Death of a Bureaucrat

Buy This Item Death of a Bureaucrat by New Yorker Video  Available from Amazon  $19.95  on 11-14-2008     Never-mind post-revolutionary Cuba; right here in America, in 2000, there is enough bureaucracy for the comedic lessons of Alea's great film about people's propensity to conform at all costs to absurd restrictions from 'above' and cause misery to others rather than risk the slightest insecurity to themselves, to be driven home painfully. <p>"Death of a Bureaucrat" is a really funny film but one that makes you think, like Tati's "Playtime," Fellini's early films and, in particular, some of Bunuel's more light-hearted comedies like "Illusion Travels by Streetcar." <p>Alea's film is deeply critical and ridicules everything that is part and parcel of government enforced socialism. You can't fault Castro for not having a sense of humor, that's for sure. A film like this would've been unthinkable in communist Russia. Regular Alea side-kick Leo Beower's understated fusic-music is, as always, excellent. Reader Reviews If you've ever been bounced around a bureaucracy like some kind of human pinball, you'll be able to relate to this movie. And since most people have, this movie probably would have a wide audience that it appealed to. See, this film is about bureaucracy - be it communist, capitalist, or otherwise. But make no mistake- it's not a film about communist bureaucracy. It just so happens that it is set in communist Cuba. The movie is funny in an absurd sort of way, kind of like Luis Buenel's movies. If you like those kinds of movies, this one may be for you. I gotta say, it's also a bit of a nail biter, but not in the horror movie kind of way. More in the way of "Well, what's the protagonist going to do now?" or "How's he going to get out of this mess?" That just makes the film better. The film is also interesting in that it is critical of the bureaucracy in Cuba at that time. You get to see what a self-professed supporter of Castro thought the problems with the Cuban revolution were in the 60s.

Death of a Bureaucrat Available from Amazon Price: $19.95 Updated on 11-14-2008.

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