Fidel

(Fidel)
Saul Landau | Documentary

1969 | 96 minutes | United States, Cuba

Just 9 years after Cuba's Revolution, filmmaker Saul Landau joined Fidel Castro in Cuba for an unprecedented interview for this classic documentary.

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Classic Films History Caribbean Studies Political Science Fascism + Repression Biography Economics + Social Class Issues Latin American Studies
Synopsis

In May 1968, just nine years after the Cuban Revolution, filmmaker Saul Landau was invited to join Fidel Castro in Cuba for an unprecedented in-depth interview.

Over a week, Landau and Castro traveled through the island's mountainous terrain through various settings, from military camps to a pickup baseball game to Castro's speech on the 15th anniversary of his attack on Fort Moncada which marked the beginning of the Revolution. Landau captured an unparalleled time into the relationship of the Cuban people with their popular leader, at a time when the country was being transformed internally while internationally vilified.

Recently restored and remastered by the National Film Preservation Foundation, Fidel was completed in 1969 using fascinating footage from Cuba's National Archive. The film's release in the U.S. was met with violence in several cities, although it is now considered a classic documentary.

Reviews

“Exciting and illuminating work. I found it completely absorbing from the start to finish. A tapestry for history.” – Ralph Gleason, Rolling Stone

"A masterful portrait" — Gore Vidal

Citation
Main credits

Landau, Saul (film director)
Landau, Saul (screenwriter)
Landau, Saul (film producer)
Saraf, Irving (film director)

Other credits

Cinematography and editing, Irving Saraf.


Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects

Biography
Caribbean Studies
Classic Films
Economics + Social Class Issues
Fascism + Repression
History
Latin American Studies
Political Science

Keywords
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Clips
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DIRECTOR: Saul Landau

NATIONALITY: United States, Cuba

YEAR: 1969

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: Spanish

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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