The first American television documentary shot in Cuba after the revolution (and the first color video ever aired on American television), Cuba: The People, Part I provides a comprehensive view of Cuban life under socialism.
Termed "the best look at Cuba since Castro toppled the Batista regime" by the news agency United Press International, this ground-breaking work of international advocacy journalism was one of the first independently produced documentaries to be broadcast on national television.
The first American television crew to be allowed into Cuba since the 1959 revolution, DCTV toured the country for six weeks to produce this candid portrait of life in Castro's Cuba. With his direct approach, Jon Alpert interviews ordinary people - farmers, factory workers, housewives - to elicit their stories of life before and after the revolution.
A powerful historical record, Cuba: The People details how the Cuban revolution addressed the issues of housing, medical care, and education at the time and presents a counterpoint for comparison to the Cuban situation today. Issues related to human rights, freedom of the press, and religion are also examined.
Produced with one of the first 1/2- inch color video systems available, Cuba: The People, Part I also made broadcast history as the first 1/2-inch color videotape to be aired nationally on public television.
Quotes:
"Unusually fresh documentary approach...a fascinating portrait of a people who, despite well publicized deprivations and sufferings in the 15 years since Fidel Castro's revolution, are firmly, almost ebulliently, committed to a cause." — The New York Times
Credits:
Produced/Directed by: Jon Alpert, Keiko Tsuno and Yoko Maruyama
WNET Interview/Introduction: Harrison Salisbury
Produced in association with WNET/Thirteen
Technical Details:
1987, trt 27 min, English, Color
; "Cuba, the People: Part I")
