Soy Cuba

Propaganda through film has always been a significant tool for political leaders since the beginning of the film industry. By highlighting the proper material and degrading the opposition, an audience can be easily influenced. In Soy Cuba (or I Am Cuba in a simple Spanish to English translation), the Russian director, Mikhail Kalatozov depicts the pre-revolutionized Cuba as a capitalist-centric economy, heavily manipulated by the United States. After viewing the distinct chapters of the movie, the nationalist and communist visions for Cuba become apparent to the audience.

According to John Chasteen in Born in Blood and Fire, Cubans’ ideologies were centralized around the notions of nationalism and Marxism, which were in opposition of the America’s presence of capitalism. With the frequent appearance of Marxism in the majority of the Cuban population that did not benefit from the capitalist economy, the Anti-United States attitude began to increase while Fidel Castro slowly gained power through his promises of reform.

While the movie depicts Americans as collecting all the wealth on the island, Susan Eckstein makes note that Cuba was not a poor country. On a ranking system, Cuba is a highly competitive economy in the Latin American region due to the sugar cane production and the budding tourism industry. However, Eckstein clearly states that, “foreign capital, above all United States capital, played a major role both in agriculture and in industry.” The role of the United States in every day Cuban life was borderline dominant before the revolution.

Kalatozov utilizes his movie for a call to nationalism and the removal of capitalism. With the title, Soy Cuba, a sense of citizenship is developed, declining the boundaries of wealth and race. Everyone that felt oppressed by the government regime of the current leader of the time, Batista, should unite in order for Cubans to progress into an independent nation, instead of relying on the United States to dominate the land. According to Alejandro de la Fuente, a sense of unity was a common goal for Cuban reformers, rather than attempting to overthrow the government in individual groups. The idea of unity gave Castro popularity he needed to gain a popular majority favor with Cubans.

The influential material in the film also provided several symbolisms for the case of anti-United States and anti-capitalism. In the first chapter, a young woman would earn her living through entertaining American men. At the climax of the chapter, after she sleeps with the tourist and unwillingly sells her crucifix to the man (due to her small understanding of English), the scene could be interpreted as the United States taking advantage of Cubans. In the final portion of that chapter, the tourist is faced with the reality of poor Cubans, having to search through an underprivileged neighborhood for a way out. However, he turns a blind eye, ignoring the beggars in order to find his own way, symbolizing how the United States was aware of the condition of Cubans but turned a blind eye in order to keep accumulating income.

Gabriela (Best Theme Song Ever)

While romanticized in brilliant, daytime shows, “crimes of passion” were common occurrences in pre-modern areas of the world, such as Latin America in the early 20^th century. Defined on The Free Dictionary website, a “crime of passion” is considered to be “a defendant's excuse for committing a crime due to sudden anger or heartbreak, in order to eliminate the element of ‘premeditation.’” In the film, Gabriela, the idea of “crimes of passion” lays the undertone of the movie’s plot as the relationship between a bar owner, Nacib, and his mistress, Gabriella, begins to heat up during the transition of Latin America towards a progressive future. 

According to Susan Besse, a crime of passion was as public a sight in Latin America before “positivism” occurred in the legislature. Men would normally slaughter an adulterous wife as a rational solution for their situation. Latin American men treasured their pride and reputation far more than their feelings for their wives, exhibiting how the gender role for women was considered to be unequal to that of a man. A primary example of women being considered unequal in the movie is when an adulterous woman gives her secret lover money in order to buy shoes, so that he “may always think of walking all over her.” Women were satisfied with the hegemony between themselves in men, accepting their status as long as they’re provided for in material possessions. In the film, Nacib and his bar patrons agree that a husband is justified in killing his cheating wife, rather than allowing the embarrassment to harm his reputation as a man. As Sueann Caulfield describes, the status of family honor is placed on a pedestal in Latin American society, and wives were used to uphold the status of their husbands. Throughout the film, it is commonly seen for men to take women of a wealthy status as their wives, in order to increase their own status. 

The threat of receiving ridicule from his peers drives men to commit murder against unfaithful wives, exhibiting the failure of a woman’s duty to instill a moral conduct in the men, according to Caulfield. Traditional belief that while the men were the considered to be the more aggressive type gender of the two, it was the responsibility of a woman to teach the indecency of homicide. Thus, when the Colonel murdered his wife in the beginning of the film, the wife could be considered the true criminal of the two for failing to teach her husband that homicide is wrong. 

However, two acts in the film highlight the transition from traditional beliefs in Latin America towards a progressive era. The first, Nacib agrees to marry Gabriela on the basis of love rather than for a wealthier status. While arguing against the idea of marriage beforehand, saying that his mistress had no dowry or authentic citizenship, the bar owner decides he would rather be married to Gabriela because he loves the woman. The second act, at the climax of the film, Nacib does not kill the adulterous Gabriela. The positivism is slowly affecting the Latin American area, as the need to apply justification to murders becomes apparent. The Colonel who earlier slaughtered his wife receives his punishment, while Nacib is not ridiculed for sparing Gabriela.

