Die zwölf Stühle

The film begins with a VERY novel way of telling the back story. So, instead of showing the old woman hiding her jewels inside one of twelve chairs, you see a cartoon do this inside the actual house used in the live action film. It's very cute and I love when a film goes about doing something differently.

As I just said, the story is about an old woman from what is now communist Cuba who has hidden her jewels so they won't be confiscated by the state. She tells her heir (a nephew) about this secret stash on her death bed--but by now it's too late. It seems that the government has already done some redistributing and all 12 of the chairs have been given to 12 different strangers--and the nephew needs to hurry, as he needs to track down the chairs before their secret is revealed. The story, it seems, is from a Russian novel about the post-Czarist USSR--giving this film a very interesting pedigree.

Overall, this is a pretty decent comedy but not an outstanding one. I think the plot, though funny, rarely was THAT funny. I think it could have used a bit more humor and the performances seemed a bit too restrained. Not bad--but not especially memorable.

If all this sounds familiar to you, it might be because you've already seen the Mel Brooks film "The Twelve Chairs"--which is a remake of this Cuban film. In fact, this would seem like a good film to add to my Netflix queue, as I remember my family adored the Brooks film. But I was only six when I saw it in the theater, so it's not like I have much recollection of it. Perhaps if I do this, I'll update my review of the Cuban original to explain how the two films compare.

This film comes from the cream of Cuban cinematic tradition. Released just three years after the revolution, this is a more lighthearted approach from director Tomas Gutierrez Alea.

The plot follows an Cuban exile who has returned to the island from Miami to locate his 12 English Chairs, one of which his dying mother told him contains valuable jewels. However, on his return he realises all of his property has been possessed by the government, and so goes on the trail to find them. It turns out he is not the only person on the trail, and he enlists the help of a younger man.

I enjoyed the comic elements of this film. Gutierrez Alea, best known for Memories of Underdevelopment, here provides a quirky critique of capitalism through its very self-interested protagonist, and the people who are duped into his freedom fighting scheme. The film is ideologically socialist, but Gutierrez Alea was also a critic of some Revolutionary policies and this film is not without self-irony.

This film deserves to be seen by more people than appear to have seen it (35 votes?). It's a funny, intelligent thriller that has no doubt suffered due to Cuba's geo-political situation, rather than its narrative and aesthetic achievements.