetery and blow up most of the government officials during a state ceremony. All they need to do is dig a tunnel from Jones' basement and arrange to have an important member of the Senate killed in order to provide this funeral. There's more to it than this as well as a romance. However, I don't want to say more and spoil the suspense.
The film is very good all around despite the odd casting of Garfield (without accent) and Jennifer Jones (though she did a pretty good job). What I liked about the film was the tense and intelligently written script. While not perfect (especially because I didn't find the romance all that believable), the film is interesting and unique--how many other Hollywood films deal with this period in Cuban history?