Mikhail Kalatozov’s famed 1964 film remains one of cinema’s most breathtakingly beautiful films. Comprised of four interweaving vignettes about various people in Cuba—an aging peasant, a beautiful woman, a university student and a young farmer—this Russian-Cuban co-production spouts pro-Socialism ideas and champions the social change that came with the rise of the Castro regime. Despite the politics, it’s the film’s stunning filmmaking techniques that take center stage here. With its high-contrast black-and-white cinematography, extended tracking shots, wide-angle lensing and numerous other stylistic flourishes, I Am Cuba is as much about the freedom and liberating power of the camera as it is about the freedom and liberation that Castro promised when he ousted Batista in 1959.

Shelf Talk: I Am Cuba has been re-issued and re-constructed a handful of times over the past decade for both the theatrical and home entertainment markets, but none of those versions has been as outstandingly realized as this Milestone edition. Cinephiles and international film lovers are sure to go for this one—and they’ll certainly enjoy the hefty selection of extras, which includes an appreciation by Martin Scorsese and two feature-length documentaries. The three-disc set comes stylishly packaged in what looks to be a Cuban cigar box—minus the embargoed tobacco leaves.