Volker Skierka

Fidel Castro is, without a doubt, one of the most controversial and captivating figures of the twentieth century. As indicated by the title of this documentary, he has become a living legend viewed contrastively as hero or dictator. Although the recent history of Cuba plays a role in this work, this documentary instead focuses on the individual as it recounts the life and times of Fidel Castro from childhood through the present day. Castro: Man and Myth is based on the book Fidel Castro, a Biography (2004) by Volker Skierka, originally published in German in 2001 using resources not previously accessible, such as those in the former German Democratic Republic’s archives on Cuba. Skierka also co-directed and co-produced this documentary.

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Castro has outlived generations of US Presidents, Soviet General Secretaries, CIA Directors and would-be assassins. This film offers a psychological profile of the Cuban revolutionary, and a deeply intimate account of his life based on private letters, correspondence, speeches and interviews. It features interviews with some of Fidel Castro's closest relatives, close friends and committed enemies.

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