The first time I ever remember seeing actor Andy Garcia, he had a small (bit noticeable) role in Brian DePalma's "The Untouchables." His character was rather quiet and unassuming, and as is seems over the years, so was Garcia. Since that time, he has become an actor of note and has carried his fair share of films as a main character. The introduction I had to the recent film, "The Lost City" taught me many things of which I was unaware. First, that Garcia had long had ambitions of being a director, was working on this film project for the last 16 years, and a little of the events that led to Fidel Castro's initial takeover of Cuba. "The Lost City" is a lush tale of life in Cuba during the early 1950's. Along with directing, Garcia stars as Fico Fellove, the owner of a nightclub called the El Tropico. Fico is one of three sons of Don Donoso Fellove (Richard Bradford), a prosperous tobacco plantation owner. Fico is also successful, in part due to a business deal with the gangster Meyer Lanksy (Dustin Hoffman).

Because of his success, he chooses to turn his back the problems facing Cuba. His brothers, on the other hand, have other ideas. Luis (Nestoir Carbonell) becomes a part of a group looking to overthrow the current government, while Ricardo (Enrique Murciano) joins a pre-dictator Fidel Castro and Che Gueverra. One of the brother's activities leads to unfortunate ends and ends up making a widow of his wife. (I don't want to say which one, preferring to leave this review fairly spoiler free.) Fico ends up taking care of, then falling in love with his brother's wife. Things only get worse from there.

The movie is rather epic in length, coming in at a little over two hours, but the tale it weaves carries through the lives of the Fellove family as it tells of their tragedies and triumphs. I was rather surprised to learn that this was Garcia's first time as a director for a feature film. Everything from the acting to the cinematography is top notch, and the movie flows very well considering its length. I'd also be remiss if I didn’t mention the film's soundtrack, which seems to perfectly capture the essence of the period. The only thing that seemed a little odd was the inclusion of a mystery character, known only as The Writer (Bill Murray). Fico meets with him from time to time in the nightclub and it just seems a little, not to the point of distraction, just odd.

Magnolia is released the DVD earlier this month (I was to have a review to you a little earlier, but lost my original document in a computer crash…). I had heard little about the film and really didn’t know what to expect, but I found myself totally drawn into the world of 1950's Cuba. The transfer offers up some blemish free versions of beautiful images that were a part of the cinematographer's palette. And the sound, especially the music, fills the room and creates an ambience that almost made me forget I was sitting in my living room.

There are also no shortage of extra features on this DVD, including a very thoughtful commentary by Garcia, who is joined by actor Nestor Carbonell and production designer Waldemar Kalinowski. Additionally, you'll also find a lengthy documentary about the making of the film which features several interviews and behind the scenes footage. There are ten deleted scenes with optional commentary by Garcia, a photo gallery, an original piece of poster art drawn by Garcia's daughter, and some written notes from the some of the cast and crew. But that's not all. If you're still in the mood for a little background you can read some background on the Fuente Family tobacco plantation that was used in the film.

"The Lost City" was a much looked over film in the theaters, and that is a shame. It was obviously a labor of love for Garcia, and that love was transferred to the screen in every single frame.

Directed by: Andy Garcia
Starring: Andy Garcia, Ines Sastre, Tomas Milian, Bill Murray
Extras: Commentary by director Andy Garcia, actor Nestor Carbonell, and production designer Waldemar Kalinowski, "The Making of The Lost City" featurette, Deleted scenes with commentary, Still gallery, Notes from Cast and Crew
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Magnolia
Release Date: 8/8//2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website
Website

We'll give The Lost City an A.