Alea's Memories of Underdevelopment

Thomás Gutiérrez Alea's film could actually be summarized by a scene in the actual film: it is a tragically poetic shot in which Sergio is washing his hands in the sink and he leaves behind excess bubbles. He tries to wash them away but they continue to live in the sink. This shot encapsulates Sergio's journey throughout the film. He constantly tries to run away from this so called "underdevelopment" left behind by the revolution, but no matter how much he tries to wash it away, he is not able to escape it...the "bubbles" of his underdevelopment stay behind.

I was impressed with Alea's treatment of the source material. It is certainly an advantage that Desnoes himself worked with Alea on the film adaptation of the novel. This collaboration helped take the novel to the next level, I believe. Scenes such as the visit to the Hemingway house and the Kennedy and Castro speeches were even added to that of the original Spanish version, which have proven to be very valuable in the film. It was like the film was Desnoes's final draft.

One thing I am certainly pleased with was Alea's take on the narrative in the novel. In Desnoes's work, the narrator is speaking to us through what seem like journal entries, which are very precise and personal. At times, though, the narrative can seem like the random complaints of an ex bourgeousie Cuban who thinks he is somehow better than most of his peers when he himself is flawed in many ways. Many films tend to take advantage of the voiceover but I think it was a key element here. Whenever Sergio gave his voiceover speeches, something important was being depicted, whether it be scenes of the trial or the documentary pieces; the visualization of these monologues of Sergio's definitely add more meaning to the words and make him a more personable character than in the novel.