Memorias del Subdesarrollo (Memories of Underdevelopment – Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Cuba, 1968)Īnother Cuban film which examined the social changes that had occurred post-revolution, Memories of Underdevelopment is told from the point of view of a well-off writer who decides to remain in Havana as his wife and friends flee the communist state for Miami. Dealing with themes such as brutality, corruption and fanaticism, the film acts as a cutting critique of both the left and the right sides of the political chasm. Nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival, Rocha’s film looks at the roots of the 1964 military coup in Brazil, albeit through the fictional country of ‘El Dorado’. Terra em Transe (Entranced Earth – Glauber Rocha, Brazil, 1967) One of the most famous is I Am Cuba, a powerfully dramatic and visually striking work that explores different narrative strands to examine four distinct and key roles within Cuban society: the urban poor, the peasant, the student and the revolutionary. The Cuban Revolution and the imposition of a socialist system led to the Soviet Union funding and producing several films promoting Cuba’s political structures. Soy Cuba (I Am Cuba – Mikhail Kalatozov, Russia/Cuba, 1964) Bear in mind this is more or less a random selection, and in no way seeks to provide a definitive list:
#WATCH THE MESSAGE 1976 WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES WATCH ONLINE#
Here are ten films in their entirety, free to watch online (some with subtitles in English, some without), which reflect the ongoing era of political cinema in Latin America.
There have been a great number of Latin American films over the last half-century or so that have addressed political topics, and which today are recognised as important documents of their time, not just for their content but as a means of investigating how cinema itself is used as a tool of influence and education. Perhaps in Latin America more than anywhere else, political films have been a particular cinematic characteristic, as the region’s long history of colonialism, revolution, popular movements, dictatorships and social struggles have provided filmmakers with a vast wealth of subject material through which to explore and foment political consciousness. Politicians and filmmakers alike have always realised the power of cinema to convey political messages or to examine social and political structures. The widespread accessibility, popularity, and ability to relate complex political systems to realistic situations with which audiences can identify gives film a far larger reach and influence than most political organisations can ever manage. Cinema has always played a major role in the dissemination of political understanding and in developing a collective memory of past events.
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