1956. Fulgencio Batista’s tyranny in Cuba. Three years ago he suppressed attack on Moncada barracks led by Fidel Castro who on own trial chose to protect himself by having a lawyer license and there he pronounced a speech later became published as “History will absolve me” what willn’t be. A rebel commander was released one year ago because Batista considered him not a threat while Castro with eighty-one men army situated in Mexico where completed training and prepared deployment plan. From there they departed on Granma and landed on Cuba. They were attacked by Batista army in which twenty men survived. That the rest of forces was dispersed. But they could reunite with help of local sympathizing peasants. Meantime, the streets were in protests, which quelled. Attempts and acts to overthrow Batista will continue to happen in the next two years. Also in that period, variable filmmakers came in Cuba for production of cinema.
Miami Expose (1956)
Alan Napier plays a personage Raymond Sheridan whose plan is achieve that Florida to legalize gambling. Not evil goal whereas that has in realization, which in killing politicians who against of it. This will be tied with Lee J. Cobb’s protagonist Bart Scott’s investigation of murder of police captain who was his close friend, which will cause to come to Havana and among of places will visit of famous as well as infamous Hotel Nacional de Cuba.
A lazy-written script. Miami’s police Lieutenant Scott arrives in Cuba’s capital and already comes on talking with a right man who is known for him and that keeps a witness saw a first killing on which arrived the police captain and which main hero looks for. Scott knows on her presence by accident of her slay attempt by unsavvy hitman, because he didn’t wait when two people will move away from his view and one of them suddenly (it was magic of editing.) relocated on place and got bullet. A police lieutenant convinces the witness, whose name is Lila Hodges and was performed by Patricia Medina, to give testimony in Miami, but actually he tricked her for reckless plan in getting truth from her, which she actually doesn’t know. The witness goes on dances with Cobb’s hero without resistance in spite of her fear to leave any safety zone. It will cause to incident what actually was a warning shot, which doesn’t match with logic. The aforementioned right man who protected a heroine says a needful information, which he hadn’t point to hid if he wanted to save life of Hodges. Lieutenant and the witness come in Miami and she faints with no point, but that element will be for creation of incident of her death. I got enough. Alongside with plot was otiose narration in which voiceover tells statistics and then he says you don’t interest in this thing. He repeats again there in giving other facts and that you don’t interested in this too. I didn’t want to hear nonsense texts and I thought “not this” when I saw that staging indicates on coming of narration.
The Sharkfighters (1956)
It was an engaging story on group of people looking for chemical combination which will repel sharks away until it became overdramatized. A boy dances on a boat by seeing that predators don’t react on fish in place of poured chemistry. It causes to expect falling into water. Nobody tries to be active as stop the boat, throw a rope and a man who used a gun later did filming of that boy instead of that. And it is strange that they didn’t use a repel remedy. Or it ran out in one go what isn’t productive? Everybody froze for making drama. The boy swims to point where the repel paint. Sharks don’t come to there, but the boy dies when he takes the rope and crew pulls him to the boat what means that he leaves safety zone and that causes to his slaying by sharks. I clicked in forward few minutes later and I saw a personage blames a main character in failure and he with other characters want to leave a job – all of that don’t make understanding. I moved further for see that overdramatizing will in conclusion in which protagonist in performance Victor Mature will put himself as bait in place of poured chemical remedy. Did fish over?
I had eye turned to initial relocating in length in Affair in Havana (1957). A screenplay was lifeless in that wife of wealthy husband fell in love in pianist. It’s memorable in cast in Raymond Burr whose sitting on chair will make to recall his hallmark Ironside by that and John Cassavetes. A movie could watch for Cuban culture in dances and music with magnetizing tools, but much unreasonable with storyline couldn’t me to make whole watching. A servant kills Burr’s personage by choking him in pool. Police cars come without explanation, because they arrived just after murder in the next shot and in other episode wife of servant takes away knife sheath of some man and does it in front of cop. They both do look that begin to chase her, but stop on place without making a step by allowing to stab her target.
The Big Boodle (1957)
Havana of Batista reigning is impeccable place for noir (though this ambience has under commie regime, but it hasn’t charm due to everywhere greyness.). Errol Flynn attracts and tantalizes what was opposite in reality. That was a man obsessed on sex till had it with underage girls whereas his own house was a dream of pervert in two-way mirrors (as one was in bathroom.) and peepholes. After The Big Boodle, he will make a couple more movies in Cuba where in the first he will play himself in own written fiction story and the second will documentary of happening events. Flynn supported revolution. Would he change his views if his lifestyle in chain smoking, a lot of drinking and using drugs didn’t kill him? These became his last films, which premieres he didn’t witness.
The Big Boodle was one, which I watched till end and I liked. I love protagonist’s personality. An antihero by his petty crimes and he usually experiences bad, but Ned Sherwood knows fighting and lovely alongside is that he speaks in brilliant phrases.
Havana is shown in finest by constant demonstration of it’s streets (that was rarity in previous movies, which action had place in usual premises mostly.) and memorable landmarks as El Morro Castle. An intricate and hyping screenplay, which is a classic noir. It’s ethereal nice for me to discover this kind of flick.
A movie has two technical misfires, which would impossible to ignore in production. It’s an egregious by it’s obviousness in having double in fighting scene whose face, hair, no moustaches and overall body form exposes absence of Flynn. I shouldn’t explain how to stage such episode. This a grandiose combat colliding, which staging I wouldn’t change (except a scene where both fighting persons situate behind sofa and enemy on top while in the next shot will reveal that it was Flynn’s hand from that position which took knife and made impaling.), but a lead performer must be there. I’m sure, Errol Flynn was capable to do this stuff, which doesn’t require special skills. The second nuance is that why weren’t cast Cuban actresses or look alike? Two Italians Gia Scala and Rosanna Rory can’t convince by look and I always hear an Italian accent from Rory while Scala exposes it in emotional expression once.