Rene Monclova Movies
Set in the not too distant future, this Spanish-language dramatic thriller was the narrative debut from documentary director Sonia Fritz. Maricarmen Aviles stars as Angela, a television journalist in Puerto Rico who finds her young son kidnapped by her ex-husband, Armando, after a hostile divorce. With Armando off to the States, Angela teams up with a lawyer to track him down and rescue the child. Originally produced for Puerto Rican television under the title El Beso Que Me Diste, The Kiss You Gave Me was based on a book by author Stella Soto. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maricarmen Aviles, Jimmy Navarro, (more)
A cynical gambler reluctantly comes to the aid of a mysterious beauty in this interpolation of Casablanca and the real-life Cuban revolution. Big-stakes American gambler Jack Weil (Robert Redford) is comfortable in the anything-goes Havana of 1958. But with Fidel Castro out in the wilderness broadcasting revolutionary messages, it seems the good times may be on the way out. On a boat back to the island nation from the U.S. mainland, Weil agrees to help beautiful Bobby Duran (Lena Olin) smuggle in some contraband by trading vehicles with her on their way through the checkpoint. He's amused to discover not jewelry, but radio transmitters squirreled away in her car. Eventually, he learns that she's the European wife of monied Cuban communist Arturo Duran (Raul Julia), who believes his class and status will protect him from the ruling party. When that assumption turns out to be false, Jack finds himself sucked in by the plight of the suddenly widowed Bobby, who remains committed to her dangerous ideals. Risking his cushy lifestyle to protect Bobby from the coming tumult -- and from herself -- Jack must grapple with the dictates of his newfound conscience. With a supporting cast that includes Alan Arkin and Tomas Milian, Havana reunited director Sydney Pollack with Redford and David Rayfiel, star and co-screenwriter of The Way We Were. Rayfiel has also worked on a number of Pollack pictures, stretching from 1969's Castle Keep to 1995's remake of Sabrina. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Redford, Lena Olin, (more)
- 1990
This docudrama is designed to inform members of the Comisión Para los Asuntos de la Mujer about the history and goals of this Puerto Rican women's commission. In the story, Cecilia Balseiro (Cordelia González) is a public relations specialist who has been hired to produce the documentary. When she is not attending meetings with commission members in which they discuss possible directions for the project, she is dealing with her private and romantic life, including a relationship with Alfredo (Pablo Alarcon). In one particularly dramatic episode, she comes to the commission to deal with the battering of a female neighbor. When they discover that another neighbor has videotaped everything, they are all relieved at having incontrovertible evidence of the crimes but appalled that the neighbor has been such a peeping tom. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cordelia Gonzalez, Pablo Alarcon, (more)
