Screen Cuba/ The Twelve Chairs (18)

Before dying, a wealthy woman reveals that she has hidden the family jewels in the lining of one of the family’s old chairs – part of a dining set of twelve which have been sold off individually after being confiscated by the Cuban Revolution.

Hipólito, her son-in-law, and Oscar, his former chauffeur, embark on a desperate treasure hunt, resorting to all manner of cunning to track down the family’s treasure. As they adventure to find the chairs' new owners, both Hipólito and Oscar struggle to understand the new Cuban society.

Who will get there first? Hipólito, Oscar, or the state?

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s first feature is a cunning adaptation of a comic novel from the early years of the USSR by Ilf and Petrov. When The Twelve Chairs was made, the revolution in Cuba was only 2 years old – making the film’s ironic look at the fledgling new Cuban society a remarkably confident move by the filmmakers. Conventions of silent movies, slapstick, animation and social realism are all evident in this unmissable first comedy of the revolution.

Presented in partnership with  Screen Cuba – a collaboration between the Music Fund for Cuba charity, the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, the Cuban Embassy UK and the Cuban film institute ICAIC in Havana.