Dreaming of Julia (2003)

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Dreaming of Julia (2003)

Also Known As:
Cuban Blood
Cuba Libre

Directed by
Juan Gerard

Writing credits
Letvia Arza-Goderich
Juan Gerard

Plot Outline:
The specter of revolution hovers over a small Cuban town in 2003's Cuban Blood, director Juan Gerard's first (and, to date, only) feature. Veteran and versatile actor Harvey Keitel, whose involvement clearly helped get the picture made, plays the charismatic Che (no, not that Che), a big fish in the small pond that is Holguin, a picturesque spot that's relatively removed from the pro-Castro, anti-Batista rebellion sweeping the country in 1958. But when the rebels knock out the town's electrical power in the opening scene, an outage that lasts a full year, things start to get a little hairy, and Che and his family (including his grandson, clearly a stand-in for Gerard himself) face some major choices and changes. Granted, it's hardly the most original movie ever made. The use of a seemingly crazy homeless man (played by Georg Stanford Brown) as a prophetic Greek chorus is not an uncommon device; and as several critics have noted, echoes of other movies abound, from Cinema Paradiso and Casablanca to Rebel Without a Cause and more. In fact, Cuban Blood was itself formerly known as Dreaming of Julia, a reference to both the film that's playing in the local cinema when the power goes out and to the real name of the enigmatic "La Gringa," the only American in town (actress Iben Hjejle is actually Danish, though you'd never know it from her perfect, unaccented English). In the end, the promotional material's claim that it's "a star-studded adventure in the tradition of (Sergio Leone's epic) Once Upon a Time in America" is hyperbolic in the extreme. Nonetheless, this film--sometimes amusing, sometimes dramatic, both heartwarming and sad, sentimental but not overly so--will appeal to viewers of all ages. [written by Sam Graham]

Cast:

	Harvey Keitel	....	Che
	Iben Hjejle	....	Julia
	Diana Bracho	....	Beta
	Gael García Bernal	....	Ricky
	Gabino Diego	....	Armín
	Cecilia Suárez	....	Dulce
	Aline Küppenheim	....	Katia
	Daniel Lugo	....	Capt.Rosado
	Andhy Méndez	....	The Boy
	Georg Stanford Brown	....	Black Bum
	Iván García	....	Mr.Marro
	Marilyn Romero	....	Candita
	Enrique Almirante	....	Piel Canela
	Reynaldo Miravalles	....	Waldo
	Enrique Jiménez	....	Papín
	Farah Alfonseca	....	Carmen
	Gellerman Baralt	....	Pedro
	Milena Pezzi	....	Teté
	Nurin Sanlley	....	Mrs.Marro
	Karina Noble	....	Teresa
	Flor de Bethania	....	Valdubina
	Cesar Henao	....	Maxi
	Juan Henao	....	Leandro
	Anisa Guajardo	....	Lisa
	George Marrero	....	Altar Boy
	Robert Fernandez	....	Jose Carlos
	Pedro Cordero	....	Manuel
	Arturo Cordero	....	Miguel Marro
	Gyana Mella	....	Hooker
	Raffi Rivera	....	Casino Employee
	Isabel Márquez	....	Josefina
	Hemky Madera	....	Young Revolutionary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Ramses Cairo	....	Capt. Rosado's Bodyguard
	Sergio Carlo	....	Rebel #2
	Rodrigo Montealegre	....	Reynaldo
	Frank Perozo
	Alfonso Quijada	....	Narrator
	Hector Then	....	Capt. Rosado's Bodyguard