Made at the height of the Cold War, this Russian-Cuban co-production was intended as a cinematic hymn of praise to Communism, with director Mikheil Kalatozishvili recreating the oppression, poverty and exploitation endured by Cubans under the hated Batista regime. Majestically shot in black and white, it remains a work of visual brilliance as well as a piece of political-revolutionary fervour.
