The Fidel Castro Tapes

Although nominally retired, Fidel Castro still dominates the island country of Cuba. This PBS-aired documentary from filmmaker Tom Jennings presents rare and forgotten news footage illustrating Fidel's rise to power, as he challenged the corrupt Batista regime. The news reports note that during the 1950s Cuba was a "playground for Americans," with large sugar and other corporate American interests enjoying vast holdings in the poverty-stricken country. Initially, Batista didn't take the insurgent threat seriously, especially after Castro launched a failed uprising in 1953. Many viewers will be surprised to hear Castro interviewed from jungle hideouts, speaking in heavily accented English (he would later use Spanish almost exclusively). Fidel is addressed as "Dr. Castro,” due to several advanced degrees and a privileged upper class background. After the New Year's revolution in 1959 that overthrew Batista, Castro played coy, saying that he was a believer in democracy (he's even shown laying a wreath at the Lincoln Memorial during a U.S. visit). Although many supported Castro as a populist, they quickly became disillusioned after his mock trials and firing squads. The documentary covers the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion, and the 1962 missile crisis, which infuriated Castro when President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev cut a deal to remove missiles from the island. Historically, Castro has always seemed to delight in provoking America, sending hordes of refugees—scornfully labeled "worms and parasites"—in the 1980 Mariel boatlift to America. The end of the Cold War led to a "special period" of belt tightening, some reforms, and Fidel's increasing frailty as he aged. Castro, who over time has lost little of his revolutionary zeal, defiantly declared that "history will absolve me." Time will tell, but this film certainly offers an intriguing look back at the Castro era. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)