Kyûba no koibito (1969) Poster

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7/10
Interesting film shows Cuba during its most revolutionary period
Andy-29623 May 2015
This interesting Japanese film from 1969 (a Cuban-Japanese co production, shot in black and white), has a minimal plot dealing with a Japanese man called Akira (he is a sailor, though we never see him near a ship, and is played by Masahiko Tsugawa) cruising the country, sightseeing and flirting with girls in a reasonably good Spanish. He finally gets the attention of one Marcia (Obdulia Plasencia), a somewhat cold, politicized, moderately pretty girl. She allows him to follow her around, but doesn't believe he is revolutionary enough for her.

The movie includes a lot of documentary style footage of Cuba, including segments of speeches by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, in a moment, ten years after the Cuban revolution, when the revolutionary process is in full swing and the country is in a very regimented, militarized phase. A lot of the dialogue is a bit too didactic, praising the Cuban revolution and its triumphs. Directed by Kazuo Kuroki.
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7/10
Cheeky sailor
JohnSeal21 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
What a curious film this is: a mixture of potent propaganda and lustful yearning; the former personified by Marcia (Obdulia Plasencia), a working-class girl grateful for the ten previous years of revolution, the latter by Akira (Masahiko Tsugawa), a rather clueless Japanese sailor who spends the bulk of the film chasing the ladies (including, of course, Marcia). Director Kazuo Kuroki foregoes the (typically Japanese) widescreen lens and sticks to black-and-white stock: as a consequence Cuban Lover hearkens back (intentionally or otherwise) to Mikhail Kalatozov's 1964 epic Soy Cuba (I Am Cuba). The film inter-cuts its fictional segments with speeches by Fidel and Che, and we're given the impression that the entire population is behind them. Meanwhile, Akira is an unrepentant horn dog who is also pretty clueless concerning the experiences of the Cuban people. I guess the message is you can have a revolution and sex at the same time. Viva Fidel!
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