Review of Che: Part One (2008) by Daniel K — 25 Jan 2010

3: These two pictures were of particular interest to me due to a graduate course I completed on profiling that focused on Hitler and Che. Che easily supplied 30 or 40 pages worth of work, but much of it was focused on events not depicted in either of these two films.

I focused more on his childhood and developmental years, as opposed to his actions in Cuba and Bolivia. Of course, these periods did figure prominently in his life, but I was more interested in his motivations and worldview than with his actions in my writing.

I would be quite interested in the 10+ hour miniseries Soderbergh alluded to in the special features, which would have allowed for a much fuller picture of Guevara's life. Combining this with The Motorcycle Diaries is about as close as we're going to get though.

He certainly is an interesting individual and one that inspires passionate arguments both for and against him. This review is meant to cover both pictures, although I considered giving different ratings to each picture.

The most striking element in the films is how wonderful and distinctive they look despite the modest budget and obvious lack of artificial light or controlled conditions. This is apparently due to the fancy new digital camera Soderbergh used, which picks up just about any kind of light and makes it look great.

The images are extremely crisp and clear as well, which is a happy change from some of his earlier work. Focusing in on specific endeavors in his life allows for a much more detailed exploration of these events is an effective way of telling the story.

Biopics that are more expansive also work quite well (I'm thinking of Lawrence of Arabia, Citizen Kane, The Aviator, etc), but inevitably they also picked and choosed their focus areas to some extent as well.

Soderbergh seems to be to just be a bit more laser focused, which is both a plus and a minus. It means what one sees is quite intimate and effective, but one also misses seeing the larger picture. I definitely found the first picture to be superior to the second.

The stakes are higher, the events more relevant to the U.S., and the story more exciting. However, it's essentially the story of Che's involvement in Castro's take over of Cuba, which isn't necessarily that controversial.

Areas of Che's life that might prove more fruitful would include the execution trials he presided over in Cuba and his relationship with the Soviets in Russia. However, the action here is quite compelling and the level of detail to which we are subjected, regarding Che's leadership style, and the specific actions required to bring about a successful revolution, is quite fascinating.

I almost gave this a 3.5 and perhaps I will after a second viewing. Del Toro's performance is superb in both films. I also loved the geographical orientation at the outset of each film. It helped set just the right mood for both pieces.

The second picture depicts Che's unsuccessful exploits in Bolivia. He certainly seems to have failed in his effort to bring about massive change throughout Latin America and inspire others to follow his example.

He dreamed big and put his life on the line time and time again for what he believed in. His vision was on the level of people like Alexander the Great or Hitler in that he saw the world as he wanted it to be, not as it is, and sought to enact the changes necessary to bring about his vision.

His actions in Bolivia were on a relatively small scale, i.e. a group of men in the jungle, but his aspirations were continent wide. Both Alexander and Hitler were more successful in effecting change on the massive scale they envisioned, but both had their own shortcomings.

One could argue that Che's was his inability to see the things that make Latin American's different; he only saw what made them similar and assumed they would decide to follow his example and join together.

This has yet to happen. The best part of either film is definitely Che's death; it is magnificent. I can't recall ever seeing anything quite like it, but I'd be a little surprised if it was entirely original.

Regardless, placing the viewer in Che's head and body just as his executioner pulls the trigger is brilliant. It forces one to identify with the character like never before and experience what he is experiencing on a vivid and visceral level.

The collapse to the floor, shortened breaths, and loss of focus fading to light is immensely powerful. In the end, the films weren't uniformly interesting enough to make me love them, but I do definitely look forward to seeing them again.