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For Love Or Country
2000
Andy Garcia stars as world-renowned Cuban trumpet player Arturo Sandoval in this moving portrait of his life in Cuba, his passion for jazz, and his eventual defection from his homeland in 1990. A passionate free thinker, Arturo struggled for personal and creative freedom in Cuban, experiencing a lifetime of artistic persecution... Read more
| Starring | Andy Garcia, Mia Maestro, Gloria Estefan, David Paymer |
|---|---|
| Director | Joseph Sargent |
| Genres | Drama |
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For Love Or Country
Andy Garcia stars as world-renowned Cuban trumpet player Arturo Sandoval in this moving portrait of his life in Cuba, his passion for jazz, and his eventual defection from his homeland in 1990. A passionate free thinker, Arturo struggled for personal and creative freedom in Cuban, experiencing a lifetime of artistic persecution. Despite strict revolutionary guidelines, Arturo played with the award-winning Cuban fusion band Irakere, receiving critical and commercial success while living under the shadow of Fidel Castro's dictatorship. In 1981, Sandoval left Irakere and formed his own band, desperate to play jazz by his own rules. A musical virtuoso, Sandoval lived to play his own brash brand of jazz, inspired by his mentor and longtime friend, American jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie (Charles S.Dutton). Ultimately, Arturo's love for his wife, Mariela (Mia Maestro), and his growing family forced him to stay in Cuba, constantly compromising his artistic freedom for the revolution. Finally, in 1990, after years of artistic frustration, Gillespie helped Arturo to defect with his wife and young son. The Sandovals' remarkable journey to freedom is conveyed through a series of flashbacks, as Arturo reflects on his passion for his country, his wife, and his ultimate desire for musical freedom. Andy Garcia gives an uplifting and moving performance as the jazz legend, swinging and bopping onstage to his own uncompromising rhythm. The film also features a fabulous supporting cast, including Latin superstar Gloria Estefan, and a rousing score from the legend himself, Arturo Sandoval.
| Starring | Andy Garcia, Mia Maestro, Gloria Estefan, David Paymer, Charles S. Dutton, Tomas Milian |
|---|---|
| Director | Joseph Sargent |
| Studio | CINEMA CLUB |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 21 Oct 2002 Production year: 2000 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews
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With standout performances from Andy Garcia as trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and Charles S Dutton as jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, this compelling biopic also provides keen insights into the clash between political security and personal expression that dominated life in Castro's post-coup Cuba. Told as a flashback, as Garcia seeks asylum from US diplomat David Paymer, this quality TV movie concentrates on the dilemma that made his plight even more unbearable — his passion for his wife Mia Maestro, who is a committed Communist. Director Joseph Sargent laudably strives to avoid propagandising melodramatics, but it's the film's musical integrity that's most impressive.
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Most helpful member's review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Interesting viewpoint but unoriginal.
I love Gloria Estefan's music and really dislike her politics. She speaks from the position of a white rich girl and it is a bit obvious.
This film is well shot and directed but a bit heavy on the feeling the family escaped from a prison. I thought the wife's view of the revolution was more realistic, I think many people have become disillusioned with the centralist nature of the current ruling class in Cuba. Not many of them would want to see the likes of Gloria Estefan's friends back there in power though.
The acting for both leads is realistic, and the music, for all the heavy handed politics is great.
I find it a little difficult to take a state that will not allow criticism seriously, and found the overall tenant of this story to be in a similar position, it was too emotional to be believable, even if the facts were basically true.
As someone once said to me when discussing this very point in Cuba, the way people live there is not acceptable to everyone’s tastes, but 11 million people, who were once very, very poor, and didn’t eat for half the year, had their lives massively changed by the revolution. This still shows today, and I think this story is of one guy who felt oppressed by the state and walked away from the problem, as his wife says, so clearly in the film.
It is sad to see, and even sadder to see it expressed so crudely in a film. -
Most recent members' review
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A good real life story
A very straight forward film with the very dreamy Mr Garcia. Occasionally it gets too gushy and the female lead is not an impressive actress but for a real life story I give it a 4. It's also puts across the Cuban exiles point, why have so many decided to leave
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For Love Or Country
Andy Garcia stars as world-renowned Cuban trumpet player Arturo Sandoval in this moving portrait of his life in Cuba, his passion for jazz, and his eventual defection from his homeland in 1990. A passionate free thinker, Arturo struggled for personal and creative freedom in Cuban, experiencing a ...
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