September 30, 2003
A CLEAR NOTE
Last night I saw a must-see movie for all audiences,
href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0236285/#comment">For Love or Country:
The Arturo Sandoval Story. Starring Andy Garcia as the highly
skilled trumpet player Sandoval, it is the story of a man's love to
express himself musically and his repression by the communist
government in Cuba. Eventually, with the assistance of Dizzie
Gillespie, he is able to flee Cuba with his wife and young son, but
must leave his teenage son and father behind.
One of the most moving scenes in the film is when Sandoval tries
to explain his need to leave to his wife, comparing himself to his
father. Sandoval's father was a mechanic with a garage that was
nationalized by the communists when Fidel seized power in Cuba's
revolution. Stripped of his life's work and ambitions, he spends the
rest of his life sitting indifferently with his friends playing
dominos. It is a resignation that speaks volumes for the majority of
Cubans imprisoned in their own country.
Although Sandoval is able to escape Cuba in the end, For Love
or Country is a tragedy because he must give up his homeland in
order to make the music that he desires. He cannot endure the
constant stream of petty and significant indignities that his
government imposes on him. When and where he can travel. What kind of
music he is allowed to play. Whether or not he can work as a musician.
And his ability to have a conversation in his own home without being
informed on by neighbors. Fidel Castro's regime is despicable and
For Love or Country is an excellent movie for highlighting its
abuses.
Posted by Lexiphane at September 30, 2003 10:17 AM
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