Cuban Rebel Girls

Cuban Rebel Girls (1959)

BOMB (out of 4)

The likes of Ed Wood, Al Adamson and Jerry Warren have taken credit for creating some of the worst movies ever made but special attention must also go to director Barry Mahon and star/producer/writer Errol Flynn. Flynn would die of a heart attack shortly after this film was completed so on one hand it's rather sad knowing this was his final film but that doesn't take away from the fact how horrid it actually is. The lack of being able to see this film is probably the main reason why it doesn't get on more worst of lists. Flynn plays himself, a war correspondent trying to help Fidel Castro overthrow Fulgencio Batista. The "story" involves an American girl (Beverly Aadland) who runs away from home to fight for the cause. The 50-year-old Flynn was dating the 16-year-old Aadland at the time this movie was being made and I can't help but think the former star was trying to kill two birds with one stone. One he was trying to show his support for Cuba. Secondly he was giving his lover a film part. No matter what he was trying to do this is a downright horrid film that doesn't have any redeeming quality except for Flynn fans to see how far the star had fallen. In some of the bad dialogue Flynn mentions all these Hollywood scripts coming to him but I think it's safe to say that wasn't the truth when you consider where his career was at this point. On a technical level this film contains horrid dialogue, awful acting and direction that you can never spot. Flynn plays himself so he basically just narrates and we see him being himself in a few scenes. We see him flying a plane as well as him being his hair done at a Cuban hotel but that's pretty much it. Aadland wasn't an actress outside of her beauty. The young teen clearly wasn't an "actress" and you certainly can't blame her bad performance since she only got the part because she was Flynn's lover. The supporting players are all just as bad and one has to wonder what they did to get their parts. This atrocity was pretty hard to see for several decades and it's easy to see why Flynn fans would want it to just disappear. The recent DVD release (under the title ASSAULT OF THE REBEL GIRLS) will get the film out to more viewers and I'm sure before long it will become a favorite to those who enjoy bad movies. I love watching bad movies when they're so bad that they're entertaining but that's not the case here. This is just a downright pathetic movie that sadly turned out to be a legends final one.

The production company of the film should give you a clue about the motive of the filmmakers here. Exploit Productions? Well, at least they were honest about what they were doing. The acting is abysmal; especially Beverly Aadland, who has to play a ditzy blonde following her boyfriend into the revolution. (by the way, he gets shot in the left shoulder and has a cast on his right shoulder later in the film; I'm pretty sure that this is not the medical solution for that). Despite Aadland, a drunken and overweight Flynn, and some unintentionally funny scenes (like having a company marching and singing loudly in the jungle on the way to a skirmish; thereby letting your opposition know exactly where you are), the film is still entertaining and instructive. Woody Allen would make a satire of this film about a decade later. But these people really believed that there would be a new Cuba; it just didnt turn out to be the Cuba they wanted it to be. This is not the worst film ever made; not even close. Of course, it is far from a good film, and should be viewed more as a semi-documentary rather than anything resembling a dramatic film. As far as exploitation films are concerned, there may be debate as to whom exploited whom here. Did Flynn exploit Castro, or did Castro exploit Flynn? You decide. I found the film interesting to view from a historical perspective.

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.

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.