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Lucia

Released Feb 26, 1974 2h 35m Drama List
89% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
During Cuba's war for independence from Spain, Lucia (Raquel Revuelta), a single woman from a wealthy family, betrays her brother, a Cuban revolutionary, when she inadvertently leads her lover to his secret hideout. In the 1930s, an idealistic young pregnant woman, also named Lucia (Eslinda Núñez), leaves her family and gets involved with an activist group. Finally, in the 1960s, a newly married woman named Lucia (Adela Legrá) fights with her husband (Adolfo Llauradó) over her own freedom.

Critics Reviews

View All (9) Critics Reviews
Penelope Gilliatt New Yorker The film -- all two hours and forty minutes of it -- says with mounting energy and comic spirit as its three episodes go on that things have now changed, but that they can change only a little while machismo still reigns. Dec 15, 2021 Full Review David Mermelstein Wall Street Journal It's not just Cuba that's changing in this black-and-white epic (the first two episodes contain gripping battle scenes); it's also the role of women. Oct 1, 2020 Full Review Nora Sayre New York Times Spanning nearly 70 years of Cuban history, this extraordinary movie focuses on three generations of women whose lives reflect the society around them. Jun 19, 2018 Full Review Michael J. Casey Boulder Weekly Humberto Solás' first feature, and he managed to pour in so much the frame practically burst with guerilla aesthetics - kinetic, frenetic and exciting. Rated: 4.5/5 Sep 27, 2020 Full Review Jeva Lange Screen Slate Taken together, the cumulative experience of the three Lucias over the course of nearly three hours is transformative: a multi-generational portrait of politics, culture, and womanhood in Cuba. May 31, 2019 Full Review Jan Dawson Monthly Film Bulletin To describe Luca as a masterpiece seems almost to belittle it since visually it is not one film but three. Jun 19, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (15) audience reviews
s r 1001 movies to see before you die. This was a powerful movie showing different aspects of Cuba through three different women's point of view. I wondered how it was allowed to be produced during communism. Despite its unusual direction and photography, I don't plan on seeing it again. It was on Youtube. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review William L A portrait of change in Cuba told with a focus on key geopolitical moments in the prior century and incorporating a feminine perspective to provide a metric to the shifting social tides, Lucia admittedly starts out somewhat slow, featuring a melodramatic romance that is relatively conventional both in its sensibilities and composition. However, it is not only revealed as a deliberate step taken by Solás to contrast with the more avant-garde shooting style employed later on for more contemporary settings, but also is concluded in its own segment by a surprisingly stark, sweeping, and disturbing battle scene that few could potentially match for grueling intimacy. At times the sheer size of the film makes some of the supporting performances seem a bit lackluster, and the overt nature of the gender politics seem to take over a bit too prominently at times (particularly the literal imprisonment of Legrá's final iteration of Lucía by a controlling, cigar-gnashing husband), but overall Lucía documents social change using characters with personality rather than premade templates of virtue, and isn't shy about pointing out practical corruption in a series of revolutionary movements built on idealism, and the potential for long-term change. (3.5/5) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/01/21 Full Review Audience Member As expansive and ambitious as it is off-putting and unpleasant, Humberto Solás 1968 epic of Cuban revolution spans not just history, but film styles and genres. Broken into three separate black-and-white stories, each told via a varied cinematic idiom, Lucía makes its connections through political underlining as experienced by three unrelated women whom each bear the title moniker. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A must watch movie if you wish to know more about the history of Cuba. You can witness how the meaning of revolution and women's self-determination mutate here. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member The year should read 1968. Really 3 different films that concern themselves with revolutionary periods in Cuba's history and a woman named Lucia. The first part is amazing, a transfixing new wave-ish melodrama. The second part is more neo-realistic, but still quite good, though not nearly as vital as the first. The third is an odd historical artifact that is completely different than the first two, and both intentionally and unintentionally disturbing. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Highly-charged Cuban classic. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Lucia

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Movie Info

Synopsis During Cuba's war for independence from Spain, Lucia (Raquel Revuelta), a single woman from a wealthy family, betrays her brother, a Cuban revolutionary, when she inadvertently leads her lover to his secret hideout. In the 1930s, an idealistic young pregnant woman, also named Lucia (Eslinda Núñez), leaves her family and gets involved with an activist group. Finally, in the 1960s, a newly married woman named Lucia (Adela Legrá) fights with her husband (Adolfo Llauradó) over her own freedom.
Director
Humberto Solás
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 26, 1974, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 8, 2017
Runtime
2h 35m