Waiting for Fidel
Waiting for Fidel | |
---|---|
Directed by | Michael Rubbo |
Produced by | Tom Daly |
Starring | Joey Smallwood, Geoff Stirling, Michael Rubbo |
Edited by | Michael Rubbo |
Distributed by | National Film Board of Canada |
Release date | 1974 |
Running time | 57 min 50 s |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
Budget | C$ 125,155 [1] |
Waiting for Fidel is a Canadian documentary by Michael Rubbo and starring director Rubbo, former Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Joey Smallwood and Newfoundland media mogul Geoff Stirling. It depicts Rubbo, Smallwood, and Stirling's unsuccessful attempt to interview Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Synopsis
Two Canadians, former premier of Newfoundland Joey Smallwood and broadcaster Geoff Stirling, travel to Cuba in a private jet. They attempt to meet Fidel Castro to discuss Cuba–United States relations, but Castro never shows up. Instead, much of the film consists of discussions between progressive Smallwood and free-marketer Stirling about the effects of the Castro regime.
The film's name is a take on the play Waiting for Godot, which has a similar conceit of two men conversing while they await a guest who never arrives.
Critical reception and influence
New York Times film reviewer Richard Eder observed that "It is about Cuba, in a way, but it is also about the difficulty in seeing Cuba for what it may be."[2] Gary Evans, in his chronicles of the National Film Board of Canada, called the film "one of the most intriguing documentaries of the period".[1] The film has been cited as an inspiration for director Michael Moore.[3]
References
- ^ a b Evans, Gary (1991). In the national interest: a chronicle of the National Film Board of Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 195. ISBN 0-8020-6833-2. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
joey smallwood fidel castro.
- ^ Eder, Richard (November 14, 1975). "Waiting For Fidel (1975) Two Fresh and Funny Films on Indonesia and Cuba". New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- ^ Bernstein, Matthew, ed. (2010). Michael Moore: Filmmaker, Newsmaker, Cultural Icon. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-472-07103-6.
External links
- Waiting for Fidel at IMDb
- Rubbo, Michael (1974). "Waiting for Fidel". NFB.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
- Video on YouTube
- Waiting for Fidel full movie from CJON-DT
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- IMDb ID not in Wikidata
- National Film Board of Canada documentaries
- Documentary films about Cuba
- Documentary films about Fidel Castro
- 1974 films
- 1974 documentary films
- Films directed by Michael Rubbo
- Cinema of Newfoundland and Labrador
- Films produced by Tom Daly
- Documentary films about Canadian politics
- Documentary films about politicians
- 1970s English-language films
- 1970s Canadian films
- All stub articles
- 1970s Canadian film stubs
- Canadian documentary film stubs
- Political documentary film stubs