Cuban Rebel Girls

This film is so bad that it is a nightmare. The question is not so much what's bad about it, but rather what's good about it. Except for a very small amount of curiosity value---nothing is good about it.

The production values are the worst I have ever seen in a "professional" production. The film stock is grainy and fuzzy. The acting is horrid. Flynn looks like he died the following day, and scenery, props, forget it!!

For the small number of people who might be tempted to buy this video--don't!! It's not just mediocre, it's horrible.

CUBAN REBEL GIRLS, the wretched last film of legendary star Errol Flynn, is a tragic epitaph. It's only 'value' is the morbid opportunity to see the actor's physical deterioration in the last few months of his life, coupled with his inability to give an even cursory performance.

While the rationale behind the production was the obvious tax write-off that a failed film could provide, there are mysteries and legends surrounding it, as with many of the significant events in Flynn's life.

One legend involves the financial backing of the film. Flynn was nearly broke, despite maintaining an outwardly affluent appearance ("I believe you should always dress in your best suit, and present your best 'front', when you're borrowing money," he would tell his biographer, Earl Conrad). The actor had already taken (and spent) an advance from Putnam to write his autobiography (which would be published posthumously as 'My Wicked, Wicked Ways'), and the publishing firm, fearing the actor would not fulfill his obligation, assigned veteran journalist Conrad (with two court stenographers) to follow the actor, and interview him daily. Legend has it that Flynn also went to a variety of sources, some less 'savory' than others, to borrow 'front' money for a film he said he was making. As time passed, and the film hadn't appeared, Flynn found himself in an awkward and potentially dangerous situation with his backers...so he took what little he had left of the borrowed cash to assemble a crew, write a script, and shoot a 'quickie' in Cuba.

The other legend involved his girlfriend, sixteen-year old Beverly Aadland. Flynn had been the defendant in a number of statutory rape trials, dating back to 1943, and had been acquitted, usually because the teens in question could 'pass' as older, and, in some cases, even had faked IDs. With his well-publicized sexual appetites, Flynn was an easy 'target' for publicity-hungry young women of easy virtue. Aadland, who had already been involved with the actor for several years, seemed to vindicate his critics' charges that Flynn was not the 'innocent' that his lawyers claimed him to be, but truly had a 'thing' for young girls (making him the Roman Polanski of his time). But the voluptuous teen was, according to friends of Flynn, genuinely in love with the aging star, nursing him through his bouts of malaria, keeping him supplied with vodka, and tenaciously guarding what little privacy he could maintain. Her one dream was to become an actress, and Flynn, according to legend, wrote CUBAN REBEL GIRLS to give her the opportunity no studio ever would, with her notoriety.

Sadly, whether CUBAN REBEL GIRLS was created as a tax write-off, a product of a last-minute attempt to appease backers, or as a 'Valentine' to a controversial love, Errol Flynn's swansong was simply awful.

On the 1st of January, 1959 at 3am, the infamous dictator Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba. Fidel Castro, then admired by the US, became the country's leader. The night Castro was informed of Batista's ignominious exit, there was but one journalist in his company: actor and notorious bon viveur, Errol Flynn. Flynn, whose fame was waning and fortune dwindling, was a fan of Castro, having gone to Cuba to write a series of articles for the New York Journal American about the Marxist-Leninist revolutionary. While there, Flynn made two low budget, propagandist films, the awkwardly named 'Cuban Story: The Truth About Fidel Castro Revolution', and 'Cuban Rebel Girls'.

Directed by Barry Mahon and written by Flynn, 'Cuban Rebel Girls' is an intriguing, though not exactly illuminating, or well-made, venture. A docu-drama, the film loosely describes Flynn's activities in Cuba, as well as the fictional adventures of the titular girls. Despite the fact that he was a fine writer, Flynn's narrative is not compelling, nor does he offer a nuanced or unbiased view of Castro or his revolutionary plans. Further, the dialogue throughout is overly expository and awkwardly stilted; made no better by the wooden performances from most in the cast.

In his wildly entertaining autobiography 'My Wicked, Wicked Ways', Flynn describes the film as "an interesting side venture", though there is little of interest offered to the viewer, beyond seeing the great raconteur making his last on-screen appearance. Though his narration throughout is spirited, Flynn's appearance betrays his decades of rabble-rousing and carousing. He looks older than his years; sadly, but unsurprisingly, he would die two months before the film was released.

Technically, it is an uninspiring watch. Director of photography Merrill S. Brody adopts a documentary approach, though the absence of professional lighting leaves proceedings ugly and dark. At times, it is genuinely hard to see what's going on, which is made worse by poor sound quality that leaves dialogue muffled and indistinct. This technical inadequacy detracts from the film's potential impact, making it difficult to engage with the narrative.

The whole affair appears cheap, like a quickly made puff-piece- which, one supposes, it was. Conversely, the inclusion of actual footage from the Cuban Revolution adds a touch of authenticity, though feels disjointed and out of place within the overall narrative. This blending of fact and fiction creates an uneven tone, leaving viewers unsure of whether they're watching a poor documentary or a melodramatic dramatization.

Despite this, the film aptly serves as a time capsule, capturing a unique moment in history when Hollywood intersected with global politics in an unexpected way. Furthermore, Flynn's fascination with the Cuban Revolution, and his involvement in making these propagandist films, speak to his complex, often contradictory personality. Known for his swashbuckling roles and amorous off-screen antics, Flynn's latter years were marked by a sense of disillusionment and a search for new adventures. 'Cuban Rebel Girls', despite its shortcomings, stands as a testament to Flynn's enduring charisma and his willingness to take risks, even as his star was fading.

