'four seasons in havana' - great netflix series (from Leonardo Padura’s “Havana Quartet”)

[Ken Gargett]

down the coast for a few days and have access to netflix. normally don't. 

flicking through to see what to watch and came across this. of course, could not resist but no idea what to expect. it is four episodes, all movie length. set late 90s i guess, perhaps early this century. really well done. production values as good as anyone could wish. i watched the first one and i cannot recall anything so atmospheric. plenty of places i recognised and lots of others i did not but they felt so familiar. and seeing the lead detective and his mates having discussions - exactly the same discussions i have had with friends there. and i am sure that would apply to many of us. it is certainly not going to get a kid's rating. they do not hold back.

anyway, loved the first one but i had a nagging thought that there was something even more familiar about them. did some checking. they are based on the novels of Leonardo Padura. a series of four books called the “Havana Quartet”. havana red, blue, black and gold from memory. i read these about 10-12 years ago. really enjoyed them. can't honestly say i recall much about plots etc but they were enjoyable reads, well above average. 

saw the 2nd one last night and loved it as well. here for a couple more evenings so will finish the series. 

anyone else seen the series or read the books? 

[LLC]

I’ve watched the first one so far and really enjoyed it.


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[Hookmaker]

I’ve seen them, and also mentioned them before in another thread (I think). Loved it?

[99call]

20 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

down the coast for a few days and have access to netflix. normally don't. 

flicking through to see what to watch and came across this. of course, could not resist but no idea what to expect. it is four episodes, all movie length. set late 90s i guess, perhaps early this century. really well done. production values as good as anyone could wish. i watched the first one and i cannot recall anything so atmospheric. plenty of places i recognised and lots of others i did not but they felt so familiar. and seeing the lead detective and his mates having discussions - exactly the same discussions i have had with friends there. and i am sure that would apply to many of us. it is certainly not going to get a kid's rating. they do not hold back.

anyway, loved the first one but i had a nagging thought that there was something even more familiar about them. did some checking. they are based on the novels of Leonardo Padura. a series of four books called the “Havana Quartet”. havana red, blue, black and gold from memory. i read these about 10-12 years ago. really enjoyed them. can't honestly say i recall much about plots etc but they were enjoyable reads, well above average. 

saw the 2nd one last night and loved it as well. here for a couple more evenings so will finish the series. 

anyone else seen the series or read the books? 

Really enjoying the series.   Love the the fact they're all smoking cigarettes, proper film noir.  And the moment (in the first episode) someone lights up a cigar, ditched it immediately and say "yechh...this is disgusting"

[Ken Gargett]

1 hour ago, 99call said:

Really enjoying the series.   Love the the fact they're all smoking cigarettes, proper film noir.  And the moment (in the first episode) someone lights up a cigar, ditched it immediately and say "yechh...this is disgusting"

without a giving away spoilers, in the 3rd episode, watched last night, a montecristo is a crucial part of the evidence but the discussion about it is fantastic.

who would give away $20 of tobacco? mind you, it was unbanded!

but reminded me of a conversation i had with a doctor at a cockfight in cuba. really nice young guy. we were watching the fights together and i gave him a monte 2. he was blown away. first one he'd ever had. he and his friends simply never smoked proper cuban cigars. not because they didn't want to but because they simply could not afford to. 

[99call]

11 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

without a giving away spoilers, in the 3rd episode, watched last night, a montecristo is a crucial part of the evidence but the discussion about it is fantastic.

who would give away $20 of tobacco? mind you, it was unbanded!

but reminded me of a conversation i had with a doctor at a cockfight in cuba. really nice young guy. we were watching the fights together and i gave him a monte 2. he was blown away. first one he'd ever had. he and his friends simply never smoked proper cuban cigars. not because they didn't want to but because they simply could not afford to. 

Good on you Ken.     I always find it pretty sad when there are countries that export a product that becomes no longer viable for it's people. 

This reminds me of a doco I watched on Beluga caviar.  It had a great interview with some dirt poor locals in their house. They looked like they didn't have two pennies to rub together, but on their dinner table was a wooden board half a loaf of stale looking bread, and what must of been 3 pounds (by weight!) of caviar.  Whilst talking, they loaded up a slice of bread like a builder butters up a brick with mortar, and knocked it back..........you did get the impression however, that they were very......very tired of caviar,   and would kill for a burger. 

Also in the doco, amusingly featured the police, who originally were contracted to catch poachers, but then they realised the police were illegally fishing the Sturgeon whilst on deployment, they had to contract secret services to watch the police...........only in Russia!