Thirteen Days

"Thirteen Days" (2000) is a historical and political thriller movie directed by Roger Donaldson. It recounts the situation lived within the White House in 1962 when the United States discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba starting what it is known in history as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Donaldson movie is named after Robert F. Kennedy's book about the crisis, but the plot is based in the book "The Kennedy Tapes" written by Ernest May and Philip Zelikow. Both sources provide this movie with the facts but in addition to the Kennedy brothers that are part of previous portrayals of this historical event, Donaldson includes Kenneth P. O'Donnell (Kevin Costner) as a new main character which brings out to the plot a family drama happening outside the government.

The movie goes over the political atmosphere and decisions made during JFK's presidency after the US aerial surveillance discovers USSR missiles installed in the Cuban island that could potentially reach most of the United States. The plot emphasizes the US-USSR relations to disarm Cuba. While John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood), Robert F. Kennedy (Steven Culp), and O'Donnell try to negotiate the removal of the missiles through non-violent approaches rejecting any military attack, the USSR continues the occupation breaking every single agreement made with the US government to back off. Finally, JFK, RFK, and O'Donnell successfully mediate the end of what seemed like the beginning of Third World War by promising the withdrawal of the US troops in Turkey six months after their agreement.

Though the movie is all about the Cuban missile crisis, Donaldson clearly shows that Cuba and its politics were the least important aspect to deal with. The tensions of this event are between the United States and the USSR as any other matter during the Cold War, portraying the Latin American country as merely a puppet working for the USSR interests. During the film, very few times we see an opinion on behalf of the Cuban government, like the character of Raul Castro talking in a UN general meeting, or the people supporting Cuba, such as demonstrations outside the White House with posters asking for peace and freedom of Cuba. The most important scenes are when representatives of the USSR speak, and of course, when the US demonstrate that the threat is real.

"Thirteen Days" is produced almost thirty years after the missile crisis depicting the event highly threatening in which the United States was the closest to losing the Cold War. This movie is released during a period in which the anxieties experienced during the Cuban Missile Crisis are reawakened. The end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century are marked with a new wave of international tensions (mini-Cold Wars) and proxy wars in which the United States and Russia (former USSR) are directly or indirectly involved. Cuba like any other Latin American country becomes a problem for national security if its politics are manipulated against the United States. However, Donaldson portrays a United States with strong beliefs on non-violent intervention (which was not by the time this movie was made). Perhaps, this is a reminder that even in the worst case scenario the United States could ever face, a warlike response should be the last resource.

Dance With Me

Dance With Me (1998) begins with shots of the sun-splashed streets of Santiago de Cuba, with smiles and Caribbean beats dancing on the air. The scene then shifts to a local cemetery where Rafael Infante (played by the successful Puerto Rican singer, Chayenne) is laying flowers on his mother’s grave in memory of her birthday. Later, when he returns to his home, an excited mailman bounds up the stairs to announce that ‘He’ has written back. The letter is from a man in Houston named John Burnett (Kris Kristofferson) who has legalized the details to get Rafael a job in the US. It is later revealed at Rafael’s going away party, when he divulges to his friend that he only told John that he needed a job, that there may be more to this journey than what’s on the surface. Rafael then arrives in Texas at the bus station and is picked up by the beautiful Ruby (Vanessa L. Williams), who attempts awkward Spanish until Rafael smiles and asks in English if she can speak English. She takes him to John’s dance studio where she works. All the employees are friendly, except for John who is abrupt and unceremonious when he first meets Rafael as he quickly introduces him to his handyman duties around the studio as well as his new living quarters at John’s house. It is clear that Rafael did not expect this kind of greeting from John but he nonetheless is grateful for all the help. Years ago, John had worked with Rafael’s mother on a cruise ship. It is clear that he still has strong feelings for her, which is why he agreed to help Rafael come to America. When questioned about his father, Rafael quickly replies that he is “long gone”.

