Festival

Yank Tanks

(Docu)

By DENNIS HARVEY

A Blue Collar Films production. Produced by David and Stephen Schendel. Executive producers, Stephen Schendel, Jim Lafferty. Directed by David Schendel.
 

A genial documentary about the proliferation of pre-Revolution American automobiles still running on the streets of Cuba, David Schendel's "Yank Tanks" has an exotic/nostalgic appeal that nonetheless strains to hold attention at feature length. Classic car aficionados will be delighted; trim to 60-minute or even half-hour length could aid access to broadcast outlets, which rep pic's most apt destination.

A Cuban truism is, "If you don't invent, you have nothing"; another is "Every Cuban is a mechanic." Both reflect the isle's necessarily make-do style, since the U.S. embargo has limited importation of goods for decades. Ergo an estimated 150,000 vintage "Yank tanks" have remained operative there, kept precariously moving by custom craftsmen, ingeniously recycled spare parts and near-legendary mechanics. The splendid Buicks, DeSotos and Cadillacs trawling about add a stylish retro element to everyday life and are coveted by offshore collectors -- but selling them is near-impossible, as permits must be OK'd as far up as Fidel himself. Interviews with veteran grease monkeys, proud owners and plenty of musical/visual local color make competently crafted docu a pleasant diversion, though limited focus runs out of gas after 40 minutes.

Camera (color, HDCam), Schendel; editor, Jean Kawahara; music supervisors, Julius Melendez, Greg Landau. Reviewed at Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, March 2, 2002. Running time: 70 MIN.