October 22, 2007
Arte Nuevo De Hacer Ruinas
The Art of Making Ruins is a film by German filmmakers Florian Borchmeyer and Matthias Hentschler that explores Havana's ruined buildings, and the people who live in them.
Viewing this film will break your heart; shown are skeletal buildings that seem deserted ruins, it's impossible to accept that human beings inhabit these structures. Yet, to the buildings residents, they represent home, and memories of better times. These people make do with, and lovingly tend their crumbling homes even though they are powerless to stop their decay.
The hollow buildings look like a war zone, reminiscent of Berlin or Dresden at the end of WWII. However, these ruins were not created by war, but by deliberate neglect. The narrator sees them as a logical construct of fidel's speeches--Havana has become an architectural illustration of fidel's decade's old use of a possible U.S. invasion to justify his absolute power.
By the end of the film, your tears will be replaced by an impotent rage when you remember how many journalists, tourists, and embassy workers must have witnessed this devastation, and have chosen to remain silent; or worse, dismissed the ruin of Havana as quaint and far superior to a McDonalds.
Thanks to George from The Real Cuba for linking this must see film. Please view it Cafe Cubano.
Posted by Ziva at October 22, 2007 10:41 PM
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Comments
Like the man said: "Fidel Castro es la gran ruina de este pais." No se como no se le cae la cara de verguenza. Muchisimas gracias por el enlace.
Posted by: el chino ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.babalublog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 23, 2007 07:02 AM
Ziva,
I saw it. It is amazing and heartbreaking what castro did to Cuba.
To make everyone equal in Cuba castro made everyone dirt poor.
What struck me most were the points where the film maker showed literally before and after shots. There is a striking one of an old shop which still has the "RCA Victor" logo on it.
Whoever rules Cuba next will have an enormous task of rebuilding and repairing the country.
Thank you George for posting this and Ziva for getting the word out.
Posted by: JackW at October 23, 2007 07:07 AM
You can buy a dvd of this documentary at CubanFoodMarket.com
It's heartbreaking.
Posted by: jsb at October 23, 2007 08:57 AM
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