There comes a time in every person's life where you must watch a comedy/gangster/vampire/adult cartoon from communist Cuba. This being the case, you should probably watch "Vampires in Havana" to fulfill this rite of passage.
"Vampires in Havana" follows the story of Pepe, a young revolutionary/vampire/trumpet-player living in 1940s, Cuba. His life is joy until multiple groups of capitalists/imperialists attempt to attain a formula that will allow vampires to stay alive under the sun.
The scientist who develops the formula turns out to be Pepe's uncle and Pepe turns out to be the first vampire to use the formula, Vampisol, successfully. This experiment is so thorough, unfortunately, that Pepe is unaware he is a vampire until about half-way through the film.
Pepe's uncle, after realizing the success of his formula, decides he will give out the formula to the world for free, so that all vampires can tan. This enrages some American, gangster vampires who desire to destroy Vampisol, as they hold the monopoly on indoor, fake beaches that vampires enjoy.
A group of European vampires also take interest in the protagonists and attempt to stop Pepe and his uncle from freely distributing the substance. They seek to capitalize on the formula to counter the American vampire's economic supremacy.
The communist overtones are not too subtle here. The free distribution of goods is desired by the protagonist, and all the antagonists are capitalists who attempt to stop this from occurring. Our main character is a revolutionary, who seduces the wife of a major general to help in an assassination to overthrow a tyrannical, military regime.
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Even if you're not of a socialist demeanor, however, you'll have no problem relating to our heroes without developing the overwhelming desire to democratize the means of production. This is by no means a piece of communist propaganda -- it merely reflects the context from which this film hails.
To those who speak Spanish, you will find the various nationalities of the antagonists hilarious, as all characters speak Spanish, but with heavy accents. Also, you will enjoy the vigor of the Cuban form of Spanish which is quite fun for those not used to it.
Unfortunately, the subtitles do not exactly convey what is being said, as a whole list of colorful Cuban expletives get reduced to "You mothers!"
The plot, which gets pretty involved for a cartoon, takes a backseat to the stage-lots throughout the movie. Various entertaining means of drinking blood are explored as we are led into the thick of the vampire underground.
The delivery is amazing as well as the intro sequence and music imply a serious gangster film. This movie turns out to be a spoof of the gangster films from the mid-century with gangsters who happen to be vampires. Because the film was produced in 1985, the animation isn't exactly top-notch but adds quite a bit of "camp" appeal to the film.
A heavy-handed dose of violence and sex make this movie a bit much for children. There are scenes of near complete nudity as Pepe causes clothes to fly off of a general's wife using only the dexterity of his trumpet-playing.
The director, Juan Padron was born in Cardenas, Cuba in 1947. He is one of Cuba's leading film animators and graphic artists. His extensive cinematography includes the various adventures of his signature character, Elpidio Valdäs, Quinoscopio, in a series of collaborations with the Argentine humorist, Quino and dozens of "cineminutos" -- short animated film clips, known world-wide for their humor and energy.
The Afro-Cuban jazz score by Rembert Egues features the trumpet of Arturo Sandoval.
You may not laugh out loud too much throughout this movie, but instead experience the sensation that you are perhaps watching one of the strangest films ever put together.
It's got gangsters. It's got vampires. It's in Cuba. It's a cartoon. The mix of genres alone makes it more than worth the 69 minutes of your life that you will spend on it.
