With revolution just then in the air (and on the front pages) as the ultra-corrupt Cuba of Presidente Batista began to implode (Castro taking over in ‘59), the time must have seemed ripe for a throwback pic about two rival mercenary gunrunners carting their wares thru the tropical wilds of late 19th century Florida & Haiti on their way to a big payoff from the Cuban resistance. With Alan Ladd & Lloyd Nolan joined against their will till the cash comes thru, tasty support from ship captain Chill Wills and ex-army pal Paul Fix, fresh imported leading lady Rossana Posesta, and unprecedented levels of graphic violence from director Gordon Douglas, this ought to be more involving then it is. (Maybe if the US showed up at the end to start the Spanish-American War?!) And while it’s hard to put a finger on just what went wrong (other than Ladd’s obvious disinterest in Ms. Podesta, he’d do better against a very tall Sophia Loren in her Stateside intro in BOY ON A DOLPHIN/’57), they join a long line of talent who came to grief over one Cuban revolution or another (so many to choose from!). A-lister high-profile types like Richard Lester & Sean Connery (CUBA/’79); Sydney Pollack & Robert Redford (HAVANA/’90) and the top clunker of the bunch, Johns Huston & Garfield (WE WERE STRANGERS/’49). LINK: https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/we-were-strangers-1949.html
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: Though only a small piece of a very big picture, THE GODFATHER: PART II/’74 gets its sample of the Cuban Revolution just right.
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