Memorias del subdesarrollo (1968)

Director:

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Writers:

Edmundo Desnoes (novel)
Edmundo Desnoes (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 May 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Sergio, a wealthy bourgeois aspiring writer, decides to stay in Cuba even though his wife and friends flee to Miami...

Plot Keywords:

Cuba | Cuban Missile Crisis | New Latin American Cinema | Fidel Castro | Havana Cuba

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Sergio Corrieri	...	Sergio Carmona Mendoyo
Daisy Granados	...	Elena
Eslinda Núñez	...	Noemi
Omar Valdés	...	Pablo
René de la Cruz	...	Elena's brother
Yolanda Farr
Ofelia González
Jose Gil Abad
Daniel Jordan
Luis López
Rafael Sosa
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eduardo Casado Revuelta
René Depestre	...	Himself / Panelist
Edmundo Desnoes	...	Himself
Pello el Afrokán
Jack Gelber	...	Himself
Tomás Gutiérrez Alea	...	Himself
Gilda Hernández
Fausto Pinelo
Beatriz Ponchova
Gianni Toti	...	Himself / Panelist
Julio Vega
René Villarreal
David Viñas	...	Himself / Panelist

Also Known As:

Historias del subdesarrollo
Inconsolable Memories
Memories of Underdevelopment (USA)
Erinnerung an die Unterentwicklung (West Germany) (TV title) [de]
Memórias do Subdesenvolvimento (Brazil) [pt]
Memorie del sottosviluppo (Italy) [it]
Mnimes ypanaptyxis (Greece) [el]
Muistoja alikehityksen ajoilta (Finland) [fi]
Wspomnienia (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

97 min | West Germany:90 min (TV)

Country:

Cuba

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Havana, Cuba

Company:

Cuban State Film

Trivia:

The first film to be made in post-revolutionary Cuba to be released in the United States.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Memorias del desarrollo (2009)

make sure you're awake to watch this one

I saw this film in a film class, where we were looking at the mix of elements of documentary footage as well as fictional footage (including the use of archives, stills, voice-over), in relation to Resnais' Hiroshima Mon Amour. All I can say is that I was interested in the film, and at times my interest really peaked up with the style, but it's not for everyone, that's for sure. The director is very talented with mixing the elements of making narrative out of seemingly non-narrative. Here and there I was even reminded of Bertolucci's Before the Revolution. But here and there I wondered 'would this be just better as a straight documentary on the post Cuban revolutionary world?' The questions raised by its main character Sergio are intelligent, but there are so many of them thrown at a viewer, or just in observations. And you may need to be completely up on your Cuban history circa late 50's-early 60's to catch some of the stuff inside.

The storyline itself is actually just as involving, if not more so, than the documentary side to the film, as Sergio's viewpoint of the Cuban's (misguided) revolutionary stances and problems with the bourgeoisie is a parallel to his relationships with women. The story with the young girl he seduces, and gets in trouble with, are some of my favorite scenes from the lot (and when I most woke up to watch). It's a little more tedious at times than 'Hiroshima' was as a hybrid-style film, and even with its gritty style that even in fictional form is very documentary-like, it didn't blow me away as much as it has for others who have commented here. However, I would say if you're into the history and hows and whys of the Cuban revolution and Castro and the Bay of Pigs, AND want a character to guide you through it all, this is quite the view.