Guantanamera! (1995) - English subtitles. (At amazon.com: $94.98.)

Strawberry & Chocolate (1993) - Spanish - English subtitles. . (At amazon.com: $16.99.)

Amazon.com: "This charming Cuban film details the unusual relationship between the flamboyant, educated Diego (Jorge Perugorría) and the young, homophobic, pro-Revolution David (Vladimir Cruz). Miserable at being dumped by his girlfriend, David at first spurns the attentions of Diego; however, at the prompting of his Communist roommate, Miguel (Francisco Gattorno), he cultivates an acquaintanceship with Diego in order to investigate his liberal leanings. Of course, Diego's cultured ways prove fascinating to the younger man and a true friendship grows. Add the slightly crazy neighbor Nancy (Mirta Ibarra), who frequently attempts suicide, as romantic fodder for David, and this playful drama becomes a heartwarming film. Disputed in its own country, this film was the first Cuban picture to be nominated for best foreign picture at the Academy Awards. --Jenny Brown"

Buena Vista Social Club (1999) Edition Details: • NTSC format (US and Canada only) • Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, NTSC • ASIN: B0000203Y5. (VHS at amazon.com: $19.99, DVD at amazon.com: $20.99.)

Amazon.com: "In 1996, composer, producer, and guitar legend Ry Cooder entered Egrem Studios in Havana with the forgotten greats of Cuban music, many of them in their 60s and 70s, some of them long since retired. The resulting album, Buena Vista Social Club, became a Grammy-winning international bestseller. When Cooder returned to Havana in 1998 to record a solo album by 72-year-old vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer, filmmaker Wim Wenders was on hand to document the occasion. Wenders splits the film between portraits of the performers, who tell their stories directly to the camera as they wander the streets and neighborhoods of Havana, and a celebration of the music heard in performance scenes in the studio, in their first concert in Amsterdam, and in their second and final concert at Carnegie Hall. The songs are too often cut short in this fashion, but Buena Vista Social Club is not a concert film. Wenders weaves the artist biographies with a glimpse of modern Cuba remembering its past, capturing a lost culture in music that is suddenly, unexpectedly revived for audiences in Havana and around the world. Wenders makes his presence practically invisible, as if his directorial flourishes or off-screen narration might deflect attention from the artists, who do a fine job of telling their own stories through interviews and music. It's a loving portrait of a master class in Cuban music, with a vital cast of aging performers whose energy and passion belie their years. --Sean Axmaker "

"A dark parody set in 18th century Cuba about what happens when one man carries out his idea of the Christian ideal in the very non-Christian context of slavery. When a wealthy plantation owner decides to follow Christ's example by washing the feet of twelve of his slaves, the angry "apostles", who share neither the boss's wealth nor his religion, rebel. They set fire to the crops and flee, and soon the owner, furious at the destruction of both his land and his little drama, orders the slaves found and killed... One of the masterpieces of revolutionary Cuban cinema. "

"Amazon.com essential video When Havana was released in 1990, a lot of reviewers unfavorably compared it to Casablanca, and those comparisons (in addition to audience indifference) turned the film into a box-office disaster. It deserved a better fate, because, while this is certainly no masterpiece, it's an intelligent and lavishly produced film about a chapter of history--the final days of Cuba under the collapsing Batista regime--that remains largely unfamiliar to the American mainstream. It's a compelling political backdrop for the story of a high-stakes gambler (Robert Redford) who comes to Cuba seeking the big score in poker games, following his expectation that high rollers will bet wildly as the Cuban government crashes around their heads. In Havana, Redford meets the wife (Lena Olin) of a Communist revolutionary (Raul Julia) with ties to Fidel Castro, and their attraction becomes powerfully mutual after her husband is presumed killed by Cuban police. What follows, as Cuba falls and Redford's character is forced into a crisis of conscience, is a mini-epic love story with tragic overtones, handled with great skill (albeit lagging pace) by long-time Redford collaborator Sydney Pollack. True, it's not nearly as memorable as Casablanca, but this is a worthwhile film, especially if you're interested in the political upheavals in pre-Castro Cuba. --Jeff Shannon"

Bebé, an 18-year-old girl, is happy and does not understand why everyone else is not. She tells us the stories of Mariana, Julia and Elpidio , three characters who are not happy in La Habana at the end of this century.
Mariana is a young dancer who, in order to get the part of Giselle in a ballet, makes a promise to God that she will never go to bed with any man. Mariana manages to get the part, but in the process of staging the work will have to choose between love and her promise.
Julia has two passions: to do good to others... and animals. But from one moment in her life, Julia starts to faint at work, in the street and in public places.
A young psychologist reveals the cause of her fainting to her and from then on, Julia will have to choose between accepting this truth or fainting for the rest of her life.
Elpidio Valdés , a young musician of mixed race who enjoys life, was abandoned by his mother, Cuba Valdés, and from that time has been living in a constant state of anxiety to know what Cuba was, is and will be. Elpidio will also have to choose between love and his need for Cuba.
In the end, the three characters meet and Bebé (the narrator) reveals to us the secret of happiness in La Habana in the year 2020.