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Memories of Underdevelopment
Tomás Gutiérrez Alea | Cuba | 1968 | 110 min.

As the first film from post-revolutionary Cuba to be released in the United States, this had a widespread impact unequalled in the history of Third World cinema. Set in the early 1960s, the film centers on a Europeanized Cuban intellectual playboy, too idealistic to leave for Miami, but too decadent to fit into the new society. A critique of revolutionary society (the "underdeveloped" extends to many levels), a critique of that critique, and a remarkable demonstration that artistic subtlety, political commitment and entertainment are not incompatible.

Shown at the 1995 Human Rights Watch Festival. Distributed by New Yorker Films, 16 W. 61st Street, 11th floor, New York, NY 10023, Tel: (212) 247 6110 Fax: (212) 307 7855.

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea


(Second from left) The foremost director in Cuba today, Gutiérrez Alea is known for his satirical critiques of government bureaucracy from "inside" the Revolution. Unwavering in his commitment to Cuba's Marxist Revolution, Gutiérrez Alea has been criticized abroad for being apolitical and for not taking on Castro's policies more fully. Gutiérrez Alea states that he agrees "with the Revolution. I'm not going to question it because I'm not interested in doing that. Now, within the Revolution there are things that I know can be improved, that are not right, and I'm interested in revealing these things."

It is the struggle within the Revolution that gives Gutiérrez Alea the inspiration for his films.

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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL