Death of a Bureaucrat

Death of a Bureaucrat

It is easier to kill a bureaucrat than to kill bureaucracy.

1966 · 84 min · ★ 7.4 · Comedy

A model Cuban revolutionary tragically dies at work and, as a badge of honor, is buried with his labor card in his suit pocket. When his widow attempts to apply for his pension, the pension office demands the original labor card. Desperate, his nephew embarks on an increasingly chaotic and surreal quest through the Cuban bureaucratic system to secure permission to exhume the body, only to be met with endless forms, contradictory regulations, and apathetic officials.

Directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea · Written by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

filmingo

Rent or Buy

filmingo

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 58m together

Death of a Bureaucrat

The Twelve Chairs

Both from Tomás Gutiérrez Alea.

More from Tomás Gutiérrez AleaSee all →

A Daily Mix-upA Daily Mix-up · 1950
A Daily Mix-up
★ 8.01950
MovieDramaComedy
A short film based on a story by Franz Kafka. Two men meet to resolve an issue, but are unable to do so due to a series of adverse circumstances.
The Last SupperThe Last Supper · 1976
The Last Supper
★ 7.91976
MovieDrama
A pious plantation owner attempts to teach Christianity to 12 of his slaves by inviting them to participate in a reenactment of the Last Supper.
The Twelve ChairsThe Twelve Chairs · 1962
The Twelve Chairs
★ 7.51962
MovieComedy
When her country is taken over by socialist revolutionaries, a wealthy woman can't bear to give up all of her wealth and possessions to the new government, so she hides all of her treasures in the 12 chairs of a dining-room set. After her death her nephew finds out what she had done and, since the chairs had been "nationalized" and are now in the possession of a dozen different people, he sets out to track them down and get the treasures he believes rightfully belong to him.
The SurvivorsThe Survivors · 1979
The Survivors
★ 7.41979
MovieDramaComedy
A bourgeois Cuban family of aristocratic origin locks itself into its mansion when the Cuban Revolution comes to power, waiting for the new regime to be overthrown. As time passes, they regress to older and older systems of political order, from capitalism to feudalism to "primitive savagery."
Memories of UnderdevelopmentMemories of Underdevelopment · 1968
Memories of Underdevelopment
★ 7.21968
MovieDrama
In the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs incident, Sergio chooses to stay behind in Cuba while his wife and family escape to neighboring Miami. Alone in a brave new world, Sergio observes the constant threat of foreign invasion while chasing young women all over Havana. He finally meets Elena, a young girl he seeks to mould into the image of his ex-wife, but at what cost to himself?
Strawberry and ChocolateStrawberry and Chocolate · 1993
Strawberry and Chocolate
★ 7.01993
MovieComedyDrama
In 1979 Cuba, flamboyant gay artist Diego attempts to seduce straitlaced David, an idealistic young communist, and fails dismally. But David conspires to be "friends" with Diego so he can monitor the artist's subversive life for the state. As Diego and David discuss politics, individuality and personal expression in Castro's Cuba, a genuine friendship develops between the two.
The Other FranciscoThe Other Francisco · 1977
The Other Francisco
★ 6.61977
MovieDramaHistory
Based on the novel Francisco by Anselmo Suárez y Romero, "The Other Francisco" is a socio-economic analysis of slavery and class struggle through the retelling of the original novel. The film contrasts the romantic conceptions of plantation life found in Suárez Romero's novel with a realistic expose of the actual historical conditions of slavery throughout the Americas. It offers a critical analysis of the novel, showing how the author's social background led to his use of particular dramatic structures to convey his liberal, humanitarian viewpoint.
GuantanameraGuantanamera · 1995
Guantanamera
★ 6.51995
MovieDramaComedy
During the 'Special Period', the members of a funeral procession cross paths with truckdrivers who have to take the same route, and begin to talk about God and the world. They discover that life for both groups has many similarities, as well as a lot of differences.
Con el amor no se juegaCon el amor no se juega · 1991
Con el amor no se juega
★ 6.51991
MovieDramaRomance
Susana, a beautiful young girl living in 1990, is happily looking forward to her forthcoming marriage - and has bought an antique mirror to grace her future home. Three weeks before the wedding, the mirror is delivered to her Grandmother's home and taken to Susana's room. Later that day, when looking into the glass, Susana is startled to see the image of a handsome soldier, Nicolas (from 1863), instead of her own reflection. It soon becomes obvious that he can see Susana as clearly as she can see him - and life, for them both, is never quite the same again. Contains three shorts as a trilogy: The Two Way Mirror (El espejo de dos lunas) 1990, 0:29:23 With You from a Distance (Contigo en la distancia) 1991, 0:27:38 Saturday Night Thief (Ladrón de sábado) 1996, 0:24:57
One Way or AnotherOne Way or Another · 1977
One Way or Another
★ 6.41977
MovieDramaRomance
In Miraflores, Cuba, the growing romance between Mario, a factory worker, and Yolanda, a schoolteacher, throws into relief the differences in their perspectives and values in Revolutionary Cuba.
El arte del tabacoEl arte del tabaco · 1974
El arte del tabaco
★ 6.31974
MovieDocumentary
A close-up examination of laborers creating Cuban cigars intercut with artistic advertising labels and postures for those cigars. Silent with musical accompaniment.
Stories of the RevolutionStories of the Revolution · 1960
Stories of the Revolution
★ 6.31960
MovieDramaHistory
A film about the Cuban Revolution told from three different perspectives.
CumbiteCumbite · 1964
Cumbite
★ 6.21964
MovieDrama
A Haitian son returns from fifteen years in Cuba to find his home village afflicted with the double plague of drought and strife. A Cuban production from the director of Memories of Underdevelopment. In Spanish.
Letters from the ParkLetters from the Park · 1989
Letters from the Park
★ 6.21989
MovieDrama
Matanzas, Cuba, 1913. Two young people who are in love communicate through letters written by penman. When the young man leaves town, to become a pilot, the girl discovers she is really in love with the one who wrote the letters.
Muerte al invasorMuerte al invasor · 1962
Muerte al invasor
★ 5.91962
MovieDocumentary
Produced by ICAIC in the wake of the Bay of Pigs invasion, "Muerte al invasor" chronicles the three days of fighting at Playa Girón, portraying the rapid mobilization of Cuban forces and civilians against a CIA-backed exile army.
A Cuban Fight Against DemonsA Cuban Fight Against Demons · 1972
A Cuban Fight Against Demons
★ 5.61972
MovieDrama
In 1672 Cuban revolutionaries launch an uprising against the Spanish who are occupying the country. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2017.

