Richard Lester was captivated by the 1958 Cuban Revolution and had long wanted to make a movie about it, with the violent regime change as background. Sean Connery stars as a middle-aged British mercenary brought in by General Batista’s government to help train counter-insurgents to go up against Castro’s rebels. Arriving in Havana, Connery runs into an old flame (Brooke Adams, The Dead Zone) who is now married to a callous rich man (Chris Sarandon, Fright Night) who exploits his cigar factory workers. Milling around Connery on his uneasy tropical sojourn are Jack Weston (Wait Until Dark) who may or may not be a spy, Denholm Elliot (Raiders of the Lost Ark), suspicious Cuban military men (Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo), and a revolutionary (Danny De La Paz) who must avenge the honor of his sister (Lonette McKee) who has been abused by Sarandon. A memorable highlight features dictator Batista (Wolfe Morris) taking a break from counter-revolution talks to watch a B&W 16mm print of Horror of Dracula starring Christopher Lee!
“…a fascinating movie.” – Steven Soderbergh
“A political film within which no one speaks about politics and a love story in which no one speaks about love.” – Richard Lester
“…a crazy fantasy about old-time Hollywood melodramas, the sort turned out by Warner Brothers, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Humphrey Bogart… Seeing the film through this fog of memory, you might find it as outrageously endearing as I did…the movie keeps coming up with scenes so arresting or eccentric you are aware of the wicked intelligence behind them.” – Vincent Canby, The New York Times
See a series of promotional stills from Richard Lester’s Cuba (1979) on the New Bev forum.
Marc Edward Heuck discusses our Richard Lester Film Festival on the New Beverly blog.
Chris D explores Richard Lester’s diverse career on the New Beverly blog.
