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CUBA: ISLAND OF MUSIC Send This Review to a Friend
Documentary filmmaker Gary Keys takes us on a sunny musical excursion to Cuba and picks up the beat of musicians and dancers whose creative language transcends political barriers and reminds us of the cultural traditions to be found on that island, from which Castro has resisted military and economic attacks from the United States, ranging from Kennedy's thwarted Bay of Pigs invasion to the embargo by the present White House.
Keys switches scenes from driving through the streets of New York and talking about music and Cuba to his on-the-spot exploration of the Havana scene. Most of his political stance is by inference, although he does point to the differences between the administration's attitudes toward Cuba and China.
Mainly, the business of the film by Keys is music, and we get plenty of it, from his focus on various practitioners, whether musicians or attractive dancers who can shake with the best of them. Keys also interviews authorities on the subject, which helps provide understanding for the music, whether Afro-Cuban or salsa, set in a historical context. Among those we meet in the course of the film are Chico O'Farrill and Billy Taylor, as well as various groups.
There is much joy expressed, which doesn't jibe with any portrait of a Cuban people downtrodden by their lot in life or the repression we hear about on the political front. While Keys's friendly attitude toward Cuba is clear, he mostly leaves the polemics to others. Although his style tends to be rambling without an effort to pull everything together to make a film that would be more dynamic, his stress on the music and his knowledge of the scene make the film entertaining, educational and a pleasant substitute for a personal visit.
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