Balladeer’s Blog’s latest look at silent films covers Cuba’s early cinematic efforts.
FIRE DRILL aka Simulacro de Incendio (1897) – On January 24th of this year, Gabriel Veyre (at left) held the very first exhibition of silent film shorts in Cuban history at a theater in Havana.
Veyre was the Lumiere Film Company representative to Central America, and he parlayed the popular reaction to the Havana exhibition into financial support for Fire Drill, the first movie made in Cuba. That 1-minute film short from February 1897 was a documentary look at firefighting in Havana. Actual firefighters of the Central Fire Station of the City of Havana played themselves.
FILM COMMERCIAL FOR LA TROPICAL BEER aka the Missing Sorcerer (1898) – This was the very first film directed by a native Cuban – Jose Esteban Casasús, a noted pioneer of Cuban Cinema. Lasting just under a minute, this short advertised the brewery & product of La Tropical beer and was produced by Cinemataca de Cuba.
CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY (1901) – A film capturing the 1901 assembly, the equivalent of our Constitutional Convention. Following the defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American War, Cuba produced its first constitution a few years later. That document was openly based on the United States Constitution but had 115 articles instead of America’s 7.
The three branches were Executive, Legislative (bicameral) and judicial. Cuban presidents were to be elected for terms of 4 years, while Senators were elected for an initial term of 8 years, following which they could run for additional terms of 4 years each. The lower house members were elected for an initial term of 4 years, following which they could run for additional terms of 2 years each. Continue reading
*** LET’S CUT THROUGH THE POLITICAL THEATER – The European politicians talking tough about standing with Ukraine are just voguing for attention. We’ve all seen the wording in their agreements that none of them will take any action unless the U.S. is on board with it and pays for it. 
*** DEMOCRATS PRETEND TO BE ALL-IN FOR UKRAINE SIMPLY AS A MEANS OF ATTACKING PRESIDENT TRUMP. Democrats pretend the only way to support Ukraine is to mindlessly support the crooked failure Zelensky. Ukraine is NOT equivalent to one person. The pathetic, cosplaying little man Zelensky is a corrupt authoritarian.
THE MYSTERY OF DR. FU MANCHU (1923) – One of the earliest, if not THE earliest, big screen adaptations of Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu novels, which launched in 1913. The tales depicted the brilliant Chinese figure Dr. Fu Manchu at most plotting global domination but most often uniting many Far Eastern races against White Colonial nations to drive them out of Asia. 
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) 
It is time for another current events roundup from 
Watching President Trump cleaning up the cesspool of corruption in our political establishment reminds me of a much larger version of the cleanup in New York City’s police department in the 1970s following Frank Serpico’s revelations. 
For another comparison remember the real-life efforts of prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino as they tried to end organized crime’s control of Sicily’s governmental figures. They were eventually assassinated after years of having the entire corrupt system against them. The non-fiction book Excellent Cadavers is a great way to familiarize yourself with them. 
Even worse, Trump has made some unforced errors and lapsed into foolish distractions like the whole “51st State” nonsense with Canada. He’s still a de facto Third Party President and given the unreliability of A LOT of Congressional Republicans massive betrayal could come at any time. 
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