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We Were Strangers ()


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In 1930's Cuba, a bank clerk and an American mercenary assist a revolutionary group in a plan to kill the President but the Cuban Secret Police chief and the dictator's military complicate the plan's execution.

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Complete, Cast awaiting verification

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China Valdés
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Tony Fenner
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Armando Ariete (as Pedro Armendariz)
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Guillermo Montilla
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Chief
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Miguel
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Ramón Sánchez
José Pérez ...
Toto (as Jose Perez)
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Mr. Seymour
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Abdullah Abbas ...
(uncredited)
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Mama (uncredited)
Salvador Baguez ...
Cart Driver (uncredited)
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Citizen (uncredited)
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Diplomat (uncredited)
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Mother (uncredited)
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Celebrant (uncredited)
Freddie Chapman ...
Altar Boy (uncredited)
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Citizen (uncredited)
Jack Clisby ...
Guard (uncredited)
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Martha Contreras (uncredited)
Fred Godoy ...
Vicente Contreras (uncredited)
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Consuelo Valdés (uncredited)
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(uncredited)
Charles Granucci ...
(uncredited)
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Lolita Valdés (uncredited)
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Enrico (uncredited)
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(uncredited)
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Señor Muñoz (uncredited)
Kay Koury ...
Mother (uncredited)
King Lockwood ...
Diplomat (uncredited)
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Priest (uncredited)
Paul Marion ...
Truck Driver (uncredited)
Santiago Martínez ...
Waiter (uncredited)
Alex McSweyn ...
Sanitation Man (uncredited)
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Citizen (uncredited)
Paulo Monte ...
Roberto (uncredited)
Alex Montoya ...
Chauffeur (uncredited)
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First Senator (uncredited)
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Citizen (uncredited)
George Nardelli ...
Diplomat (uncredited)
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Diplomat (uncredited)
Alfonso Pedroza ...
Sanitation Man (uncredited)
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(uncredited)
Waclaw Rekwart ...
Diplomat (uncredited)
Tito Renaldo ...
Manolo Valdés (uncredited)
Joel Rene ...
Student (uncredited)
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Flower Vendor (uncredited)
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Teller (uncredited)
Victor Romito ...
Diplomat (uncredited)
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Louisa Contreras (uncredited)
Joe Sawaya ...
Citizen (uncredited)
Sammy Shack ...
Citizen (uncredited)
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Bombmaker (uncredited)
Robert Tafur ...
Rubio (uncredited)
Felipe Turich ...
Spy (uncredited)
Harry J. Vejar ...
Watchman (uncredited)
Peter Virgo ...
Contreras' Chauffeur (uncredited)
Billy Wilson ...
(uncredited)
Thomas Quon Woo ...
Celebrant (uncredited)

Directed by

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John Huston

Written by

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Peter Viertel ... (screenplay) and
John Huston ... (screenplay)
 
Robert Sylvester ... (novel "Rough Sketch")
 
Ben Hecht ... () (uncredited)

Produced by

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Jules Buck ... associate producer
Sam Spiegel ... producer (as S.P. Eagle)

Music by

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George Antheil

Cinematography by

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Russell Metty ... director of photography

Editing by

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Al Clark

Art Direction by

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Cary Odell

Set Decoration by

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Louis Diage

Makeup Department

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Larry Germain ... hair stylist
Robert J. Schiffer ... makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Carl Hiecke ... assistant director

Sound Department

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Lambert E. Day ... sound engineer (as Lambert Day)

Special Effects by

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Lawrence W. Butler ... special scenes

Camera and Electrical Department

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Al Becker ... grip (uncredited)
William Coppersmith ... camera operator (uncredited)
Max Nippell ... gaffer (uncredited)
Emil Oster ... assistant camera (uncredited)
Richard Walling ... still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Jean Louis ... costumes: Miss Jones

Music Department

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Morris Stoloff ... musical director (as M.W. Stoloff)
Ernest Gold ... orchestrator (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Rose Loewinger ... script supervisor (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Gladys Hill ... dialogue director
David O. Selznick ... Jennifer Jones by arrangement with
Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

1932. The tyrannical and despotic government of President Machado has headed Cuba for seven years. The latest measure of that tyranny is the outlawing of public gatherings of more than four people, such acts the government deeming treasonous. China Valdés, a young woman who works in an American bank in Havana, is generally non-political. However, she decides to join the revolutionary forces to avenge the murder of her activist brother Manolo - a murder she witnessed - at the hands of the government, the trigger pulled by a police officer she will eventually learn is named Armando Ariete. Her goal is to kill Ariete. Another of the revolutionaries, an American entertainment promoter named Tony Fenner, convinces her to hold off on her assassination, as he believes he has come up with a plan that can wipe out all the major government leaders in one fell swoop. Along with China and Tony, the Chief of the revolutionaries amasses a team of four non-related men - Guillermo, Ramón, Miguel and Toto - to work on the plot, they who didn't know each other previously so that they cannot be tied together within the plot on a superficial level. Tony's general plan is to choose one key sacrificial high ranking government target, and then set off a bomb at that person's funeral, killing everyone attending the funeral, which should include the President. They do realize that a good number of innocent people will be killed, but accept that collateral damage as part of the greater good, as each of them are generally willing to die for the cause themselves. There are a good number of physical challenges facing the team, the biggest perhaps the digging of a tunnel from China's cellar, across the street to the cemetery so that the bomb can be transported undetected. But it may be the emotional challenges which provide the biggest hurdles in carrying out the plan successfully. Some of those emotional challenges stem from Ariete's interest in China, which could be purely the interest of a man in a woman, or could perhaps be because he recognizes her as the woman who saw him kill Manolo. Written by Huggo

Plot Keywords
Taglines CHINA VALDES...a woman of violent hates and fierce loves. TONY FENNER...a tough guy with a conscience... See more »
Genres
Parents Guide Add content advisory for parents »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Rough Sketch (United States)
  • Les insurgés (France)
  • Éramos desconocidos (Spain)
  • Éramos extraños (Spain)
  • Stanotte sorgerà il sole (Italy)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 106 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $900,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia John Huston wanted a then almost-unknown Marilyn Monroe for a part in this movie. He made it about Cuban rebels at the time Monroe had a contract with Columbia. But producer Sam Spiegel didn't want to spend money for a screen test of Monroe. See more »
Goofs This story takes place during the presidency of Gerardo Machado, which ended in 1933; however, China wears torpedo bras, which did not come into fashion until World War II; likewise China's hair style and clothing are also strictly 1949, not 1932-1933. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in The John Garfield Story (2003). See more »
Soundtracks We Dig All Day We Dig All Night See more »
Quotes Guillermo Montilla: [Seeing that Tony is dead] Dear God. It's bad to die five minutes too soon.
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