Ignacio Agramonte is one of the most respected heroes in the History of Cuba; so much so that his presence in the Cuban audiovisual has been addressed on many occasions as the main figure of a work. The father of cinematography in Cuba, Enrique Díaz Quesada, was the first to bring the figure of El Mayor to the audiovisual with his film El recate del Brigadier Sanguily, shot in Camagüey in 1916.
“In those times when the technical resources were not like they are now, Enrique Díaz Quesada is capable of making a film that the critics of the time praised, but not only the critics, but also the President of the Republic -who lent troops for filming- also praised it, as well as Sanguily’s son, who lent the prosthesis and the frame used by his father. It was a film that was made at a time when the fervor of the mambisado was still there”, comments Armando Pérez Padrón, film critic.
In 1941, a documentary of approximately six minutes was made in which the actions carried out to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Agramonte are collected, although unfortunately no images of this material have been preserved. Thirty-two years later, as part of the activities dedicated to commemorating the centenary of his fall in combat, the ICAIC Newscast no. 608 focused on it.
In the 1980s, Agramonte returned to audiovisuals, this time through the popular space of adventures with the work El Mayor, written by Enrique Núñez Rodríguez.
“According to the people who worked there, like Josefa Bracero, who directed television and radio in Camagüey, he was one of the greatest audiovisuals at that time. They used more than 1,200 horsemen, more than 1,200 horses, helicopters… everything they had. In my opinion, it was extremely important because that space was fundamentally for children”, adds Pérez Padrón.
Already in this century, several chapters of the Memorias series are dedicated to him, on Camagüey Television, and Mundo Latino makes the documentary Con la Vergüenza. Years later, the Office of the Historian of Camagüey city produces the documentary by the director Orestes González Casanova, La caída del Mayor, Memoria y Verdad, which is exhibited exclusively in the historical site Potreros de Jimaguayú, place where Agramonte fell in combat.
Just a few years ago, his perhaps best-known feature film, El Mayor, directed by Rigoberto López, was released.
“Finally, around 2018 the great dream of making another film, now more contemporary, about the figure of Agramonte came true. For me, the filming of El Mayor was an extraordinary act of patriotism. People of many professions worked there. After that, when I have gone to certain municipalities, people who know me proudly tell me -this is where the film was filmed-”.
Agramonte earned on his own merits to be immortalized in the History of Cuba and in the audiovisual history of the Island. These productions have contributed to transmit, from generation to generation, the greatness of one of the most admired heroes of this nation.
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