Flynn's girlfriend Beverly Aadland stars opposite him as the main rebel girl, an American on a mission to supply weapons for the revolution. Aadland was not a natural actress, awkwardly delivering lines as if she was held at gunpoint. Jackie Jackler, as her co-conspirator, does marginally better work; though also seems out of her depth. John McKay is no more than adequate as Johnny, Beverly's boyfriend, and the rest of the cast fade into the background, leaving little impression whatsoever.

Had Mahon take a firmer hand directorially, instead of the lax approach he seems to have adopted, the film could have been rather interesting. Flynn's passion for the subject matter is evident, and his performance is noteworthy; even if he appears a little drunk towards the end. Despite the clumsy dialogue and cliched narrative, Flynn's (admittedly biased) attempts to educate his audience about the Cuban Revolution is commendable; if executed somewhat gracelessly.

In conclusion, Barry Mahon's 'Cuban Rebel Girls' is perhaps best viewed as a curiosity rather than a serious cinematic achievement. It offers a unique window into a bygone era, complete with all the imperfections and peculiarities that come with it. For fans of Errol Flynn or those seriously interested in the history of the Cuban Revolution, it's a film worth watching, if only for its historical significance and the swan song of a Hollywood legend.

Being a completest and a major fan of Errol Flynn's I bought this movie on DVD about 5 years ago, but allowed myself to be swayed by public opinion (describing it as the worst movie ever made) and promptly sat it on the shelf unwatched.

The other night however I finally decided to dust it down and pop the disc in the player for the very first time, and my end verdict? I have seen far worse films than this.

Firstly, the film is well narrated by Flynn and the story is easy to follow. I have seen many movies where the editing and story-telling is so badly handled that you haven't got a clue what's going on. Cuban Rebel Girls is very easy to follow, so there's no problem there.

And about Flynn's narration: It is my understanding that more than anything else Flynn wanted to be taken seriously as a war correspondent. He didn't care about acting, but he did want to be a writer. Well this side of him shines through with this film. Right from the start it feels less like a movie and more like a typical documentary of the period. Some recognition of this from other reviewers would have been nice.

Another aspect of the film that gets savaged by reviewers is the picture quality. I have a brand new Panasonic 50 inch TV that shows up bad picture immediately, and the picture quality in this movie is just fine!

People also maintain that all the acting is abysmal. Well, once again I feel that this is unfair. I've seen far worse acting on a hundred occasions, and in particular the guy playing Aadland's boyfriend happens to say his lines very well!

But there is no doubt that this film is an amateurish effort. Flynn's role is almost pointless - apart from the well handled narration, and he does indeed appear to be inebriated for at least the last scene he's in. To be fair again though; Flynn was drunk through most of The Sun Also Rises, and horrible in The Roots Of Heaven. He was noticeably drunk all the way through that movie, whereas in Cuban Rebel Girls his narration is sober, and so are his first few scenes. Considering this was made in the year he died, and of how much pain I was in watching him in Roots Of Heaven, I was pleasantly surprised by his efforts in this film.

The aspect of this film that I find the hardest to handle is Flynn's seeming obsession with young girls! Of all the things to criticize I would have thought someone would mention this, since it makes him sound every bit like a one-track-minded dirty old man.

One last point to make: before having watched this film I knew nothing about the Cuban Revolution. After having watched it I had at least a small appreciation for the type of things that went on, and the effort the people went through to support it. To say this film is a waste of time and not worth watching is both ignorant and unfair...in my opinion.

It's sad that Errol Flynn did not get as a screen farewell with one of his three previous pictures before Cuban Rebel Girls. The Sun Also Rises, Too Much Too Soon, or The Roots Of Heaven were decent films of varying quality, but all showed Flynn as the actor he longed to be acclaimed for. This film which looks like it was shot with a Kodak home movie camera was both a tax write-off for Flynn and a lame attempt at propaganda for Fidel Castro.

Ironically enough in 1957 Flynn had done another Cuban based film, The Big Boodle shot in Havana with the cooperation of the government that Flynn was now saying was corrupt. It was nothing that the Motion Picture Academy would have paid any attention to, but next to Cuban Rebel Girls, The Big Boodle looks like Citizen Kane.

Done in a semi-documentary style, Cuban Rebel Girls has Errol playing himself as a war correspondent covering the revolution against Fulgencio Batista led by Fidel Castro. A little more than 20 years earlier Flynn in his salad days did something similar covering the Spanish Civil War from the Loyalist point of view. But Warner Brothers did no documentary about his adventures there, in fact Jack Warner was mighty bent out of shape.

The story of one girl from the USA intrigues Flynn. His teenage mistress at the time, Beverly Aadland played a young woman who goes down to Cuba with a girl friend who is a Cuban national who is bringing laundered cash for the revolution. Her boyfriend John MacKay is a mercenary who is fighting for Castro and Flynn assures us there were many Americans in those ranks.

Poor Aadland, even if Errol had lived I doubt she would have had much of a career. She was one of the worst actresses I've ever seen, reading her lines with no conviction whatever. She came off as a super dumb Valley Girl. But in fairness to her, the only professional in the cast was Errol Flynn, the others were equally as bad. And Flynn hardly summoned any conviction to even playing Errol Flynn.

This is such a sad ending for a screen legend that Flynn's legion of fans should do like Sam Goldwyn said and stay away in droves.