The next day, Rafael begins his new job at the studio, but is transfixed by Ruby who is practicing with her incompetent partner for the upcoming dance competition in Las Vegas. When she is alone and practicing her technique without any music, he comments that perhaps she should play something in the background so that she is not quite so stiff. Ruby is instantly insulted and retorts that he should stick to things he knows about. Later she is in John’s office and sees a couple dancing on the TV. It is apparent that she has had relations in the past with the male dancer. When John mentions that the couple on the screen have recently split up, she becomes visibly anxious and comments that she wants to get back into professional dancing, after a six year hiatus. Rafael soon proves his worth as a worker when he does a fantastic job decorating the studio for the weekly party, and then shows his gentlemanly morals when he is the only man to tell Ruby just in the nick of time that the zipper on her dress has slowly undone while she had been dancing, much to the disappointment of the on-looking males. As a return favour, he asks Ruby to go out dancing with him. Ruby is visibly uncomfortable at the bouncing Cuban club and she attempts to teach Rafael how to dance with technique: ball changes, counting, stiff arms, etc. When this fails, she retreats to the washroom and then returns to see Rafael heating up the dance floor like had been a professional his whole life. Ruby quickly leaves the club without saying good-bye. The next day Rafael explains that he really doesn’t know how to dance like her because his type of dancing does not use traditional techniques.

Rafael finally hits it off with John when he asks if he can fix up the old beater truck in the garage. To start the repairs, he enlists Ruby to drive him to a parts shop where the two enjoy each other’s company over some Cuban music and food while they wait for the shop to open. Upon seeing people entering the shop, they go in to find it’s owned by Cubans who immediately invite them to join in on an engagement party in the backyard. Ruby enjoys the family culture and she and Rafael even get to have a slow dance of their own. Then, when Ruby returns to the Cuban club to show Rafael that she isn’t afraid of his style, she becomes pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to let herself go into the rhythm and use the entire dance floor, being passed from partner to partner in a fast-paced dance scene. The night is a success and afterwards Rafael walks her to her door, only to be soaked by the sprinklers in the yard. Needing to dry off, he is invited inside and meets Ruby’s son, Peter, whose father is Ruby’s ex-dance partner. Later, as Rafael stands before her, wrapped in a towel and expressing sympathy for her situation as a single mother, their passion is released, but then, just as quickly, it’s repressed as Ruby realizes it’s not a good idea.

The next day, John’s dance partner, Patricia, comes to him pleading to change partners because John has been spending more time fishing than practicing for the Vegas competition. She opts to dance with Rafael instead, who has been showcasing random knowledge of dance while in the studio. John agrees and Rafael quickly masters the moves and he and Patricia enter the competition. Much to Rafael’s disappointment, Ruby has chosen to dance with her ex-partner Julian in the competition. Before leaving for Vegas, Rafael confronts John about him being his father, but John insists that he doesn’t have a son, causing Rafael to regret ever coming to America to look for such a callous man. At the competition, Rafael runs into Ruby backstage, but the two barely get a chance to talk as Julian rushes her away. At rehearsals, Ruby adds her own Cuban flair to the dance moves, but is quickly cut down by Julian who demands that she follow the routine. Rafael and Patricia then give an immaculate performance in their division and win first place; but Rafael is more pleased about the fact that John came to Vegas to watch him dance and confess that he is in fact Rafael’s father. The two quickly bond and Rafael decides to stay in America instead of returning to Cuba. The next scene is the professional division with Julian and Ruby easily making it to the finals. In the last dance, Ruby spots Rafael and visibly falters in her step as she yearns to dance with him again. Her emotions improve her performance and she and Julian win the grand prize in the professional division. At the after-party, Ruby arrives with a large trophy, but a sad face, as Julian wanders off to dance with other women. She is offered a lucrative contract, but simply walks away when Rafael appears at her side and silently offers her a dance. They then dominate the dance floor in an unscripted, Latin dance which shows their passion for one another. The film ends with a group lesson, involving all the movie’s characters, in the dance studio, with Rafael and Ruby as the instructors of the Latin moves.

