BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: DougR
Date: 20 Aug 00 - 03:27 PM

Little Hawk: I checked out the video, "Bitter Sugar" at our library. You might check yours for a copy. I haven't seen it at the video stores around here.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: Little Hawk
Date: 19 Aug 00 - 09:58 PM

Yeah, okay, I missed this thread the first time around cos I was out of town. Interesting...I will try to get a look at this movie.

The Cuban revolution has had many good points and many bad points. Castro's government has been very helpful to the people in some ways, and quite oppressive in other ways. The oppression has not gone unnoticed, while the good works of the government are sometimes taken for granted (which happens everywhere, not just in Cuba).

I met young Cubans who hated the system, and young Cubans who were proud of it. Those who wanted only to leave, and those who wanted to stay there.

I could see the rationale and justice in both points of view. "You're right from your side and I'm right from mine" (Bob Dylan)

What I really loved about Cuba was the inner spark and spirit of the people. Their minds have not been dominated by material consumer goods and a greedy lifestyle, and that has brought out their human side. I saw people who were essentially happier within themselves, prouder of themselves, more grounded, more passionate, more courageous, and more mature than most of their North American counterparts.

This was what inspired me and makes me want to go back to Cuba as soon as I can. I love the people there.

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: DougR
Date: 17 Aug 00 - 03:39 PM

Wow, Peg! That is an excellent summation of that movie. I think one of the most telling points in the movie to me was that fact that the general population views Cuba very differently than the tourists do.

Little Hawk, where are you? Fionn? Jump in here. You might want to check out that website Peg posted first though, or see the movie.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: Peg
Date: 17 Aug 00 - 03:21 PM

I saw and reviewed this several years ago...you are right, the music is great.

http://www.bostonphoenix.com/alt1/archive/movies/reviews/02-20-97/BITTER_SUGAR.html

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: Peg
Date: 17 Aug 00 - 03:21 PM

I saw and reviewed this several years ago...you are right, the music is great.

from The Boston Phoenix...

Leon Ichaso's occasionally melodramatic but always engaging love story is set amid the socio-economic wasteland that is modern-day Havana. Gustavo (One Life To Live's Rene Lavan) and Yolanda (The Specialist's Mayte Vilan) meet in a nightclub and fall instantly for each other. Gustavo is a young engineer who has been promised a scholarship to study in Prague; he's loyal to the Castro regime. Yolanda, a dancer, hates the Communists and wants only to escape her poverty. Complicating matters, Gustavo's brother Bobby is a young Cuban "rockero" who, like his friends, injects himself with the AIDS virus to protest the political system. And their father, a once-prominent psychiatrist, is reduced to playing piano for tips in a hotel bar. Physical passion and hope for the future obfuscate the lovers' differences at first, but eventually Yolanda departs for Miami, leaving Gustavo to accept that his trip to Prague will never come about. Based in reality but photographed in dreamlike monochrome, Bitter Sugar offers a powerful glimpse into a country poisoned by soured dreams of a revolution that may never occur.

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: Peg
Date: 17 Aug 00 - 03:20 PM

I saw and reviewed this several years ago...you are right, the music is great.

Bitter Sugar

Leon Ichaso's occasionally melodramatic but always engaging love story is set amid the socio-economic wasteland that is modern-day Havana. Gustavo (One Life To Live's Rene Lavan) and Yolanda (The Specialist's Mayte Vilan) meet in a nightclub and fall instantly for each other. Gustavo is a young engineer who has been promised a scholarship to study in Prague; he's loyal to the Castro regime. Yolanda, a dancer, hates the Communists and wants only to escape her poverty. Complicating matters, Gustavo's brother Bobby is a young Cuban "rockero" who, like his friends, injects himself with the AIDS virus to protest the political system. And their father, a once-prominent psychiatrist, is reduced to playing piano for tips in a hotel bar. Physical passion and hope for the future obfuscate the lovers' differences at first, but eventually Yolanda departs for Miami, leaving Gustavo to accept that his trip to Prague will never come about. Based in reality but photographed in dreamlike monochrome, Bitter Sugar offers a powerful glimpse into a country poisoned by soured dreams of a revolution that may never occur.

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: Peg
Date: 17 Aug 00 - 03:19 PM

I saw and reviewed this several years ago...you are right, the music is great.