More Like This

Raising ArizonaRaising Arizona · 1987
Raising Arizona
★ 7.11987
MovieComedyCrime
When a childless couple—an ex-con and an ex-cop—take one of a wealthy family’s quintuplets to raise as their own, their lives grow more complicated than anticipated.
M*A*S*HM*A*S*H · 1970
M*A*S*H
★ 6.91970
MovieComedyDrama
One of the world's most acclaimed comedies, M*A*S*H focuses on three Korean War Army surgeons brilliantly brought to life by Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt and Elliott Gould. Though highly skilled and deeply dedicated, they adopt a hilarious, lunatic lifestyle as an antidote to the tragedies of their Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and in the process infuriate Army bureaucrats. Robert Duvall, Gary Burghoff and Sally Kellerman co-star as a sanctimonious Major, an other-worldly Corporal, and a self-righteous yet lusty nurse.
Four Weddings and a FuneralFour Weddings and a Funeral · 1994
Four Weddings and a Funeral
★ 6.81994
MovieComedyDrama
Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.
Shaun of the DeadShaun of the Dead · 2004
Shaun of the Dead
★ 7.52004
MovieHorrorComedy
Shaun lives a supremely uneventful life, which revolves around his girlfriend, his mother, and, above all, his local pub. This gentle routine is threatened when the dead return to life and make strenuous attempts to snack on ordinary Londoners.
Monty Python and the Holy GrailMonty Python and the Holy Grail · 1975
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
★ 7.81975
MovieAdventureComedy
King Arthur, accompanied by his squire, recruits his Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Bedevere the Wise, Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot and Sir Galahad the Pure. On the way, Arthur battles the Black Knight who, despite having had all his limbs chopped off, insists he can still fight. They reach Camelot, but Arthur decides not to enter, as "it is a silly place".
A Trip to the MoonA Trip to the Moon · 1902
A Trip to the Moon
★ 7.91902
MovieAdventureScience Fiction
Professor Barbenfouillis and five of his colleagues from the Academy of Astronomy travel to the Moon aboard a rocket propelled by a giant cannon. Once on the lunar surface, the bold explorers face the many perils hidden in the caves of the mysterious planet.
The Rules of the GameThe Rules of the Game · 1939
The Rules of the Game
★ 7.51939
MovieDramaComedy
The Marquis de la Chesnaye and his wife host a weekend gala where a variety of complicated romantic and social entanglements between guests and servants lead to tragedy, all against the backdrop of a looming war.
KolyaKolya · 1996
Kolya
★ 7.41996
MovieDramaComedy
After a fictitious marriage with a Russian emigrant, Cellisten Louka, a Czech man, must suddenly take responsibility for her son. However, it’s not long before the communication barrier is broken between the two new family members.
NinotchkaNinotchka · 1939
Ninotchka
★ 7.51939
MovieComedyRomance
A stern Russian woman sent to Paris on official business finds herself attracted to a man who represents everything she is supposed to detest.
GozuGozu · 2003
Gozu
★ 6.82003
MovieHorrorComedy
Minami mistakenly kills a gangster associate of his named Brother. Almost as soon as the murder takes place, the body of the deceased man is gone, prompting Minami to conduct a search. While looking, he finds a mysterious isolated hotel where he decides to take a rest. Not only are the front desk clerks a bit strange, but even the ambiance feels unusual. Minami soon realizes he may have gotten more than he bargained for.
The Last SupperThe Last Supper · 1995
The Last Supper
★ 6.51995
MovieComedyThriller
A group of idealistic but frustrated liberals succumb to the temptation of murdering right-wing pundits for their political beliefs.
Don't Look UpDon't Look Up · 2021
Don't Look Up
★ 7.12021
MovieComedyScience Fiction
Two astronomers go on a media tour to warn humankind of a planet-killing comet hurtling toward Earth. The response from a distracted world: Meh.
3000 Miles to Graceland3000 Miles to Graceland · 2001
3000 Miles to Graceland
★ 5.92001
MovieActionAdventure
It was an ingenious enough plan: rob the Riviera Casino's count room during an Elvis impersonator convention. But Thomas Murphy decided to keep all the money for himself and shot all his partners, including recently-freed ex-con Michael Zane. With $3.2 million at stake, the Marshals Service closing in, Michael must track down Murphy.
The Four MusketeersThe Four Musketeers · 1974
The Four Musketeers
★ 6.51974
MovieActionAdventure
The Four Musketeers defend the queen and her dressmaker from Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter.
Defending Your LifeDefending Your Life · 1991
Defending Your Life
★ 6.91991
MovieRomanceFantasy
Is there love after death? After he dies suddenly, the hapless advertising executive Daniel Miller finds himself in Judgment City, a gleaming way station where the newly deceased must prove they lived a life of sufficient courage to advance in their journey through the universe. As the self-doubting Daniel struggles to make his case, a budding relationship with the uninhibited Julia offers him a chance to finally feel alive.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter