The Criterion Voyages (Spine #1214): I AM CUBA -- A Stunning 4K Restoration of a Once-Lost Political Film

By Sean Boelman

At what point does a political film become propaganda? And is there merit to be found in propaganda despite its purpose? The Soviet production I Am Cuba eludes easy classification in these regards. It boasts an incredibly nuanced look at the politics of the country in which it is set, all shot through the lens of some of the best cinematography of all time.

I Am Cuba is an anthology film set during the early days of the Cuban Revolution. It tells four stories of the average Cuban citizen. What stands out about this movie compared to others with an anthology structure is that all of its segments are very consistent in quality. From melodrama to shocking and guttural war stories, one thing unites each of the vignettes of I Am Cuba: their politicism.

Understandably, this is a lot of the reason why I Am Cuba went under the radar for so long. The film was released during a time when the United States had an embargo against Cuba and was amidst the Cold War with the Soviet Union. It wasn’t particularly well regarded among its contemporaries in the Eastern Bloc either. Only decades later would it be recognized for the incredible work of political image-making that it is.

And the images created by director Mikhail Kalatozov and cinematographer Sergey Urusevsky are pretty undeniable. I Am Cuba is well-known for its incredible use of long takes, of which there are several. However, these sequences don’t feel like mere gimmicks, effectively immersing viewers in the facade-like world of Cuba.

Although the movie has been available in several formats in the decades since its rediscovery, the main reason for picking up the Criterion Collection edition of the film is its stunning 4K restoration. The black-and-white cinematography looks as gorgeous as one could hope, and the uncompressed soundtrack is a treat to hear — especially regarding a movie whose soundtrack has been tinkered with as much as this one.

However, it’s not just the film's technical prowess that has earned it a cinematic reevaluation — I Am Cuba has, in recent years, grown in stature for its incendiary themes. Its heavy anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist themes are virtually as controversial today as they were decades ago, but that doesn’t make them any less timely or their perspective any less valuable.

As far as bonus features go, this release of I Am Cuba doesn’t offer much that’s “new” — only a new “appreciation” of the movie by cinematographer Bradford Young (Oscar nominee for Arrival). However, it does boast a solidly eclectic bunch of archival materials, including the feature-length documentary “I Am Cuba,” the Siberian Mammoth, and a 2003 interview with Martin Scorsese, who played a large part in the film’s preservation.

I Am Cuba is a wonderful movie, but if you’re a cinephile who’s paid attention to the repertory sphere in the past couple of decades, you didn’t need to be told that. Still, it’s absolutely worth picking up the Criterion Collection edition of this masterful once-lost political film, if only to see the pristine restoration of its seminal cinematography.

The Criterion Collection edition of I Am Cuba is available beginning April 23.