Hello, Hemingway (1990/First Run Features/Cuban Masterworks Collection DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Film: B-
Made just
as the Berlin wall was collapsing, Fernando Perez’s Hello, Hemingway (1990) tells of a young lady’s journey through
puberty as she discovers love, loves U.S. Rock Music and books. Larita also wants to study in the U.S. and
discovers Ernest Hemingway’s books, which have a profound effect on her, which
is in time for the unfortunate, dysfunctional happenings in her family.
Though
you can tell this is a male telling a female’s story and some of it is
predictable, the Cuban setting with its norms and different expectations make
this worth seeing. It is still
predictable, the girl is doomed by her gender and the communist/socialist
mentality, but the way this plays out makes one question the ideology more than
usual for this kind of film. Despite its
flaws and looking authentic despite being a relatively recent film, it is worth
a look and still has some surprises.
The 1.33
X 1 image has some scratches and flaws, but is made soft at times, while this
print is also a tad flat and faded. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is compressed and low in volume, in combination with the
picture proving this is an old source a few generations down. Extras include three short films about
Hemmingway from the Cuban archives, documentary Hemingway’s Place In Cuba, stills and trailers
for other films in this series.
- Nicholas Sheffo