Dance With Me emphasizes the disparity between immigrants and Americans by casting Rafael as an outsider. The dance studio employees make excuses for him, such as “Oh, he’s from a different country”, and oftentimes Rafael will even highlight the differences himself, by making comments such as “I’m Latin, but I’ve never seen a Latin dance like that” (commenting on Ruby’s stiff technique), or “I’m a Cuban, of course I can dance”. The film bares resemblance to Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights where, once again, the lead Latin male teaches the technique-driven American girl how to get lost in the Cuban beats and let the music lead her. The fact that there is no instance of reverse-gender in these roles begs the concept of male machismo and control, which dominates Latin society; but what more, how Latin society in general has to actually teach Americans how to enjoy life. Perhaps a notable difference between these two films is the fact that in Dance with Me the lead couple is able to start a new life in America, while in Havana Nights the young love must be separated as it can not bloom in the revolutionary streets of Havana; which lends a certain amount of fantasy to the ‘dreams of America’ and a sentiment of hopelessness to the situation in Cuba. The bouncing rhythms and the romantic storylines of these movies may attempt to conceal it, but this divergence of cultures is still readily apparent.

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004) is the sequel to 1987’s Dirty Dancing; and while it still maintains the common theme of social-class segregation, where the rich girl discovers her true disposition through dancing with the poor heart-throb, this newer version also introduces the aspect of interracial relationships. It begins with Katey Miller (Romola Garai) reluctantly moving with her family to Havana, Cuba, in her last year of high school because her father was offered a position there through the Ford automobile company. The date is November 1958, and while most girls are thinking about Elvis, Katey is reading Jane Austen and determined to go to college. Katey describes her feelings about coming to Cuba in three thoughts: her high school Spanish will be worthless, Fidel Castro leading a revolution against President Batista, and she doesn’t know anyone. While Katey is an isolated brainiac, her younger sister, Suzie, quickly makes friends with the other displaced American teenagers living in the resort which is their home while in Cuba. James (Jonathon Jackson), the son of Katey’s father’s boss, immediately takes a liking to Katey’s subtle intelligence, but she is constantly ridiculed by the popular socialite Eve. Becoming flustered, Katey accidentally knocks over the tray of a near-by waiter (Diego Luna), spilling all the drinks. Eve mutters, “Stupid spic” loud enough for him to hear as he walks away. Katey is disgusted at this remark, and she quickly looks for the waiter in order to apologize and pay for the drinks. She attempts her shaky Spanish and is met with the defiant response of, “I speak English, and I don’t need your charity.” The next day, Katey misses her bus at school and sees the same Cuban waiter dancing in the street as she walks home, but this time she is drawn to his energy and charm as he dances free-style to the afro-Cuban beats. He soon notices her and, after introducing himself as Javier,offers to walk her home. On the walk, they encounter a street band playing serene music to a crowd of onlookers. Suddenly, Javier attempts to usher a surprised Katey off the street with the explanation that she doesn’t know what the song means, just as dozens of policeman swarm in on the crowd. The two are separated and Katey returns to her resort.

The next day, Katey attempts some of the sexy dance moves she saw Javier use and is mortified when she realizes that he had been watching her the whole time. He invites her to the local club La Rosa Negra, but she reluctantly refuses as she is scheduled instead to be at the country club that night with James. The country club proves to Katey to be a boring replica of American life, minus the striking red dress she borrowed from a hotel maid, and she asks James to take her to La Rosa Negra. In the local club, Katey is spellbound by the thriving mass of flesh before her and chooses to dance the night away with Javier; much to the frustration of James, who is confronted and threathened by Javier’s revolutionary-minded brother, Carlos. James manages to finally steal Katey away and then attempts to make-out with her in his car. Katey slaps James after his sickening attempt to woo her, and dashes back into the club to Javier. The two walk back to the hotel together, unaware that they are being watched by Suzie and Eve. The next day, Javier is fired for ‘mingling with the guests’.

