Waiting for Fidel

Waiting for Fidel
Waiting for Fidel
Directed by	Michael Rubbo
Produced by	Tom Daly; Michael Rubbo
Starring	Joey Smallwood, Geoff Stirling, Michael Rubbo
Cinematography	Douglas Kiefer
Edited by	Michael Rubbo; John Fricker
Distributed by	National Film Board of Canada
Release date	1974;
Running time	57 min 50 s
Country	Canada
Language	English
Budget	$123,155 (CAD)

Waiting for Fidel is a Canadian documentary by Michael Rubbo and starring director Rubbo, former Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Joey Smallwood and Newfoundland media mogul Geoff Stirling. It depicts Rubbo, Smallwood, and Stirling's unsuccessful attempt to interview Cuban leader Fidel Castro.^[2]

Synopsis

Two Canadians, former premier of Newfoundland Joey Smallwood and broadcaster Geoff Stirling, travel to Cuba in a private jet. They attempt to meet Fidel Castro to discuss Cuba–United States relations, but Castro never shows up. Instead, much of the film consists of discussions between progressive Smallwood and free-marketer Stirling about the effects of the Castro regime.

The film's name is a take on the play Waiting for Godot, which has a similar conceit of two men conversing while they await a guest who never arrives.

Critical reception and influence

New York Times film reviewer Richard Eder observed that "It is about Cuba, in a way, but it is also about the difficulty in seeing Cuba for what it may be."^[3] The film has been cited as an inspiration for director Michael Moore.^[4]

References

^ Evans 1991, p. 195.
^ "Waiting for Fidel". nfb.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
^ Eder, Richard (November 14, 1975). "Waiting For Fidel (1975) Two Fresh and Funny Films on Indonesia and Cuba". New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
^ Bernstein, Matthew, ed. (2010). Michael Moore: Filmmaker, Newsmaker, Cultural Icon. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-472-07103-6.

Works cited

Evans, Gary (1991). In the National Interest: A Chronicle of the National Film Board of Canada from 1949 to 1989. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802027849.

External links

Waiting for Fidel at IMDb
Rubbo, Michael (1974). "Waiting for Fidel". NFB.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
Video on YouTube
Waiting for Fidel full movie from CJON-DT

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[FOOTNOTEEvans1991195-1] Evans 1991, p. 195.

[2] "Waiting for Fidel". nfb.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 5 January 2023.

[3] Eder, Richard (November 14, 1975). "Waiting For Fidel (1975) Two Fresh and Funny Films on Indonesia and Cuba". New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2009.

[4] Bernstein, Matthew, ed. (2010). Michael Moore: Filmmaker, Newsmaker, Cultural Icon. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-472-07103-6.

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