Havana blues

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Movie
German title Havana blues
Original title Habana blues
Country of production Cuba , Spain , France
original language Spanish
Publishing year 2005
length 110 minutes
Rod
Director Benito Zambrano
script Benito Zambrano ,
Ernesto Chao
production Antonio P. Pérez
( Maestranza Films )
music José Luis Garrido ,
Juan Antonio Leyva ,
Jorge Marín
camera Jean-Claude Larrieu
cut Fernando Pardo
occupation

Havana Blues is a feature film by director and screenwriter Benito Zambrano , shot in Cuba in 2005 . He describes the fight between two musicians for a breakthrough.

action

The young musicians Ruy and Tito are gifted musicians and take advantage of tourists at the same time. Tito takes care of his dreadlocks and his '54 red Chevy Convertible, which all too often falls victim to the potholes in the streets of Havana. Ruy, whom the women tend to call "Mulato", the men sometimes mockingly, is a fan of Iron Maiden and bon vivant. As the heads of their band, they don't give up on discipline, they just enjoy the chaos.

Their mixture of samba, salsa and blues is well received in the Havana underground scene, but it is not enough to survive. They are converting Tito's grandmother's apartment as a recording studio. The recording of the demo cassette, which is essential for the breakthrough, becomes a time-consuming and nerve-consuming adventure. The search for a hall in which they can give their first major live concert turns out to be tedious. There is a theater where the great Cuban singers and musicians once performed, but it is in a pitiful condition. The will to repair is there, all are masters of improvisation, but the necessary change is lacking.

Things seem to be turning when one day the talent scouts of a Spanish record company show up and Ruy and Tito are introduced to them. With their relationships, they are the ideal companions for the Spaniards. They lead you into the underground music scene of the Cuban capital, provide a modern beach house as accommodation and help you to enjoy all kinds of culinary delights in the otherwise monotonous island kitchen.

For Ruy, the whole thing becomes a job around the clock, with close contact with the head of the group. No wonder that in the face of these challenges he hardly finds time for his two children and his wife Caridad, and draws these conclusions ...

Turn

The center of Havana serves as the setting for the film . Instead of the lavishly restored old town, however, the film shows streets and houses marked by decay. The charm of old buildings and the joie de vivre in the capital of Cuba are authentically captured. Benito Zambrano shows everyday life, which is unusual for German standards and is shaped by Cuba's economic problems. But it also shows a theater with a digitally inserted hole in the ceiling, which on closer inspection is pretty neat.

Despite critical content such as emigration, the shooting did not suffer from state censorship . Only the topic of drugs had to be deleted from the script before shooting began . However, it is not clear in what form the film will be shown in Cuban cinemas.

Reviews

  • The US magazine Variety says: "A hilarious anarchic declaration of love to the Cubans' will to survive"
  • filmstarts.de says: “The strategy of almost exclusively engaging debutants from the screen is working with Zambrano. Nothing here seems artificial or rehearsed, the actors mimic the characters with body and soul. "

Awards

  • CEC Award (best music, nominated for film, directing, editing, acting)
  • Goya (best music and editing, nominated for camera, direction, production)

Web links