VM-1460

CUBA, IT'S PEOPLE, ITS MUSIC AND DANCE BEFORE AND DURING CASTRO'S COMMUNIST REGIME. (1930s-1970s).
VARIOUS SCENES MUSICIANS PLAYING JAZZ, LATIN MUSIC, NATIVE AFRICAN AMERICAN RITUAL DANCING, CUBAN FOLK SINGERS, PEOPLE DANCING IN STREETS, MAMBO, SALSA; COLORFUL STREET FESTIVALS; CUBAN MUSICAL, SCREEN STAR, ICON, RITA MONTANER, SPANISH LANGUAGE NARRATION.

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICIANS, STRIPPED TO WAIST, WEARING HEADBANDS, PLAY BONGO, CONGA DRUMS (CU) AS NATIVES DO FRENZIED RITUAL DANCING. MAN HOLDS SMALL ALLIGATOR ABOVE HIS HEAD WHILE DANCING. (SANTERIA) (B&W).
RELIGION

CU PAN MIDDLE-AGED, ELDERLY MUSICIANS, DRESSED IN BUSINESS SUITS, SING AS TWO PLAY GUITARS. CU HANDS STRUMMING GUITARS. BLACK MUSICIAN, BACK TO CAMERA, PLAYS BONGOS.

CU FLASH STILLS VARIOUS CUBAN ENTERTAINMENT ICONS, INCLUDING RITA MONTANER, ORQUESTRA ARAGON.

ZOOM DOWN BUSY NARROW CUBAN STREET. NIGHT SHOTS OF LIT UP COASTAL HIGHWAY. CU ROTATING LIGHT AT COASTAL LIGHTHOUSE.

YOUNG, MID-AGE COUPLES DOING SLOW RHUMBA. CU FROM WAIST DOWN. (B&W)

"QUINTETO CUBANO MODERNA" MODERN JAZZ QUINTET PLAYING. CU EACH OF FIVE BLACK PLAYERS IDENTIFIED AS THEY PLAY SOLO. CU HAND PLAYING CONGA DRUM. CU FACE SHOT BLACK MUSICIAN SEEMS MESMERIZED AS HE PLAYS.

CU YOUNG BLACK NATIVE BOY HOLDS SMALL ALLIGATOR ON HIS HEAD, OTHER SHIRTLESS BLACKS WITH BANDANAS ON HEAD, FACES PAINTED ENTER ROOM DANCING WILDLY AS THOUGH DRUGGED, WOMAN ENTERS, HOLDING GLASS OF WATER WITH RELIGIOUS CROSS, SMALL BOY DANCES WILDLY AMID ADULTS IN RITUALIST CEREMONY CALLED SANTERIA, A MIXTURE OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM AND AFRICAN RELIGIOUS PRACTICES, WHICH IS WIDELY PRACTICED IN CUBA. ANIMALS ARE USUALLY SACRIFICED DURING RITUAL. ODDITY

BLACK MAN DANCES WILDLY WITH LARGE CIGAR IN MOUTH.

PAN ORNATELY COLORFUL STATUES OF VIRGIN MARY ON ALTAR.

MORE FORMAL COUPLE HOLD MICROPHONES AS THEY SING, AT NIGHT CLUB (?) ACCOMPANIED BY BAND IN BKGD.
(COLOR FOOTAGE)

CU FACE SHOT LATINO SINGING CUBAN FOLK SONG.

MEN COUPLE, IN COLORFUL DRESS, DANCING IN STREET, AS GROUP PLAYS VARIETY OF DRUMS. YOUNG WOMAN ON STOOP WITH CHILDREN, OTHERS WATCHING GROUP IN STREET, DANCES IN PLACE ON THE STEPS.

CU MUSICIANS HANDS PLAYING BONGOS AND COW BELLS. CU DANCER WEARING GROTESQUE MASK OF BLACK FACE WOMAN.
ABOVE SHOT AFRICAN GROUP AMID DANCING CROWD BEATING ALL SORTS OF DRUMS

WIRY OLD AFRICAN MAN DANCES INTO CENTER OF CROWD FOLLOWED BY OLD AFRICAN WOMAN, BOTH DO UNUSUAL ACROBATIC STEPS. OTHER YOUNGER MEN PERFORM SOLO.

MONTAGE UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL GROUPS ENTERTAINING IN NIGHT CLUBS. ZOOM IN VIOLIN PLAYER IN GROUP, PLAYING.
PAN BAND PLAYING ON STAGE AS THREE MEMBERS SING BEFORE MICROPHONE. (COLOR FOOTAGE)

CU UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SOUL SINGER HOLDING MIKE IN HAND, SINGING WITH FEELING. GUITAR PLAYER PROVIDES MUSIC. ANOTHER WOMAN APPEARS BEFORE HER, LISTENING.
ONE OF THEM IS ELENA BURKE. (B&W)

CU PAN YOUNG MAN WEARING HEADPHONE, PLAYING GUITAR AS ANOTHER MAN WITH HEADPHONES, AFRO, HORN-RIMMED GLASSES SINGS AT MICROPHONE. PIANO PLAYER WITH HEADPHONES SINGS ALONG. RECORDING STUDIO (?). (B&W)

MONTAGE SEVERAL VIEWS CROWDS DOING LATIN STYLE DANCERS TO VARIETY OF MUSICAL GROUPS IN CONCERT.
AUDIENCE CLAPS HAND ABOVE THEIR HEADS EN MASSE.
(B&W/COLOR).

