Papa Hemingway in Cuba
Highlights:
In 1959, a young journalist ventures to Havana, Cuba to meet his idol, the legendary Ernest Hemingway who helped him find his literary voice, while the Cuban Revolution comes to a boil around them.
Director:
Bob Yari
Cast:
Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson, Adrian Sparks
Screenplay:
Denne Bart Petitclerc
Screening Date:
Apr 23, 2016
Running Time:
109 minutes
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.3% | 30.0% | 30.0% | 13.3% | 3.3% |
“Great story, well told. Wonderful pictures of Hemingway and Cuba brought back my memories of my visit there and to Papa’s house!”
“Subtle depiction of women’s plight in careers. Interesting topic and information many may not know. Some lines very trite, simplistic and clichéd.”
“Sappy ending. Production look of film was great. House amd costumes had an authentic look. Adrian Sparks looks like Papa. Screenplay could use work.”
“The location is a treat! I am touched by the content and the depiction of people around Hemingway. We usually know the central character in such content but the significance and turmoil around such issues is rarely treated by film or literature. We all know writer’s block. The details of his fascinations are well grounded in the events of the time and emotions of flying near the sun. We love Papa.”
“What a mess. I was looking forward to this but there was nothing really cohesive. Was it about politics? The relationships between writers and marriage? It was an important time in literary history and Papa was a fascinating person, but none of it was too exciting. I think acting was lousy and emotionless.”
“Screenplay not too good, but interesting to see Cuba and Hemingway’s home there. Visually attractive! Sparks looked like Papa but I think in reality he was more charismatic. Joely Richardson was miscast as Mary; she is either overacting or just really bad. Quick look at an aging Mariel Hemingway at dinner. Hard to imagine that she would endorse this view of Papa.”
“Writer did not take his own advice the power of less. This screenplay jumped back and forth. A potentially good movie.”
“Hemingway fans will love the sets, the scenery and the story. The rest of us will love the sets, scenery and the music.”
“Despite our audience’s general reaction I really liked this film. The Hemingway story is fascinating and the film was as much about (or more about) the Ed Myer’s person’s experience of those chapters of his life and death as it was a Hemingway biopic. Didn’t fault it for having weak production values given the truly amazing writer’s story.”
“A very disappointing film about a very interesting topic, the direction and acting were both wooden except for Giovanni Ribisi’s stand out performance. The music was hammy, hardened and indulged in over-signaling. Even the opening credits were cheesy. On the positive side I loved the costumes and set design.”
“Certainly a sincere look at an amazing story of Ed Myers and his relationship with Hemingway. Both looking for fathers, both failing in relationships with wives/girlfriends. But some of the acting was over-the-top from a screenplay that could have used some of Hemingway’s brevity and eloquence.”
“George C. Scott as THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA is a Hemingway that’s hard to top.”
“Beautiful to look at, and no one is attempting or may ever attempt a full bio-pic of Hemingway, so this brief look at a unique time of his life – and a relationship I never knew about – was, for me, absolutely wonderful.”
If you'd like to know more about the film...
In the film Adrian Spark plays Ernest Hemingway. The link below leads to an interview with him in which he discusses what it was like to play Hemingway as well. In addition he also talks about what it was like to film in Cuba considering how long it has been since someone filmed a genuine movie there. If you would like to know more about the film you can view the link below.
http://www.wsj.com/video/hemingway-in-cuba-adrian-sparks-on-playing-papa...
The film touches on the relationship between Hemingway and the FBI. The film goes about suggesting a very real connection between the two in which the FBI was genuinely trying to discredit him. Below there are two links which reflect on this. The first is an article which discusses a theory that the anxiety put on Hemingway by the FBI may have contributed significantly to his commiting suicide. The second link leads to the actual FBI file on Hemingway which was released over a decade after his passing.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jul/03/fbi-and-ernest-hemingway
https://vault.fbi.gov/ernest-miller-hemingway/ernest-hemingway-part-01-o...
The film gives some very interesting insight into the later years of Ernest Hemingway, specifically the late 1950s. If however you would like to know a bit more about his earlier life or perhaps just his life overall you can follow the link below. It leads to a biography on Ernest Hemingway.
http://www.biography.com/people/ernest-hemingway-9334498#critical-acclaim
