Babalu Blog: A film idiot put in his place

June 10, 2006

A film idiot put in his place

Our own splendid Conductor, Henry Gomez, put a jackass in his place with a letter that was published in the Miami New Times here. And not just him, but other real Miami Cubans chimed in on the same subject.

Seems there was a film critic, Michael Atkinson, who knew a lot about film but not a single thing about Cuba. He spouted off against Andy Garcia's beautiful movie, The Lost City, like a leftist ignoramus, not even getting the historic basics right, and dear Henry, point by point, put him in his place. It's a big pleasure to read here.

Today I read the review Michael Atkinson wrote about the film The Lost City (May 11). He might know about films and filmmaking, but when it comes to Cuban history, he doesn't know jack. The Cuban Revolution was a popular, not a peasant, revolt. The people who led and financed the revolution were from the upper and middle classes. The usurpation that occurred in Cuba had nothing to do with property; it was the betrayal of revolutionary ideals by one man, Fidel Castro. The revolution was fought to rid the country of a corrupt dictator, and here we are in the 48th year of a much more corrupt and tyrannical dictatorship. I'll grant Atkinson this: The Cuban Revolution eventually did become a peasant revolution, because Castro converted all Cubans on the island into serfs.
Perhaps The Lost City is not the perfect film, but Atkinson's blathering about a subject he doesn't thoroughly understand is a far worse gaffe.

Henry Gomez
Miami

Posted by Mora at June 10, 2006 11:24 PM

Comments

It's easy to see how anyone can be misinformed. Not excusable, especially if that individual is a professional journalist.
When I was in college (CCNY 1970's) I had to listen to my American History professor prattle on about the glorious Cuban rveolution under the communist saint, Castro. The MSM has done little to set the record straight.

Posted by: Hank at June 11, 2006 09:01 AM

I just read Henry's letter. Congradulations are due to him for that excellent, concise, to the point letter! KUDOS!

Ray

P.S. To Hank, yes, I, also, suffered because of leftist educators. I still remember when I was back in High School suffering through the lectures of my history teacher, Mr. Pelican [and he looked like a Pelican!] saying that pre-Castro Cuba was this horrible, squalid poverty filled country where people had to EAT DIRT {Yes, he ACTUALLY said EAT DIRT} in order to fill their stomachs!

We Cuban Americans [especially those of us out of Florida] have had to go through so much that perhaps other immigrants and groups simply don't understand! It can be pretty disconcerting for a teenager like I was back then to hear someone [an authority figure in this case] totally, and utterly slandering the place of one's birth. It's a personal affrontery.

Posted by: Ray at June 11, 2006 09:40 AM

Didn't Henry do a nice job? I was so pleased to read it.

Sorry to hear about your school experiences, Hank. As a non-Cuban, I recall hearing similar from leftist teachers when I was growing up, and ... for some reason I cannot explain, I recall I didn't believe it. I think it was because of all the crap they spewed about Eastern Europe being this wonderful lovely place since the Soviet tanks rolled in. (And to make matters worse, Jerry Ford, whom I wanted to vote for, made stupid statements about Poland being a free place. Had to support him anyway, but oh god weren't the 70s a 'slum of a decade?') I knew THAT wasn't true, so I felt sceptical about anything else leftists tried to spoonfeed.

Posted by: A.M. Mora y Leon at June 11, 2006 02:29 PM

Whoops, I meant, Ray.

Posted by: A.M. Mora y Leon at June 11, 2006 02:30 PM