Aventuras de Juan Quin Quin (1967) aka The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin

The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin was the most successful Cuban film of its time, and it is easy to see why; the director Julio García Espinosa's takes the aesthetics of the French New Wave and combines them with absurd comedy and a strong "people power" message. But what separates Espinosa's film from the cinema being made across the pond, is that it was actually made to be seen by the people it champions. Throughout the film we see Juan Quin Quin's transformation from sacristan to bullfighter to circus performer to farmer to eventually a guerrilla fighter standing up against corruption and exploitation. Told through flashbacks and flash-forwards, and shot in sparkling widescreen black and white, The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin is a genuinely enjoyable and uplifting comedy with a serious edge to it. Pre-revolutionary Cuba, a country run by corrupt businessmen-cum-gangsters, is not a very nice place for anyone on the bottom of the pecking order, but Espinosa handles the material with a light touch, plus, we know the good guys are going to win. Though some of its cinematic tricks have not aged very well, The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin is still a very enjoyable and entertaining piece of cinema, and it makes up for its flaws and structural issues with a good nature and breezy charm.