When will they (Stalinists) ever learn?
Added 1/10/2010
This is an artistically solid & politically stunning view of homophobia & Stalinism in Cuba. It shows how many homosexuals along with vast numbers of people at first supported the Revolution--then the "crap" (To paraphase Marx) set in. Bigotry, nepotism, bribery, intellectual stulification & a resurrection of "socialist realism" in the arts.
Javier Bardem is powerful & convincing in the role of the real writer Reinaldo Arenas.
Johnny Depp has a brief role as a transgender prison entertainer(!)
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Best for those with prior knowledge of its subject
Added 10/8/2009
BEFORE NIGHT FALLS
(USA - 2000)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Theatrical soundtrack: Dolby Digital
The life and times of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, whose political viewpoint and experiences as a gay man rendered him unwelcome in his home country.
Evocative study of a renowned artist whose craft was forged under duress, within a political system which defined Art and sexuality as two sides of the same 'dangerous' cultural coin. Viewers with a prior knowledge of Arenas' life and work will derive more from the episodic narrative than most casual viewers, though no one could fail to be impressed by Javier Bardem's Oscar-nominated performance in the central role. Strong supporting cast, too, including Johnny Depp in brief - but memorable - dual roles, Olivier Martinez (as Arenas' closest friend) and a virtually unrecognizable Santiago Magill (DON'T TELL ANYONE) as one of Bardem's early sexual conquests. Directed by Julian Schnabel (BASQUIAT).
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Javier Bardem is excellent
Added 9/21/2009
This is the first film I have seen Javier in. It is subtitled but I enjoyed it very much. It shows gay life in Cuba and the problems they have living in that country. Even though Castro's' brother was brought out of the closet about forty years ago-smile
Javier was in a recent movie playing a killer. As I sit here at the computer, I have forgotten the title. He is one bad ass actor and will be around for a long time. Get the DVD. "BEFORE NIGHT FALLS." It was also filmed in Cuba? Well, it looked like what I assume Cuba looks like.
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before night falls
Added 11/29/2008
good capsule version of what it must have been like to live in Cuba at the time
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Struggle against repression
Added 10/18/2008
This is an artistic and visually bold film about the life of a gay talented poet and writer in the time of the Cuban Revolution. Javier Bardem is excellent as poet Reinaldo Arenas, a peasant child who becomes one of Cuba's great writers. The film takes us from the first days of the Cuban revolution to the dark days of totalitarian repression of all sexuality and creativity that is not condoned by the state.
This is an excellent film, visually compelling with a narrative flow that is not smooth or consistent, but totally engaging all the same. The film artfully and entertainingly deals with the concept of whether and how the work of the artist and the actual life of the artist and then the later artistic depiction of the life of the artist are integrated. Schnabel does an excellent job of taking on this challenge, revealing the passages in the life of the artist that impact his work. Reinaldo Arenas made art from his life experiences but was able to maintain a surreal and absurdist aspect to the writing. Schnabel does this perfectly with his short collage like film-making, that is almost dream like with its entrances and exits of characters with little introduction or resolution. At first I thought this was a weakness of the film. Why were so many handsome men coming into Arenas' life and then leaving his life? Why were so many artists and writers his friends and allies and then they disappear? The more I thought about the film the more it became evident to me that this is the nature of both homosexuality and homosexual relationships as well as the voice of dissident artists in a repressive totalitarian dictatorship. This is terror indeed if we are afraid to know the names of our lovers or of our fellow sympathizers for fear that we will be turned in by them or forced to reveal their names. In the end the film is a great achievement in the ability to depict repression and the human forces that resist it.
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When will they (Stalinists) ever learn?
Added 1/10/2010
This is an artistically solid & politically stunning view of homophobia & Stalinism in Cuba. It shows how many homosexuals along with vast numbers of people at first supported the Revolution--then the "crap" (To paraphase Marx) set in. Bigotry, nepotism, bribery, intellectual stulification & a resurrection of "socialist realism" in the arts.
Javier Bardem is powerful & convincing in the role of the real writer Reinaldo Arenas.
Johnny Depp has a brief role as a transgender prison entertainer(!)
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Best for those with prior knowledge of its subject
Added 10/8/2009
BEFORE NIGHT FALLS
(USA - 2000)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Theatrical soundtrack: Dolby Digital
The life and times of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, whose political viewpoint and experiences as a gay man rendered him unwelcome in his home country.
Evocative study of a renowned artist whose craft was forged under duress, within a political system which defined Art and sexuality as two sides of the same 'dangerous' cultural coin. Viewers with a prior knowledge of Arenas' life and work will derive more from the episodic narrative than most casual viewers, though no one could fail to be impressed by Javier Bardem's Oscar-nominated performance in the central role. Strong supporting cast, too, including Johnny Depp in brief - but memorable - dual roles, Olivier Martinez (as Arenas' closest friend) and a virtually unrecognizable Santiago Magill (DON'T TELL ANYONE) as one of Bardem's early sexual conquests. Directed by Julian Schnabel (BASQUIAT).
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Javier Bardem is excellent
Added 9/21/2009
This is the first film I have seen Javier in. It is subtitled but I enjoyed it very much. It shows gay life in Cuba and the problems they have living in that country. Even though Castro's' brother was brought out of the closet about forty years ago-smile
Javier was in a recent movie playing a killer. As I sit here at the computer, I have forgotten the title. He is one bad ass actor and will be around for a long time. Get the DVD. "BEFORE NIGHT FALLS." It was also filmed in Cuba? Well, it looked like what I assume Cuba looks like.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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