Just a Random Fact For The Day

I personally feel like crying today. Just sitting in my room, and crying for an exceptionally long time, just because I can. Have you ever had a day like that?

Have you ever noticed...

Personally, in my own personal opinion, I honestly believe that some people hold off on having bad news until you are completely swamped with projects to complete, such as trying to finish two assignments after having a 7 hour shift at work. You know, when you're already stressed enough about your school work and having to graduate in May.

I mean seriously, Mom and Sister, it wouldn't hurt sometimes to just casually mention that Dad went to the ER perhaps before I begin to stress over my work, and wait till this afternoon after I turn in all my work? You know that I'm dealing with a bunch of stuff on my plate, so I would honestly appreciate you realizing I don't do well in school when I'm too busy stressing.

All last summer, every time I had a paper due in one of my classes, someone would pop up and make me stress just as I was trying to type the paper. Last semester, I ended up in the hospital with pneumonia and such. Now, I have to deal with my Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma. Like seriously people, I'm trying to graduate here. I'm not trying to be selfish, but you just got to stop complaining about my grades when you're loading all this stress onto my shoulders.

La Última Cena

Based on historical events, La Última Cena (The Last Super) depicts the treatment of African American slaves during the 18^th and 19^th centuries when Cuba became a leading sugar production area in the global market. While not a historical documentary, the movie exhibits real social problems that affected the inhabitants of Cuba of the time period. The issues of racism and oppression of the African slaves are highlighted throughout the film as viewers are able to observe the labor conditions, treatment, and punishment of insubordinate slaves (i.e. Sebastian) by their European master and a Hispanic overseer.

The Havana sugar mill’s main purpose was to produce a substantial amount of income for the Count and the mill’s overseer, Don Manuel. The consideration of a slave’s accommodations at the mill was not in the forefront of the Count’s mind, even after viewing the poor conditions of the mill in a tour. According the Shultz’s article, detailing a discussion of African slaves becoming legal citizens, the educated elite describe Africans as “harmful members of society for which they are a burden” (Shultz 31). A typical African individual, free or bonded into slavery, was considered unworthy of equal citizenship to the Europeans or native peoples. The Count, from his education and the influential social customs of his peers, blindly follows the tradition of believing that the most practical use of a slave is as a tool for his mill instead of a free man. Their existence in the sugar mills is to complete a job, nothing more or less. Similar to the Europeans, Don Manuel dominates on the use of African slavery, despite his status as a Hispanic man, and he requests the Count purchase more slaves to produce sugar at a quicker pace.

However, an underlying issue is presented as the film progresses: the religious sanction of slavery and the justification of the institution. While Don Manuel’s evil intentions for the slaves are obvious to the viewers of the films, the priest living on the sugar mill utilizes his education to continue slavery in the area. The bondage of another human being is considered to be sinful, but the priest manages to validate the bondage using religion has an acceptable reason. According the Mraz’s article, “a priest works assiduously for the ruling class, endeavoring to persuade the slaves that their lot is tolerable and just” (Mraz 112). In the film, the priest and the Count explain to the chosen 12 slaves that they can only attain their true happiness through the difficulties of harsh labor opposed to living a life freely outside the mill. The justification is thus further proven when an elderly slave is granted freedom by the Count at the dinner, but is unable to leave the mill due to his inability of finding a new home.

The African slaves at the sugar mill are continuously taught that their harsh labor will give them true happiness after their deaths, however, after being denied a holiday off from work, the slaves rebel in a violent manner. While racism and oppression are easily perceived by the viewers, the justification of slavery through religion drives the main plot of the film. While the Count continuously states that he supplies the slaves with the religious means on attaining happiness, his main concern is attaining income from the mill and not providing proper accommodations for the African slaves.

To that Special Fella

In regards to my last post:

Baby, I know you said something stupid and you feel incredibly guilty about it, I LOVE YOU.

Just remember, ever since birth control pills, I cry over anything, so don't worry about it some much.

<3


Emma Lee

Not School Related - Boys have competitions for who is dumber

Yes, the title says it all. I honestly believe that boys stand there and try to figure out who can say the dumbest material just to piss off their lady friends. C'mon boys! I'm sure you realize that when you piss off a lady it's a lose-lose situation for all involved. Just don't say that stupid joke, or that comment about her weight, and you'll be living the high life with her after that dinner and a movie date.

Wo what, if a girl complains about her weight and doesn't go to the gym. Just don't tell her "Well, why don't you quit since you're obviously not serious about it." Why? That's just asking for her to get pissed at you and to try and rip your head off through the phone. Trust me, my boyfriend figured it out the hard way, stupid comments are not appreciated at all by anyone involved.

So you fellows may be looking at me like I'm on this ginormous pedastal, preaching to the choir about how women have feelings and that men consistently insult their feelings. Well, it's mostly true. Men always have the habit of ruining the mood with their outspoken thoughts. So here's a little bit advice for men who are looking to get lucky: smile and nod.


Emma Lee