THE LAST SUPPER Movie Review

An ostensibly repentant, pious Cuban slave owner in the 18th century decides to simultaneously cleanse his soul and convert his slaves to Christianity by having a dozen of them reenact the Last Supper. Based on a true incident, this bitterly satirical swipe at the ties between colonialism, religious repression, and racism is one of the angriest films by Cuba's Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. The picture exists for the purpose of its long, blasphemous final sequence, which is an amazing bit of theatrical construction and performance. Overall, though, the movie's politics are really hammered home past the point of overkill—as such it's an anomaly in the generally subtle and generous-spirited works of this extraordinary director.

NEXT STOP … Memories of Underdevelopment, Guantanamera!, I Am Cuba

1976110m/C CU Nelson Villagra, Silvano Rey, Lamberto Garcia, Jose Antonio Rodriguez, Samuel Claxton, Mario Balmasada; D: Tomas Gutierrez Alea. VHS NYF, FCT