Katey searches for Javier and finds him in a ‘chop shop’ painting stolen cars. In attempts to smooth things over, she suggests that they enter the Amateur Latin Ballroom Dance contest, which Katey had learned about from the resort’s dance instructor (played by Patrick Swayze, the original heart-throb of Dirty Dancing). Javier just laughs because although Katey has dancing background from her parents who used to be professional dancers, she doesn’t exactly have that ‘Latin’ vibe. However, the tempting lure of the $5,000 prize money and a trip to America, which would solve Javier’s family’s economic crisis, gives the pair a reason to start practicing to win. Despite their different dancing styles and frustrations, the two gradually begin to grow closer and attempt to keep their romance a secret from Katey’s parents. Javier divulges to Katey that his father was taken from their home one night by Batista’s police under suspicion of being a revolutionary. Due to all the political unrest in Cuba, Javier proclaims that if they win the contest, he will bring his family to America. The final tweak to their routine comes when the dance teacher informs Katey that she has to connect with her fear of this Latin dancing in order to connect with her partner.

The semi-finals take place at The Palace, a haven of socialites which Carlos refers to as ‘Batista’s Playground’, and Javier and Katey’s romance is revealed to everyone. Although they make it to the finals, Katey’s parents are appalled that she would lie to them. Her mother cannot accept that her daughter is interested in Javier and that she would “kiss a Cuban in front of everyone.” The fight with her mother compels Katey to spend the night at Javier’s where she tells him that she never wants to leave Cuba. The next morning Katey makes amends with her mother and is given the blessing to continue in the contest. Katey and Javier compete last in the finals and are doing a sensational performance, when suddenly Carlos and other revolutionaries, posing as waiters at The Palace, begin shooting guns which creates chaos as everyone runs to the exit. Javier sprints after Carlos and manages to save his brother’s life just as a policeman puts a gun to his head in the deserted kitchen. The two escape and then argue about the morals of the revolution. Their feud is finally dissolved through the compassion of their brotherly bond at the exact moment that a commotion is heard in the streets. The people of Cuba are celebrating that President Batista has fled the country. Javier spends the night with Katey in a beach cabana and in the morning the two of them discuss their future. Katey is disappointed that, due to the revolution, Javier would rather stay in his own country than travel to America. Katey’s family, along with all the other Americans at the resort, decide to leave Cuba for their safety. Katey goes to Javier’s house for a final tearful good-bye. The two proclaim that they will never be without one another in their hearts and begin to sway to a silent beat in Javier’s courtyard. The last scene shows them at the local club with the coveted title of King and Queen of La Rosa Negra.

The blithe plot of this film rides along the spiky ridge of a politically-charged period in Cuban history from November 1958 to January 1959, marking the climax of the Cuban revolution. Katey’s family personifies the many American corporations which took up residence in Cuba while the country was under Batista’s rule. Havana is displayed through their eyes as a foreign playground for the rich; and although Katey is able to dive into the rich Cuban culture, the rest of the ‘gringos’ keep a racial division via their segregated resort. The opposite Cuban image is embodied in Carlos, an active member of the revolution’s uprising. His comments add texture to the motivation behind the common people against Batista. Javier’s life displays a young man striving to sustain his family and culture in a country where there’s “not such a thing as ‘just singing’ anymore”. The plot places America as an architect in Batista’s evil rule, due to the earlier trade relations between the two countries. Albeit that the main characters attempted a mixing of races with their love affair, in the end they do not win the dance competition and they cannot stay together, signifying the separation of relations between Cuba and America post-revolution. The movie may state at its opening that the events are based on a true story, but this is accurate only when viewed on the larger stage of the political dance of that era between the U.S. and Cuba.