It is not exactly easy to find out more about first-time director Juan Gerard and his film Cuban Blood. Even though this recent production teams up such well-known actors as Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs), Gael Garcia Bernal (Motorcycle Diaries) and Iben Hjejle (Manden Bag Doren) Cuban Blood remains quite the mystery. Why? In an attempt to market the film adequately (??) the producers-distribs have replaced its original title Dreaming of Julia with the more credible and chic (!!) Cuban Blood. Needless to say the title has absolutely nothing to do with the film's message!!

Dreaming of Julia a.k.a Cuban Blood is a low profile story about an enigmatic Cuban fixer whose life turns upside down days before Castro takes over Havana. Told through the eyes of a young boy with an enormous love for cinema the story quickly entangles characters that for obvious and not so obvious reasons see their lives take an unusual turn as the country faces the new political regime. Humor, anger, and plenty of hot Cuban temperaments become integral parts in a string of unimpressive subplots.

Shot on location in the Dominican Republic (director Juan Gerard was denied permission to shoot in Cuba) Cuban Blood suffers from quite a few noticeable flaws. First, the dialog in this film, especially during the first 25-30 minutes is in a dire need of editing. Clichéd, incoherent, and often quite amateurish the lines which the main protagonists exchange drag substantially disallowing the story to evolve into what I assume Juan Gerard wanted his film to emulate (the narration clearly draws inspiration from such films as Goodfellas and Deuces Wild). As a result the film quickly loses its initial appeal and even though the premise for Cuban Blood sounds fascinating and the cast is more than impressive the final product is quite disappointing.

Second, most if not all of the characters in Cuban Blood (Iben Hjejle being the lonely exception) tend to imitate Cuban accents while speaking their lines in English. I am uncertain if this was something Juan Gerard insisted on but the effect which the aforementioned accents create is quite annoying. Numerous times it becomes virtually impossible to understand what some of the characters recite as their speech resembles what I can only describe as mumbling.

Last but not least the editing in Cuban Blood is most definitely not as polished as one might have expected looking at the talented cast the film boasts. As I understand Juan Gerard had a much longer version in mind (nearly 3-hour long cut of the film is in existence), and the version offered on this DVD by Velocity Pictures clearly reveals a few areas where the pacing of the story is conspicuously uneven. What this transforms into is a collage of scenes that while thematically-related remain rather scattered.

Harvey Keitel has proven more than once that he isn't afraid to get involved with projects that stars of his rank are likely to dismiss without any serious consideration. I remember the ripple effect his participation in Theo Angelopoulos's Ulysses' Gaze (1995) created amongst "serious" film critics and the context in which his acting was discussed. Unfortunately his contribution to Cuban Blood does very little to negate the film's visible flaws, there are too many of them and worst of all they show at critical for the story moments.

How Does the DVD Look?

Presented with its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and enhanced for widescreen TV's Cuban Blood offers a passable image quality with a decent contrast, good color gradation, and a manageable degree of edge enhancement (sans a few of the daylight scenes during the first half of the film where edge-enhancement becomes an issue). More often than not the film also seems to rely on an intentional softer look which some viewers may find slightly disappointing as in reality the good cinematography I believe would have benefited from a different approach. Regardless, the quality of the presentation is decent enough and you should be able to enjoy the film (should you have any interest in it).

How Does the DVD Sound?

Presented with a DD 2.0 English track and optional Spanish subtitles Cuban Blood offers a good yet unimpressive audio mix. As I mentioned earlier the actors' speech is often unclear and unless you turn up the volume (substantially higher than normal) chances are you might miss on a few lines. I am also puzzled by the distrib's decision not to offer English subtitles as such would have been highly appreciated.

Extras:

Aside from a trailer gallery which comes as the main "extra" on this DVD there is absolutely nothing else to be found here.

Final Words:

Even though Cuban Blood clearly has its moments where the talented cast reveals why they are considered amongst the best in the industry this film is anything but impressive. It clearly shows that Juan Gerard has much to learn before he emerges as a formidable film director! Cuban Blood does show some potential, especially during the second half of the film, but the amateurish lines certainly destroy most of it. On a side note I am truly puzzled by the company producer and their decision to "improve" the film's title – what a poor marketing decision! RENT IT!