Quote:
Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl
Did you actually find a Criterion copy that was not too high? I seem to recall it was OOP and the DVD had a high price
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It's $23.98 on Amazon US.
I figured that since I said
Che is not talked about much, I'll post my review that I wrote for another site that was accidentally deleted. I'd love to discuss it.
[Show spoiler]The Argentine
“Well, it’s impossible to defeat imperialism without identifying its head, the United States of America. In a capitalist system, most people live in an invisible cage. For example, there you accept the myth of the self-made man without understanding that the opportunities of most people are determined by forces they do not even see.”
It’s impossible to discuss director Steven Soderbergh’s phenomenal biopic, Che, without mentioning American politics. The quote above still rings true today, arguably more than ever in the country’s history. In a time where protesters want to make a difference and where income inequality has reached exhausting heights, Che’s messages about what it means to be a revolutionary have never been more pertinent. There’s a reason why young, impressionable teenagers wear clothing bearing his image: they like his message.
In Part One, Ernesto “Che” Guevara (Beneicio del Toro) and his friend Fidel Castro (Demián Bichir) have decided that the current ruling class in Cuba is completely unacceptable. Batista is weak in their eyes because of his collusion with the United States. Their country is riddled with, as John F. Kennedy put it, “humiliation and exploitation” of its citizens. The two come together to attempt to overthrow Batista and put Cuba on a path they perceive to be correct.
Soderbergh captures this battle, along with scenes from Guevara’s United Nations visit, in his signature style: close-ups, shaky cam, and realism. He even opts for voiceovers from Che’s U.N. visit and his interview with Lisa Howard. These instances provide insight into the “Argentine” and his way of thinking, from his views on what is most important to a revolutionary to his stance on the United States. These voiceovers are expertly placed throughout the narrative as we watch the struggle Che and his cohorts go through to achieve their goals. The voiceovers complement what we see, breaking the rule of “show, not tell” in an incredible and entertaining fashion.
Soderbergh decides to show us, in a quite romanticized way, the positives of Che, with very little negatives. Sure, his divisive and incendiary comments at the U.N. are present (the admittance and continuation of executions among them), but the narrative leads us to believe that Che was a kind man. It suggests that Che’s sole purpose was to make Cuban lives better than they have ever been: land reform, the taxing of the rich, restoring their 1940 constitution that Batista suspended, caring for the sick, helping the poor and even military tribunals for criminals. As Che says, “Love of humanity, justice, and truth.”
The realism in the armed struggles is reminiscent of Michael Mann’s revered shootout sequence in Heat. The typical Hollywood clichés are not present: there are no sparks as lead collides with cars and buildings; there are no fireworks to denote explosions; there is no excessive gore when the soldiers are shot. This is the realism that should accompany such subject manner. Small firefights can go a long way and become vastly entertaining if care is taken to demonstrate realism.
The realism is extended in terms of how long and laborious the mission of the revolutionaries was. There are marches through jungles, the spreading of their message to the peasants, the gathering of support among warring factions, and caring for the wounded. This isn’t a fast-paced film because the audience is supposed to show empathy for the fighters’ cause. They are supposed to feel the patience that these diligent men and women went through to topple an oppressive regime and their satisfaction in achieving it.
“When we’re done in Cuba,” Che says to Fidel, “you let me bring the Revolution to all Latin America.”
____
Guerilla
“Anywhere in the world where men are being exploited by men, conditions are right. When children work in mines, and 50% of miners reach 30 years of age, […] If infant mortality rates are the highest in Latin America because of lack of hospitals and medical care, the situation is right for me.” – Ernesto Guevara
At the end of Part One, the Cuban Revolution had just begun. Che rose to prominence and his name was known by major parties involved in world politics. Now he wants to continue the revolution all over Latin America and Part Two shows this aspect of his life.
Che has decided to bring a revolution to Bolivia, which at this very moment is dealing with what he perceives to be a military dictatorship. Like the quote from the film above suggests, miners are dying very early in life and it is eventually noted that the military is killing miners who are protesting their treatment. Infant mortality rate is also the highest in Latin America. The revolutionary has a difficult task ahead of him to replicate his achievement in Cuba.
Xenophobia is a problem for the Bolivians. Che’s revolution is not entirely supported and his assistance is frowned upon. The Communist Party of Bolivia will not support him if he insists on an armed struggle. These facts create a significant problem for Che and his determination to continue the revolution.
Part Two is all about Che’s predicaments, many of which are drastically worse than what he encountered during Cuba’s revolution. There is dissent, desertion, a lack of determination, a lack of resilience, and even a lack of support from the peasants. These problems do not deter Che, however. He continues to spread his ideals and messages through his followers and those he hopes to have on his side.
Director Steven Soderbergh continues his cinéma vérité in Part Two, opting to show realism instead of exaggeration. The camera acts as a guide for the audience, a lens for them to see the struggles. These techniques allow them to be in the mind of the protagonist and his soldiers, and in the fights they encounter. In the case Che himself, the director puts us in his mindset as he struggles. We are in the head of a man who eventually goes insane with the idea of a revolution all over Latin America. This is the director’s craft, something not many filmmakers can accomplish. His biopic is arguably one of the best in existence because of his love for the medium and his determination to give the best he can.
The supplements on the Criterion release are fascinating. Each part of the film contains a commentary track with the author of the novel the film is adapted from (Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life). Deleted scenes also exist for each part and there’s a documentary that was created in 1967 after Che’s death. The real meat of the bonus features, however, lies in two featurettes: Making “Che,” and “Che” and the Digital Cinema Revolution!
Making “Che” goes into detail about the hurdles that had to be cleared in order for production to start. The most significant hurdle was that of a decade-long process to make the film. At one time Terrence Malick was signed on to direct. That fell through and Soderbergh took the reins. Extensive research was also performed as the filmmakers didn’t know how Che died. Many trips were taken to Cuba to interview people who knew him, a process that happened over the course of six years. Script issues were also a problem: at one point the story was going to be condensed to a single movie, but that was a mistake. Soderbergh didn’t like the idea of compression and characters being combined into one. He opted for a two-part film: Cuba and Bolivia.
I am a proponent of digital cinema and will always prefer it, so Che and the Digital Cinema Revolution! is what I found most interesting in the bonus features. Che was the first film to use the now-famous RED camera. Here, Soderbergh goes into detail about how he likes to shoot. He wants to decrease the time to start production, especially since his crew didn’t have a lot of time to do so. The first version of the camera was used and nbaturally, as is the vase with all new technologies, problems persisted. The outcome is phenomenal even with these problems. Soderbergh is, along with Michael Mann, David Fincher, and James Cameron, leading the digital revolution and the sooner it becomes the norm the better.
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
. 
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