Bitter Sugar

Leon Ichaso's occasionally melodramatic but always engaging love story is set amid the socio-economic wasteland that is modern-day Havana. Gustavo (One Life To Live's Rene Lavan) and Yolanda (The Specialist's Mayte Vilan) meet in a nightclub and fall instantly for each other. Gustavo is a young engineer who has been promised a scholarship to study in Prague; he's loyal to the Castro regime. Yolanda, a dancer, hates the Communists and wants only to escape her poverty. Complicating matters, Gustavo's brother Bobby is a young Cuban "rockero" who, like his friends, injects himself with the AIDS virus to protest the political system. And their father, a once-prominent psychiatrist, is reduced to playing piano for tips in a hotel bar. Physical passion and hope for the future obfuscate the lovers' differences at first, but eventually Yolanda departs for Miami, leaving Gustavo to accept that his trip to Prague will never come about. Based in reality but photographed in dreamlike monochrome, Bitter Sugar offers a powerful glimpse into a country poisoned by soured dreams of a revolution that may never occur. . -- Peg Aloi

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: Peg
Date: 17 Aug 00 - 03:19 PM

I saw and reviewed this several years ago...you are right, the music is great.

Bitter Sugar Leon Ichaso's occasionally melodramatic but always engaging love story is set amid the socio-economic wasteland that is modern-day Havana. Gustavo (One Life To Live's Rene Lavan) and Yolanda (The Specialist's Mayte Vilan) meet in a nightclub and fall instantly for each other. Gustavo is a young engineer who has been promised a scholarship to study in Prague; he's loyal to the Castro regime. Yolanda, a dancer, hates the Communists and wants only to escape her poverty. Complicating matters, Gustavo's brother Bobby is a young Cuban "rockero" who, like his friends, injects himself with the AIDS virus to protest the political system. And their father, a once-prominent psychiatrist, is reduced to playing piano for tips in a hotel bar. Physical passion and hope for the future obfuscate the lovers' differences at first, but eventually Yolanda departs for Miami, leaving Gustavo to accept that his trip to Prague will never come about. Based in reality but photographed in dreamlike monochrome, Bitter Sugar offers a powerful glimpse into a country poisoned by soured dreams of a revolution that may never occur. . -- Peg Aloi

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: DougR
Date: 17 Aug 00 - 12:07 AM

Whoa, friends, I may have misled you! "Bitter Sugar" is not a documentary. It is fiction that is evidently based on a true story. No question but that it is biased against the Castro regime, but in view of the comments made on the other thread, about the "good" life in Cuba these days, I found it very interesting.

It is subtitled and I checked it out at our local library.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: catspaw49
Date: 17 Aug 00 - 12:01 AM

I'm a docu junkie and generally they at least trigger an interest to learn more which mandates a trip to the bookstore or the library. But once again, as I have said innumerable times before and as Rick alluded to, all history is philosophy. We all come out with a differing point of view based on the author's bias....and our own. But I'll be looking for this one.....thanks Doug.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: Lox
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 11:58 PM

I haven't seen the film, but I know a story.

An Irishman arrives in a new country for the first time. His first question is "what system of government do you have here?" but just as his guide is about to tell him, he interrupts him, saying "Actually, don't bother telling me, I disagree with it already."

The point being that utopia doesn't exist, and where people claim it exists, it extracts a heavy price.

Subject: RE: BS: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 11:52 PM

Haven't seen the film Doug, but I'd like to. I love documentaries, but I'm always careful to try and remove as much of the filmaker's bias as I am able to. I'm not even sure if there is such a thing as a "true" documentary on anything where there's passion involved.

For many years Leni Reifenstall has tried to dis-associate herself from the politics of "Triumph Of The Will", but as we all know, she'll never be able to 'cause she couldn't even hint at negatives. Simply, the third Reich payed the piper and hence "called the tune".

When I watch a documentary about (say) Cuba, from a negative point of view, I want to know who financed it. Same thing if it was one extolling Fidel. If either points of view have "official" backing I tend to not take it very seriously...although it might be entertaining, and generally informative.

Rick

Subject: nonmusic, Bitter Sugar
From: DougR
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 10:49 PM

Now everybody should have gathered by the Thread title, that this a non-music thread at this point, and it is political.

On a Thread recently, several Mudcatters were extolling the virtues of life in Cuba.

Today I saw a film titled, "Bitter Sugar." I would be interested to know if Mudcatters have seen this flick, which was released in 1996, and, if so, what their opinion of the film might be.

I thought it was a very powerful film that pointed out the differences between how the foreign tourist views Cuba, and how the population views it.

The musical score, I thought, was terrific.

So?