Introduction
Andy Garcia’s “The Lost City” is a 2005 film produced by Frank Mancuso and written by Cabrera Infante. The drama film stars Andy Gracia, Ines Sastre, Dustin Hoffman, Tomas Milian, and Bill Murray. This screenplay revolves around the life and family of Fico Fellove (Garcia), a successful entertainer in Havana, a city in Cuba. The political unrest that rocked the country soon entangles his life and family, who were pushing for a revolution. A new regime comes into play and costs Fico his livelihood, which was declared an imperialist tool. Castro introduces Fico’s wife into politics and this causes them to separate. Fico relocates to New York City, albeit financial constraints, to build a new life and return to the city he lost.
Main body
The screenplay depicts what families went through in Cuba during the revolution. The film focuses on the effects of political ideologies on the family of Fico. They experienced both regimes, and all of them had dire effects. During the old regime, Cuba was corrupt, with significant sectors controlled by the mafia and built on a class system of few elites who exploited the poor majority. Unfortunately, Batista’s rotten era was replaced by disappointments from Castro’s regime. The film portrays the harsh reality of law-abiding citizens who find themselves on the receiving end of political tyranny and mobsters. It shows that only those who use force or oppress others have easy lives.
The setting and characters in the film relate to the Cuban Revolution in the late 1950s. Fidel Castro, backed by Ernesto Che Guevara, and poorly armed peasants waged a guerilla campaign against the Batista regime who was overthrown and exiled. Historical inaccuracies portrayed include the notion of pre-Castro Cuba politically troubled but relatively thriving. It seems they suffered more after Batista was ousted. Moreover, it depicts Che Guevara being a cold-hearted killer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the value achieved by the film is saving time. Historical learning through books could take hours or even days. Moreover, unlike books, this audio-visual historical tool makes learning flexible as it can be viewed on many devices. In addition, it brings about exciting ways of learning the history experienced through entertainment. However, there are certain drawbacks. The downside is that the motion picture transcends more on drama and romance than the actual history of the Cuban Revolution.
Reference
BJ Thoughts. (2009). Movie Review: The Historical Lost City 2005. BJ Thoughts; bjthoughts.com. Web.