Tomas Gutiérrez Alea (1928-1996)


Cinema is an instrument to transform reality

Filmography

Guantanamera (1995) Zafra Video (R1)/ New Yorker (R1) OOP

Fresa y chocolate (1994) Kinowelt (R2)/ Mr. Bongo (R2)

Contigo en la distancia (1991) Zafra Video (R1)/ Facets (R1)-under Don't Fool with Love

Cartas del parque (1989)

Hasta cierto punto (1983) Zafra Video (R1)

Los sobrevivientes (1979)

La sexta parte del mundo (1977)

La última cena (1976) Zafra Video (R1)

El camino de la mirra y el incienso (1975)

El arte del tabaco (1974)

Una pelea cubana contra los demonios (1972)

Memorias del subdesarrollo (1968) Zafra Video (R1) /Mr. Bongo (R2)

La muerte de un burócrata (1966) Zafra Video (R1)/ Network (R0)

Cumbite (1964)

Las doce sillas (1962) First Run (R1)/ Network (R2)

Muerte al invasor (1961)

Historias de la revolución (1960)

Asamblea general (1960)

Esta tierra nuestra (1959)

El mégano (1955)

Il sogno de Giovanni Bassain (1953)

Una confusión cotidiana (1950)

El faquir (1947)

La caperucita roja (1947)

Internet Resources

Senses of Cinema

Publications

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea: The Dialectics of a Filmmaker- Paul A. Schroeder (Routledge, 2002)

I'm glad to see this. A few suggestions: First of all, I would not include De Cierta Manera in his filmography. It's really Sara Gómez's film, and after her death Alea just helped finish up the editing along with Julio García Espinosa and Rigoberto López. I see this is listed on the filmography at Senses of Cinema along with the films he directed -- perhaps the source of the error is the way the directorial credits were listed at IMDB.

How about this for a quote, at least for now? "Cinema is an instrument to transform reality."
I think I have an old issue of Cineaste with something by him and could check for a better quote as soon as I can lay my hands on it.

The Gutiérrez in his name is typically written out.

Zafra Video has released a number of his other films on DVD: Guantanamera, Última cena, Hasta cierto punto, Muerte de un burócrata, and Memorias del subdesarrollo. New Yorker also released the first two of those.

Glad to see this too. Gregory is right re De cierta manera, Alea et al were merely editors, and on the film print I saw were only credited as such in very small text, it's purely Gomez's film and as I understand it they stepped in out of respect for her.

I can only recommend one periodical if anyone can find it: Framwork Issue 10, Spring 1979 - Cuban Images by Michael Chanan. If I remember correctly Chanan's 'Cuban Cinema' (University of Minnesota Press, 2003) is useful too.

DVD in the UK at present are:

The Twelve Chairs (Network, R2)*
Death of a Bureaucrat (Network, R2)*
Memories of Underdevelopment (Mr Bongo, R2)^
Strawberry and Chocolate (Mr Bongo, R2)^

*Also as part of the Viva Cuba Collection
^Also as part of the box set 50 Years of the Cuban Revolution

Thanks a lot for the help. Over the past year or so I've really gotten into the guy and I figure if something like this could boost his profile just a smidgen I'll be happy. He's really just on MOC/Criterion release away from a major critical revaluation.
I've only had the chance to see Death of a Bureaucrat, one of the funniest films I've seen, and The Twelve Chairs so far, but my Library has VHSs of The Last Supper and Memories checked out. In addition to the whole tackling serious topics with a smile I just love the handful of odd turns he always does, like the cardboard animation sequence in an otherwise serious scene in Death of a Bureaucrat. I've only just discovered Zafra, so I'm excited they have so much of his stuff, but do their releases have English subs?

A lot of the Zafra titles have English subs. You can find specs at http://www.zafravideo.com. In general, don't expect great transfers, though.

The Zafra of Up to a Point runs about 70 minutes, but everywhere (including the disc itself) say that it runs somewhere between 80-88 minutes. Anyone know what is up with that discrepancy?