By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Vivien Lesnik Weisman
Country: united_states
Year: 2007
Running time: 93
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0906046/
Bruce says: “This documentary film is an excellent primer for understanding issues of Cubans exiles, particularly those in South Florida. The title refers to the subject of the film Max Lesnik, a former resident of Havana, Cuba, and now a resident of Little Havana, the Cuban section in Miami, Florida. Part of the film is shot in each location. The Miami portions consist mostly of talking heads and some archival footage. The Cuban segments consist of archival photos and live coverage of Vivien and Max’s visits to Havana during which they visit places prominent in Max’s youth and childhood.
“Son of a Polish Jew, Max was always political. As a student he was active in the Orthodox Party which was more anti-Batista than pro-anything else. Max must have been a formidable foe for Batista at one point offered him a blank check to leave the country. Max, a pro-revolutionary and Castro supporter, stayed on to fight for health care, broad-based education, and racial equality. Rebuffed by the White House on a trip to the US to address the U. N., Castro turned to the Soviet Union for support. Max disapproved of Castro’s swerve towards communism and fled Cuba by boat in 1961 just five years after Batista fled to Spain. In Florida fellow exiles consisted mostly of Batista supporters. Max did not exactly fit in. In 1968 he started The Replica, a newspaper that was pro-Cuba but anti-Castro and anti-Batista. The film makes it clear that Max is not a communist nor does he want to kill Castro.
“THE MAN OF TWO HAVANAS is quite topical since it covers the involvement of the FBI and CIA in Cuban related activities, one of which was the bombing of a Cuban airliner, carrying the Olympic fencing team, as it left Venezuela in 1974. The man who claimed responsibility is a CIA trained terrorist named Luis Posada Carriles who the US has recently given asylum although by rights he should be tried under the Patriot Act. Another player, Orlando Bosch, a known CIA-backed terrorist was pardoned by President George H. Bush at the request of his son Jeb Bush.
“Ms. Weisman covers the attitude of the White House towards Cuba during all the Presidencies since the coup. Relations with Cuba looked hopeful during the Carter Administration but were permanently dashed by Reagan’s policies towards Cuba. Three Cuban Congress members mostly control the US policy towards Cuba, the most obvious being the ongoing embargo. They also made sure that bombings in Miami – as meny as seven in one day and hundreds per year – were never investigated properly.
The Replica was bombed eleven times between 1972 and 1994. The paper finally shut down when newsstands and stores that carried the paper were threatened.
“The film racks up its many strong points only to have them compromised by a narrative about the filmmaker’s relationship about her lifelong attempts to understand her father. As sincere as she may be, the father daughter conflict undermines what is a rather remarkable story about a very interesting man. 4 cats
“MAN OF TWO HAVANAS screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival”