La muerte de Joe J. Jones

The war in Vietnam is at its height when in 1965 the Leipzig Filmfestival is held. People involved acquit themselves well: in the following year, the festival will devote itself to the solidarity with the communistic brothers in arms in Vietnam. Filmmakers from all over the world are summoned to make a stand through their work. Sergio Giral, member of the Cuban delegation, reacts to this appeal, next to filmmakers from the Soviet Union, the United States, Bulgaria, and the G.D.R., among other countries. For his documentary The Death of Joe J. Jones, Giral chooses a marxist viewpoint: he considers the Vietnam war not as an isolated case, but more as a product of the awful imperialism. By incorporating North American films, photographs and songs in his film, he wants to make the insolence of North American imperialism more palpable. Besides, scenes from numerous Cuban films about the picked troops of imperialism, the North American naval infantry, occupy a central position. Here again, Giral stresses his negative view of imperialism. For instance, the scene in which a troop of newly arrived soldiers is addressed by a naval sergeant. He walks along the file, shouting: "From now on, you forget that you are a human being!" The ironic comparison between the infantrymen and Tarzan, which is a thread in this film, is very funny. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)