Critical Analysis of Memories of Underdevelopment Film

Running head: FILM ANALYSIS
FILM ANALYSIS
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FILM ANALYSIS1
As opined by Bradshaw, the primary purpose of the different motion pictures over the
years had been to offer the much-needed entertainment to the people and this is perhaps one
of the major reasons for the wide popularity as well as emergence of the different genres of
movies over the years. González et al. are of the viewpoint that one of the most important
aspects of the contemporary motion pictures or for that matter of the movies of the last few
decades is the fact that rather than just being content with catering to the entertainment needs
of the masses they seek to educate the masses and also make them aware of the different
important societal issues as well. The resultant effect of this is that the idea of “art of the
masses par excellence” had gained a substantial amount of prominence over the years and the
concerned idea is being extensively to produce the kind of films or motion pictures which
highlight the different aspects of the contemporary society (Rascaroli). In this regard,
mention needs to be made of the movie “Memorias del subdesarrollo” or “Memories of
Underdevelopment” directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea which specifically focuses on the
nation of Cuba and the different problems that it faced in the 20th century (Marting). Some of
the other examples of the motion pictures which have been composed through the effective
usage of the idea of “art of the masses par excellence” are “Portrait of Teresa” (1979), “Up to
a Certain Point” (1983), “The Survivors” (1979) and others (Skvirsky). The purpose of this
paper is to undertake a critical analysis of the motion picture “Memories of
Underdevelopment” in the light of the idea “art of the masses par excellence”.
The movie “Memories of Underdevelopment” or “Memorias del subdesarrollo” in
Spanish was directed in the year 1968 by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and despite the initial
criticism that it received is often considered to be one of the best motion pictures produced in
the recent times (Fehimović). The movie is a book adaptation of Edmundo Desnoes’ novel
called “Inconsolable Memories” however at the same time it needs to be said that the movie
under discussion here is one of the rare examples of the instances wherein the movie actually

FILM ANALYSIS2
outshines or betters the actual novel (Delgado et al.). As per Malcolm, “the film is as stylistic
as a tour de force as well as a subtle and complex portrait of an uncommitted intellectual
from a bourgeois background swept up in a vortex of revolutionary change and the threat of
nuclear extinction at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis”. The movie under discussion here
featured Sergio Corrieri, Eslinda Núñez, Daisy Granados and others in the lead role along
with the presence of some of the other leading actors of the concerned era (Imbd.com). In
this regard, it needs to be said that the concerned movie managed to get various international
awards along with given the designation of being the 144th best movie of all time by the Sight
& Sound 2012 poll (Muñoz Díaz).
The movie “Memories of Underdevelopment” centres around the character of Sergio
who is a “wealthy bourgeois aspiring writer” in the nation of Cuba and the movie chronicles
the societal condition of the concerned nation through the specific lens of this character
(Delgado et al.). As a matter of fact, it is seen that despite his friends and his wife deciding to
leave the nation of Cuba in the wake of the political and other kinds of troubles that the
concerned nation was facing in the later part of the 20th century Sergio decides to stay in
Cuba (González et al.). In this regard, it needs to be said that after deciding to stay back in
Cuba he ruminates on the kind of life that he had led, his past relationship with his two
girlfriends, namely, Hanna and Elena and the other aspects of his life (Del Río and Colina).
Moreover, one of the most important aspects of the movie “Memories of Underdevelopment”
is the fact that the concerned movie tries to show the alienation that the people in the nation
of Cuba, especially the ones related to the artistic class had to face in the later part of the 20th
century (Nytimes.com). More importantly, the movie under discussion here also offers a
glimpse into the different social as well as the political events that had formed the fulcrum
point of the national history of the nation of Cuba in the 20th century.