I rented the two part film directed by Steven Sonderbergh, on the life of Che Guevara. It begins when Che meets Fidel in Mexico DF and ends with Che's assassination in Bolivia. It was made on the cheap and omits things that would have required lots of special effects. So the first half ends with the taking of Santa Clara, and we do not get to see the triumphant entry into La Habana, and the second part begins just before Chen leaves the Congo and heads for Bolivia. Che is played by Benicio del Toro, who has a sort of hybrid Mexican-trying to sound like a Cuban accent, and not at all like any Argentines I have met. Che was form Cordoba, and he does not seem to have even a trace of the Italianized singsong accent typical of most Argentines, but I would defer to a Cordobes on that. He also does not use the vos as all Argentines and even many Bolivians do.
There is a lot of action, and there is a running commentary which goes more into history and politics than the making of the film. I liked the Motorcycle Diaries a lot better: better music, better camera work, better scenography, better acting. It could have been done in less than the total of four and a half hours: Sonderbergh is not Bertolucci. There is no visual irony as you see in really good films, like the scene in which Che and Eduardo are tired and sitting by the road, and some Indian passes by carrying a huge bundle up the mountain uncomplainingly. It is worth watching. It makes it pretty clear than Che trying to start a revolution in the Bolivian outback was a huge tactical mistake: Bolivians do not trust outsiders, or even people no from the ethnic group, of which there are many. Bolivia in 1966 was probably not ready for Evo Morales, the Aymara currently president. Every successful Cuban rebellion has started in Santiago province, it is true: but Bolivia has no Santiago province and is a half Andean, half jungle country where all revolutions have begun in La Paz or in the mining cities of the Altiplano. Now, perhaps, Santa Cruz has more significance, but it had less in 1966.
It is a good film for anyone interested in the history, especially the commentary track. It has a lot of shooting and a lot of revolutionary theory. Strangely, Che turns down illiterates, then seeks to educate them in Cuba, but never gets into the issue in Bolivia, which is far more illiterate than Cuba was. Tania is not portrayed as Che's lover: in this film, she is not even blonde, and is a bit of a screw-up. I wasn't there, and cannot say. This film is purportedly based on Che's Bolivian Diary. Thre is no mention of Bolivian politics in the film, but some in the commentary. When Che entered Bolivia, Juan Jose Torres was president: when he was shot Rene Barrientos was in power.
For those who hate Communists, you get to see Che shot, but you don't get to see them cut his hands and head off. Only a few scenes of Americans strutting about and gloating. The soldier comes into the hut, tells Che to stand up. Che says "Do it: shoot me", but does not stand up: he is wounded in the leg.
A fairly good historical film, but hardly a great one. As entertainment, I'd give it 3 out of 5, maybe 7 out of ten. Worth renting. Because of the commentary track, far better on DVD than in a theater. I would give Bertolucci's The Last Emperor a 9 or 10 out of 10 on the same scale.
