The Lost City Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

Tedious

OMG - Boring beyond belief. This film is like watching a 2 and a half hour build up for a Cuban drinks advertisement, but with no ad at the end. Rubbish

The Lost City

Against as backdrop of a momentous and historic development in Cuba, this film makes nothing of the potential that this offers. It is slow, overly long, full of pretentious scenes and has numerous overlays of annoying and distracting music. The storyline is almost non-existent and, perhaps unsurprisingly, many characters seem to have no obvious place in the film. I watched this movie until its end only because I couldn't believe that something more exciting wouldn't happen - it didn't!

Was good

This movie was good, it was not a action packed movie, but the story was good, reminded me of a poorer mans Godfather.

Havana

Not a great film, but this take on the experience of the Cuban revolution is interesting. Andy Garcia is good, Bill Murray is probably thinking that he's acting in a completely different film but is amusing nonetheless. I enjoyed this film more than other reviews might suggest I would. The night club scenes were rather stylised but once you got used to the style were entertaining.

Essentially a film about family relationships, with a few shots of Havana thrown in for good measure, in the context of a family for whom the revolution was not aimed at, all added up to a satisfactory evening's viewing.

The Lost City - an uncomfortable truth

I love Garcia and I love Cuba. Of course I was going to watch this. I had no preconceived ideas about how he'd do it, but I suspected Garcia had something profound to say.

The film is gorgeous, utterly beautiful to look at, evocative and disarmingly truthful. There is some very fine acting and Garcia is both dignified and deeply touching in his role. It's an immensely stylish film made with enormous care, but also very truthful in a way that may surprise many.

I'll bet it really angered a lot of people (the critics slated Garcia) who still have this rose-tinted, sentimental view of Cuba and Fidel and Che. Heroes, the lot of them? Well, no actually - and Garcia tells it like it was. I felt the same impotent rage in Cuba when I saw what the Revolution did for the people, and what their government does to them now. If you want to see what Cuba was before it was destroyed, see this film. It might help you understand the profound loss suffered by the Cubans who fled the country and will show you another side to Che and the boys. The music is fabulous, as is the dancing. Glorious sets, costumes and lighting. The loss of dignity, freedom and independence is not quite so beautiful.

I was in Cuba for Christmas and New Year (2009) and watched Raul Castro make his speech in Santiago on the same day, in the same place as his brother had 50 years ago. The local people however, were put on curfew and not allowed to go and see him. They had to stay in their houses with the curtains drawn. In 2009. Droves of soldiers and policemen spilled through Santiago demanding our IDs and keeping us all inside while Castro did his stuff on the hastily erected stage to an invited audience of his special pals. He flew them in specially.

I lived with Cubans while I was there and saw the real Cuba. Some of it brought me close to tears. This is the first time I have watched an account of the Revolution which comes close to the uncomfortable truth that so many don't want to see or believe.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Very..........

Very stylish, very well made, very watchable - very good.

the lost city

a very long film that takes a while to get into but one that you think about for days after. a mixed review for this film, but I would recommend watching it