Amoeba Music

Unseen by the West for nearly 30 years, this unusual Cuban/Soviet co-production was meant to help train Cuban filmmakers and build support for Castro's regime. Four dramatic vignettes depict, in a visually hypnotic blend of Party propaganda and Latin American energy, the corruption of Battista's Havana, the hard life of rural farmers, and the fervor of the student revolutionaries who propelled Castro to victory. Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov ("The Cranes Are Flying"). 141 min. Standard; Soundtracks: Spanish mono, Russian mono; Subtitles: English; bonus documentary "The Siberian Mammoth" (2004),; featurettes; theatrical trailer.