The Lost City

When the men of the Fellove family retire after dinner to talk about their country's growing instability, the youngest son brazenly dismisses his father's ideas and his two big brothers bark back, saying nothing political, merely demanding he show their father some respect. And so the tone is set for a film that has a contempt for politics yet means to tell a story of the Cuban revolution. In 'The Lost City', tradition, romance and sentimentality are what's most important as we follow what regime change means for simple-minded nightclub owner Fico Fellove.

Andy Garcia plays Fico. Andy Garcia also directs, produces and composes the music. It took sixteen years for Garcia to make The Lost City and it's clear that this story is a labour of love. So it's unfortunate that Garcia's film has so many flaws, any criticism almost seems personal. Nonetheless, it must be said that it's poorly directed, badly edited, and overlong. Sorry Andy.

The story revolves around Fico, the eldest of the Fellove brothers, played by Garcia with his trademark slick and serious tone. But as an apolitical nightclub owner, his lack of humour seems bizarre. All this man seems to want to do is eat good food, enjoy good music and dance, yet he strides about as if he has a deadly important purpose. When he feels sad he tinkles on his piano, when he feels happy he gets his film camera out. Who ever heard of a moody dilettante?

The plot doesn't add up to much either. First Fico has trouble with his brothers. One gets arrested and almost murdered by Batista's men. Fico frees him but he later loses both brothers in the revolution. Fico then hooks up with Aurora, the youngest brother's widow, without any hesitation. Their romance continues in the same matter-of-fact fashion until finally, Aurora becomes friendly with the new Castro regime, gratified that the revolution's success gives her husband's death meaning.  Fico is left alone, and when the government start dictating the content of his nightclub's cabaret through the unionised musicians, he leaves the country.

Despite the two hours and twenty four minutes of screen time, Aurora and Fico's bond goes unexamined, their romance a clichéd formality. Why does Fico leave his family, his lover and his beloved nightclub, surely there must be more to it than Castro banning the saxophone because it's "an instrument of imperialists"? It's the unfocused nature of this film that needlessly creates all these questions. Why was Batista's Cuba with its executions more acceptable to Fico than Castro's?

At the heart of the failures of The Lost City is the character of Fico. Having the story told from his viewpoint means we’re just as ignorant. The cause of the revolution, the poverty and desperation is never seen, only the opulent world of Fico. You could read his dismissal of both Castro and Batista as an unsentimental and wise attitude, but this mindset does not come from him being above the situation, merely wilfully ignorant of it. He is essentially selfish, hedonistic, and shallow. He witnesses Batista's executions, the death of his own family members, Castro's murders, but it's only when his nightclub is affected that he acts – and that act is to run away. At the end, gangster Meyer Lansky sets Fico up with a new nightclub and Fico learns nothing.

However, there are some good points about The Lost City. It looks splendid, sumptuous even. Garcia’s choice of music is captivating, as are the balls, dances and other glimpses of Cuban culture.  And Bill Murray has a small role as a writer with no name who speaks in jokes that energise the film during its demanding running time.  Maybe with a bit more editing there’s a solid movie here. If you’re open to Garcia’s often-poetic indulgences, then you may find joy here.

Peter Quinn



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