ABOVE SHOT MAN AMID CROWD OF ON-LOOKERS DOING LATIN DANCING MAKES DRAMATIC THRUST FORWARD AT THE HIPS ELDERLY MAN STEPS INTO CIRCLE SHOWS HIS STUFF.
(COLOR FOOTAGE)

OLD MAN WITH PIPE, CANE WALKS ALONG ALLEY STREET, PASSES DOORWAY WITH YOUNG GIRL AT PIANO.

"RITA MONTANER"
VARIOUS FILM CLIPS, MOVIES, PHOTOS, NEWS ARTICLES, PLAYBILLS, LETTERS, RELATIONSHIPS, IN LIFE OF CUBAN MULATTO ICON, ACTRESS, SINGER, DANCER, WORLD-WIDE ENTERTAINER, RITA MONTANER. VARIOUS SCENES PHOTOS OF PIANIST, ENTERTAINER, ICON, BOLA (DE NIEVE ?)
ENTERTAINING WITH MONTANER (HER LOVER ?) 1920s-1950

CU FACE SHOT PHOTO OF RITA. CU SHOT PLAYBILL, PHOTOS OF CAST, PAN TO PHOTO OF GONZOLO ROIG (?)

PHOTO RITA POSING WITH XAVIER CUGAT AND OTHER WOMAN.
PHOTO RITA IN BLACK FACE POSING WITH UNIDENTIFIED MAN IN BLACK FACE, TuXEDO. OTHER FEMALE ENTERTAINERS IN BKGD

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE: "AL JOLSON IS GREATER TODAY THAN EVER"

PHOTO SHOWING RITA DOING "BLACK BOTTOM" DANCE IN OUTDOOR SETTING. PHOTOS OF RITA AS LITTLE GIRL, WITH SISTER, AND OTHER GLAMOROUS PHOTOS OF ADULT RITA.

PHOTO JOLA BRASS DANCING WITH RITA. MORE OF RITA

CU RITA MONTANER, IN MUSICAL LOVE SCENE, SINGS AS SUAVE MAN WITH THIN MOUSTACHE, WHITE PANAMA HAT, STANDS CLOSE TO HER. FACE SHOT RITA SINGING OPERATIC SONG. DOING DRAMATIC SCENE IN FILM.

TILT DOWN FROM CEILING TO ORNATE CURTAIN PAINTED WITH ANGELS ON STAGE OF OLD THEATER, EMPTY THEATER SEATS.
AS SEEN FROM BACK OF THEATER. SLOW ZOOM IN, CURTAIN RISES.

WOMAN (RITA) AS DOMESTIC HOUSEWIFE, HANGING CLOTHING ON CLOTHES LINE (MUSICAL MOVIE ROLE), SINGING.

CU PLAYBILL: "BEMBE" FEATURING RITA MONTANER.

CUBAN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE CONCERNING ALBERTO VALDES AND COLUMBIA PICTURES. (OFFER OF $35,000 FOR PLAY "ECO"
(?))

PUBLICITY PHOTOS MONTANER WITH JOSEPHINE BAKER..

CU MONTANER POWDERING HER NOSE ON SET.

MONTAGE PHOTOS OF UNIDENTIFIED BLONDE ACTRESS, SINGER ANGELINA AGUILAR (?) VOICE OVER SPEAKS OF RITA AND HER LOVE FOR CUBA.

CU RITA IN BLACK FACE PLAYING DRAMATIC PART.

MONTAGE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES WITH PHOTOS RITA MONTANER.

WOMAN (RITA) SITTING WITH MAN MAKES BIZARRE GESTURES WITH HER HAND TO HER FACE.

PLAYBILL: RITA MONTANER, IN "LA UNICA".

TWO WOMEN GET INTO HAIR-PULLING CONTEST, ONE GOES DOWN

CU MEDIUM (RITA) USES COFFEE BEANS TO TELL FORTUNE.
BLACK, ELDERLY VOODOO PRIEST (BABALAOS ?) PERFORMS RITUAL OVER YOUNG WOMAN, CHANTS AS MEDIUM EXPLAINS IT TO HER.

PLAY PROGRAM: "RITA MONTANER IN "MI QUERIDO CHARLES".

CUBA IN LATER YEARS (1970s?)
VARIOUS SCENES UNIQUE OLD PALATIAL BUILDINGS, GOVERNMENTAL BUILDINGS, WOODEN SHACKS, BACKYARDS.
VARIOUS STREET SCENES. PEOPLE IN DECORATIVE COSTUMES DANCING SALSA, RITUALISTIC DANCING IN STREETS DURING FESTIVAL. PARADE OF DOZENS OF CHILDREN DANCING SALSA.
(COLOR) ETHNIC DANCE, MUSIC.

STREET FESTIVAL WITH AFRICAN MEN WOMEN IN COLORFUL COSTUMES.

HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN PARADING DOWN STREET, TOWARDS CAMERA, ALL DOING THEIR VERSION OF SALSA, FOLLOWED BY ALL SORTS OF DRUMMERS ALSO PARADING AND DANCING AS THEY PLAY

AS BLACK MEN TWIRLS LARGE COLORFUL OBJECT HIGH ABOVE HIM, FEMALE DOES FRENZIED TRIBAL TYPE DANCE AROUND HIM

CU ELDERLY BLACK WOMAN WITH HUGE SCORPION PIN ON HER TURBAN TYPE HEADWEAR. CU SCORPION PIN. CU ELDERLY BLACK WOMAN SPEAKS OF FESTIVAL.

CU MAN HOLDING LARGE SCORPION DANCES BY, OLD MAN IN PARADE MAKES MOTION LIKE STRIKING WITH WHIP. CHILDREN ADULTS IN PARADE SALSA DRUM BEATS, SINGING, TOWARDS CAMERA. (COLOR)