The Recourse to the Method

The Recourse to the Method (Spanish: ) is a Mexican-Cuban drama film directed by Miguel Littin. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Alejo Carpentier. It was entered into the 1978 Cannes Film Festival. The film was also selected as the Cuban entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 51st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Set in the early 1900s, this film charts the rule of a Latin American dictator as he moves from being a charming despot to a tyrannical ruler before he is finally ousted, only to die in obscurity in Paris. Early in his regime, the resources and agricultural products his country sells command high prices, and he is a reasonably confident, even gentle, ruler who likes to take long vacations with his daughter in Paris. After World War I, with falling prices and a number of coup attempts behind him, his rule becomes quite cruel.