Starring:
Andy Garcia as Fico Fellove
Inés Sastre as Aurora Fellove
Tomas Milian as Don Federico Fellove
Richard Bradford as Don Donoso Fellove
Nestor Carbonell as Luis Fellove
Enrique Murciano as Ricardo Fellove
Dominik García-Lorido as Mercedes Fellove
Dustin Hoffman as Meyer Lansky
Bill Murray as The Writer
Lorena Feijóo as Leonela
Steven Bauer as Captain Castel
Juan Fernández as President Fulgencio Batista
Jsu Garcia as Ernesto “Che” Guevarra
William Marquez as Rodney
Julio Oscar Mechoso as Colonel Candela
Special Features:
Commentary by director Andy Garcia, actor Nestor Carbonell, and production designer Waldemar Kalinowski
“The Making of The Lost City” featurette
Deleted scenes with commentary
Still gallery
Notes from Cast and Crew
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.78:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 144 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Havana in 1958 is a place of pleasure for many, but others are not happy under the rule of dictator Fulgencio Batista. As the revolutionary forces of Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara prepare to move on the city, Fico Fellove (Andy Garcia), owner of the city’s classiest music nightclub, El Tropico, struggles to hold together his family and the love of a woman (Inés Sastre), not knowing that his club will become more than just a stage for popular entertainment.
Observing all is The Writer (Bill Murray), an expatriate American who sees Fico being drawn into events as the revolution changes everything. Though Fico watches a culture vanish and a people transformed, it is his love of Cuban music that keeps his memories alive.
“The Lost City” is rated R for violence.
Mini-Review:
While watching “The Lost City,” it becomes apparent very quickly that this is Andy Garcia’s pet project. He stars in, directs, produces, and does the music for this film. Normally that’s the sign that someone’s ego has run amok, but in this case Garcia does an excellent job. The film looks fantastic. The Dominican Republic makes an excellent, exotic double for Cuba. Garcia got a lot of bang for his buck up on the big screen. The film is also practically a musical. It is jam packed with Cuban music and dance numbers that reflect the tone of the events in the movie. The story is also impressive. Inés Sastre as Aurora Fellove represents Cuba itself and its tumultuous relationship with its people. The film really reminds you of what went on in Cuban and why the US has frosty relationships with the country even after all these years. You also understand why Cubans still give a portion of their heart to the country though they are exiles. The cast of “The Lost City” is also great. Inés Sastre is beautiful as Aurora Fellove while Andy Garcia delivers and understated performance as Fico. Nestor Carbonell as Luis Fellove and Enrique Murciano as Ricardo Fellove also stand out for their powerful roles Fico’s revolutionary brothers. And Bill Murray and Dustin Hoffman are also fun to see. However, despite their prominent placement in the advertising, they aren’t in the film very much.
“The Lost City”‘s only real problem is its pacing and running time. At two and a half hours running time, it’s tough to get through. The pacing is incredibly slow. There are a lot of long, lingering stares between characters in the film and some of the musical numbers are very long. I think at least 45 minutes could have been trimmed and it would have been just as effective.
I think fans of dramas and indie films will really enjoy “The Lost City.” Anyone interested in Cuban politics or culture will also enjoy the movie, especially music fans.
There is a decent selection of bonus features on this DVD. There is a 40 minute ‘making of’ featurette that has your typical cast and crew interviews, behind the scenes footage, and more. Garcia describes the history of getting the project made, Bill Murray’s involvement, shooting in the Dominican Republic, and more. Also included are 10 deleted scenes. There’s an extended dance number, a scene between Fico and his brother after a friend is executed by the revolutionaries, and more. Another notable scene shows Aurora meeting Fico at the airport rather than later in the film in New York. You’ll also find a standard commentary, photo gallery, and notes from the cast and crew.
