A History of an Assignment

(Istoria odnoi komandirovki)
Vladimir Nepevny | Documentary

2021 | 52 minutes | Russia

A film depicting the ins and outs of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s features Castro, Kennedy, and Khrushchev as protagonists.

History Caribbean Studies Sociology Fascism + Repression International Relations North America Political Science Communication + Journalism
Synopsis

Thanks to recently declassified documents, A History of an Assignment uncovers an unknown episode of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The threat of nuclear conflict was not eliminated by the Khrushchev-Kennedy negotiations. Indeed, Fidel Castro, who was not invited to take part in the talks, learned about them from the press and was greatly hurt to see Cuba become a bargaining chip between the USSR and the USA and his own role reduced to that of an extra. Castro vigorously stepped in and made his move. In a secret message to Khrushchev, Castro declared that he would not allow the removal of Soviet missiles, much less an American inspection, a necessary prerequisite of the Soviet-American agreement; that Cuba, left alone with its enemy, would defend itself and would launch a preventive nuclear strike if necessary.

Khrushchev had no leverage over the obstinate comandante but could not admit it when talking to Kennedy. The only thing he could do was to send a trusted emissary, Anastas Mikoyan. He was accompanied in his mission by Roman Karmen, the legendary cameraman who filmed the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the Nuremberg Trials. Mikoyan talked to Castro and to Che Guevara, listened to their appeals “to die beautifully” and to destroy the enemy with a single blow, and tried to convince Cuba to reach a compromise for peace.

Citation
Main credits

Nepevny, Vladimir (film director)
Nepevny, Vladimir (screenwriter)
Gottlieb, Arsen (film producer)

Other credits

Cinematography, Roman Karmen.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
Cold war,Cuba,Cuban Missle Crisis,Caribbean politics,history,context,narrative,past,chronicle,lore,annals,historic,personal history,archive,record,saga,biography,memoir,study,political science,micropolitics,macropolitics,political theory,political education,political movements,political thinking,political criticism,poly sci,polysci,political sci,political sciences,political history,history of politics,political systems,caribbean studies,the caribbean,caribeean sea,caribbean island,antigua and barbuda,bahamas,barbados,cuba,dominica,dominican republic,grenada,haiti,jamaica,saint kitts and nevis,st lucia,st vincent and the grenadines,and trinidad and tobago,anguilla,aruba,british virgin islands,caribbean netherlands,bonaire,sint eustatius,saba,cayman islands,curaçao,guadeloupe,martinique,montserrat,puerto rico,saint barthélemy,saint martin/sint maarten,turks and caicos islands,us virgin islands,international relations,global relations,global studies,international studies,international affairs,intercontinental relations,intercontinental studies,foreign studies,foreign relations,national relations,national studies,cross-continental studies,cross-continental relations,north america,america,us,usa,united states,united states of america,us mexico and canada,map of north america,north american countries,states of north america,provinces of north america,countries of north america,continental america,communications,journalism,news,information,media,new media,newspaper,newspaper,blogs,news site,news app,pulling string,gathering string,reporting,fourth estate,news media,journalists,journalist,reporters,reporter,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,authority,authoritarianism,dictatorship,military regime,military government,fascism,repression,oppression,political oppression,political repression,far right,far right wing,modern fascism; "A History of an Assignment"; Pragda Films
Clips
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DIRECTOR: Vladimir Nepevny

NATIONALITY: Russia

YEAR: 2021

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: English

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adults

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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