First, the movie.

It was, ostensibly, a baseball movie – The Lost Son of Havana – about former baseball pitcher Luis Tiant.

In 1961, the Cleveland Indians brought the young pitcher to the United States to play professional baseball, following in the footsteps of his father, also a pitcher, who played in the Negro League for the New York Cubans.  While living out his dream, Tiant received a message from his parents back in Cuba – don’t return home.  The rise of the Castro regime made returning back to Cuba an unwise decision.

Tiant heeded the advice of his parents, but it would be 14 years before he saw them again.

Castro eventually allowed the elder Tiant’s to travel to the US (following intervention by then Senator George McGovern), and they saw their son play in the 1975 World Series, where he was the winning pitcher for two games against the Big Red Machine of Cincinnati.  Luis Sr. even through the first pitch of the game, which resulted in father and son being on the mound.  The Tiant’s stayed in the US for 15 months, as they watched there son play baseball and got to know him once again.  Eventually, they both passed away here in the US, within a day of one another.

If that was all the movie was about, it would be a nice, simple movie, with baseball as a subtext for a warm family, feel-good movie.  But the heart of the movie lies in following Luis as he is finally allowed to journey back to Cuba following a 46-year exile.  After a couple of previous attempts to return, all futile, this movie is about finally going home again, to a country that has changed nearly to the point of being unrecognizable.

Tiant reunites with elderly aunts, former baseball colleagues, and numerous extended family members and friends from the neighborhood, as he takes a trip down memory lane that is both joyous and painful.  A new generation of Cubans come out to meet him, thinking of him as not only a great baseball players, but as a “millionaire from the United States.”

The movie, which premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, does a nice job of weaving old film clips into the filming of the journey back home.  It does an amazing job of showing the emotions of a rather stoic man, as he wrestles with the guilt over leaving his family and homeland, and his successes as opposed to the poverty of his former home.  There’s grief, there’s joy, there’s guilt, and just a teensy bit of hope as Luis Tiant says that he will return to Cuba again.

After watching the movie, I was left asking myself once again – why do we continue this crazy embargo on travel to Cuba?  Who is really hurt by it?

It’s a mere 90 miles away from our shore, but there’s a mountain of policy that says Tiant will probably never be able to cross that divide again.

So please. . . somebody. . . tell me again, why is this a good policy?

If I’ve piqued your interest, please take a look at the movie trailer:

Photo credit: wikimedia

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

When I was asked if I’d like to review the movie Enchanted April, being released on DVD today, you know that I jumped at the opportunity.

Enchanted April is the story of two English women who decide to liven up their dreary lives by doing the unthinkable – renting a castle on the Italian Riviera, complete with staff. 

In 1920’s London, this degree of independence by women, to say nothing of deciding to spend their husband’s money in this way, is nothing short of daring.  In order to afford a month on the Riviera, the women must share the expenses with two other women, one a crusty and lonely widow, and the other a beautiful and aristocratic flapper.

These four women settle into a spectacular castle, draped with wisteria vines, and surrounded by beautiful, sunny gardens.  As you might expect when you throw together such an eclectic mix of personalities, there are fits and starts of friendship and pique, before a rhythm of life and friendship settles in.  By the time the husbands show up at the castle, the women have found new meaning in their life, and you know they’ll return to London with a renewed sense of purpose and joi de vivre.

I enjoyed the movie, not only for its rich, lush photography of Italy, teasing me that I’ll be there soon, but also because of how it explores the nature of women’s friendships.  As rich and lush as the scenery, if perhaps just a bit more complicated.  You can watch and decide for yourself.

After watching the film the first time, I’d recommend watching it a second time with the feature commentary.  It’s a second look at the movie, this time through the eyes of the director and producer.  They talk about why they made the choices they did, how they envisioned the characters and their friendships, and it’s a great way of exploring the movie a little more in depth.

The cast includes:  Josie Lawrence, Miranda Richardson, Joan Plowright, and Polly Walker as the four Englishwomen, and Alfred Molina and Jim Broadbent as the husbands.  The film received two Golden Globes, and was nominated for three Oscars.  You can now purchase it on DVD through your local store or online.

OR – you can enter for a chance to win a copy of the DVD right here at Flyaway Cafe!  Thanks Miramax and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment!

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your favorite place in Italy (whether you’ve been there or just dream of being there).  I’ll keep the comments open until Friday at midnight (Pacific Time), and then pick a random winner.  

Photo credit:  Courtesy of Miramax and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Post from: Fly Away Cafe