Cinephilia, Hollywood, and the Cuban Revolution: The American Journey of Néstor Almendros, 1955-1956

Abstract

Along with Luis Buñuel, the Catalan-Cuban filmmaker Néstor Almendros (1930-1992) is considered one of the leading figures of Spanish cinema in exile, yet his early professional career remains rather unknown to this day. This article fills a critical gap in transnational Ibero-American film studies by recreating, with unpublished archival material, the foundational journey that Almendros made to New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City in 1955 and 1956. During this period, Almendros studied film at the City College of New York, began his work as a film critic (for journals such as Film Culture and Carteles), wrote his first Neorealist screenplay, and photographed Fidel Castro and Che Guevara during the underground organization of the Cuban Revolution in
Mexico City.