Recovered history: Cuban Story. Errol Flynn and Castro
Actor Errol Flynn was in Cuba before and during the Cuban Revolution. He narrates this long-lost movie, now on DVD, about the rise of Castro.
You will no doubt be startled to learn that Errol Flynn enthusiastically supported the Cuban Revolution. Because of his support – and his name – he got some historically priceless footage. There’s film of a young unbearded Castro during the Moncada assault, which, though it failed, is considered the start of the revolution; of Che, who played a pivotal role in the taking of Sierra Maestra, which was a major turning point, and finally, the millions of people pouring onto the streets of Havana to greet Castro.
Perhaps the most amazing footage is of Castro in the mountains. After two years in solitary confinement in Cuba, he’d been exiled to Mexico only to return a few years later with eighty men to start a revolution. All but eleven were killed within days. The remaining eleven then hid in the mountains, launched campaigns, and gained support from the peasants. Film footage shows this rag-tag bunch hiking through the mountains, staying ahead of Batista’s army.
Eleven men. Against an army. And, within a few years, they gained so much support that they defeated that army and took control of the country. Talk about impossible odds…