''The Life of Juanita Castro'' is a 1965 American
underground film directed by
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...
, filmed in March 1965.
Plot
A playwright (
Ronald Tavel
Ronald Tavel (May 17, 1936 – March 23, 2009) was an American screenwriter, director, novelist, poet and actor, best known for his work with Andy Warhol and The Factory.
Early life and career
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Tavel graduated fro ...
) taunts a number of actresses into improvising a play on
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 20 ...
and his family, at a time when the revolution was bringing back disquieting stories of executions and imprisonments and, particularly, virulent hatred and torture of homosexuals in Cuba.
Several of the play's male characters (Fidel Castro, Raul Castro, and Che Guevara) are played by women. The actresses face a camera they believe is filming them, while in fact they are being filmed by another camera placed off to one side. At times they are directed by Tavel to perform pointless acts in unison. According to reviewer Tom Vick, the film "rewrites history as a high-camp farce," poking fun at machismo and totalitarianism.
Cast
*
Ronald Tavel
Ronald Tavel (May 17, 1936 – March 23, 2009) was an American screenwriter, director, novelist, poet and actor, best known for his work with Andy Warhol and The Factory.
Early life and career
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Tavel graduated fro ...
as on-screen director
*
Marie Menken as
Juanita Castro
*Mercedes Ospina as Fidel Castro
*Elektrah (Lobel) as
Raul Castro
*Aniram Anipso as
Che Guevara
Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...
*and as members of the Castro family: Harvey Tavel,
Waldo Diaz-Balart,
Ultra Violet, Jinny Bern, Amanda Sherrill, Bonny Gaer, Isadora Rose, Elizabeth Staal, and Carol Lobravico
See also
*
List of American films of 1965
A list of American films released in 1965.
'' The Sound of Music'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
A–D
E–I
J–R
S–Z
See also
* 1965 in the United States
Notes
References
*
External links
*1965 filmsat the Inter ...
*
Andy Warhol filmography
Andy Warhol directed or produced nearly 150 films. 148 ---> Fifty of the films have been preserved by the Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street betwe ...
References
External links
*
1965 films
American avant-garde and experimental films
Films directed by Andy Warhol
1960s avant-garde and experimental films
1960s English-language films
1960s American films
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