Tomás Gutiérrez Alea facts for kids

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (born December 11, 1928 – died April 16, 1996) was a famous Cuban film director and screenwriter. People often called him "Titón." He made over twenty movies, documentaries, and short films. His films are known for showing a clear view of Cuba after its Revolution. He managed to support the Revolution while also pointing out problems in the country.

Gutiérrez Alea's work was part of a big film movement in the 1960s and 1970s. This movement was called the New Latin American Cinema. It was also known by names like "Third Cinema" or "Imperfect Cinema." These filmmakers wanted to make movies that helped bring about social and political change. They didn't want to copy the fancy style of Hollywood movies. Instead, they focused on making films that made viewers think and want to improve society.

Early Life and Filmmaking Start

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea was born in Havana, Cuba, on December 11, 1928. He grew up in a well-off family that believed in social progress. After studying law at the University of Havana, he went to Rome, Italy. There, he studied filmmaking at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. He finished his studies in 1953.

He was greatly inspired by a film style called Italian Neorealism. This style focused on showing real life, often with non-professional actors. In Rome, he made his first films with another Cuban filmmaker, Julio García Espinosa. Together, they directed a documentary called El Mégano (The Charcoal Worker).

After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, led by Fidel Castro, Gutiérrez Alea and Espinosa helped start something important. They, along with other young filmmakers, founded the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC). This group believed that film was a powerful way to share revolutionary ideas with many people.

Gutiérrez Alea's film Esta Tierra Nuestra (This Land Of Ours) was the first documentary made after the Revolution. In its early years, ICAIC mainly made documentaries and news reports. Later, they started producing feature films. One of Gutiérrez Alea's early feature films was Historias de la Revolución (Stories Of The Revolution) in 1960. This was ICAIC's first fiction film. Another early film was Doce sillas (The Twelve Chairs) in 1962.

His Most Famous Films

Gutiérrez Alea's first very successful movie was Muerte de un burócrata (Death of a Bureaucrat) in 1966. This film is a funny tribute to classic movie comedies. It includes nods to famous comedians like Buster Keaton and Laurel & Hardy. The story follows a young man trying to get his dead uncle's body reburied. This becomes a confusing journey through many official offices.

His next film, Memorias del Subdesarrollo (Memories of Underdevelopment) (1968), was a very important movie. It was the first Cuban film shown in the United States since the Revolution. The movie is about an educated man living in Havana. He doesn't want to pick a side in the political changes happening around him. He feels his country is behind the times. His life slowly loses meaning in this new Cuba.

In Memories of Underdevelopment, Gutiérrez Alea used many different film styles. He mixed documentary-like scenes with long, steady shots. He also used quick, powerful editing, similar to early Soviet filmmakers. The movie included real documentary footage, photos, news clips, and speeches by leaders like Fidel Castro. This mix of styles made the film unique and different from typical Hollywood movies.

Even though his films, especially Memories, criticized Cuban society, Gutiérrez Alea always supported Cuban Socialism. His movies were not just propaganda. He explained his approach by saying that cinema should encourage people to think critically. He wanted to "criticize and at the same time strengthen the reality in which we are immersed." He saw himself as someone who made "criticism inside the revolution," aiming to improve it, not destroy it.

Later Career and Legacy

In the years that followed, Gutiérrez Alea continued making his own films. He also helped guide new, talented filmmakers through ICAIC.

In the 1970s, he made two historical films. These were Una pelea cubana contra los demonios (A Cuban Fight Against the Demons) (1972) and La última cena (The Last Supper) (1976). Both films were set in Cuba's past, when it was a Spanish colony. They explored problems like imperialism, religion, and slavery.

His film Hasta cierto punto (Up to a Certain Point) (1983) starred his wife, Mirta Ibarra. This film faced some challenges and is still seen by some as one of his less important works. However, it is still highly respected.

In the early 1990s, Gutiérrez Alea became ill. Because of this, he co-directed his last two films with his friend Juan Carlos Tabío. The first of these was Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate) (1993). This film made history by being the first Cuban film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It tells the story of a Marxist student and a flamboyant gay artist, and their often-conflicting friendship.

Gutiérrez Alea's final film was Guantanamera (1994). This movie used comedy and a group of characters to subtly criticize old issues like bureaucracy. The film won a special award at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, or Titón, passed away in Havana on April 16, 1996, at the age of 67. He is buried in the Colon Cemetery, Havana. His films are still important today. The Academy Film Archive has preserved three of his films: Death of a Bureaucrat, Una Pelea Cubana contra los Demonios, and Los Sobrevivientes.

List of Films

• La caperucita roja (1947) - a short film
• El faquir (1947) - a short film
• Una confusión cotidiana (1950) - a short film, co-directed with Nestor Almendros
• Il sogno de Giovanni Bassain (1953) - a short film, co-directed with Filippo Perrone
• El mégano (1955) - a short documentary film, co-directed with Julio García Espinosa
• La toma de La Habana por los ingleses (1958) - a short documentary film
• Esta tierra nuestra (1959) - a short documentary film, co-directed with Julio García Espinosa
• Stories of the Revolution (Historias de la revolución) (1960) - a fiction film, 81 minutes
• General Assembly (Asamblea general) (1960) - a short documentary film
• Death to the Invader (Muerte al invasor) (1961) - a short documentary film, co-directed with Santiago Álvarez
• The Twelve Chairs (Las doce sillas) (1962) - a fiction film, 97 minutes
• Cumbite (1964) - a fiction film, 82 minutes
• Death of a Bureaucrat (Muerte de un burócrata) (1966) - a fiction film, 85 minutes
• Memories of Underdevelopment (Memorias del Subdesarrollo) (1968) - a fiction film, 97 minutes
• A Cuban Fight Against Demons (Una pelea cubana contra los demonios) (1971) - a fiction film, 130 minutes
• El arte del tabaco (1974) - a short documentary film
• El camino de la mirra y el incienso (1975) - a short documentary film, co-directed by Constante Diego
• The Last Supper (La última cena) (1976) - a fiction film, 120 minutes
• La sexta parte del mundo (1977) - a documentary film, co-directed with Julio García Espinosa
• The Survivors (Los sobrevivientes) (1979) - a fiction film, 130 minutes
• Up to a Certain Point (Hasta cierto punto) (1983) - a fiction film, 88 minutes
• Letters from the Park (Cartas del parque) (1989) - a fiction film, 88 minutes
• Far Apart (Contigo en la distancia) (1991) - part of an anthology film
• Fresa y Chocolate (1993) - co-directed with Juan Carlos Tabío, a fiction film, 110 minutes
• Guantanamera (1995) - co-directed with Juan Carlos Tabío, a fiction film, 101 minutes

See also

In Spanish: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea para niños

• Cinema of Cuba