The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) Diarios de motocicleta (original title)

Director:

Walter Salles

Writers (WGA):

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (book)
Alberto Granado (book)
Jose Rivera (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Before he changed the world the world changed him

Plot:

The dramatization of a motorcycle road trip Che Guevara went on in his youth that showed him his life's calling.

Plot Keywords:

Motorcycle | Friend | Che Guevara | Diary | Leper Colony

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 26 wins & 37 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Gael García Bernal	...	Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (Argentina)
Rodrigo De la Serna	...	Alberto Granado (Argentina)
Mercedes Morán	...	Celia de la Serna (Argentina)
Jean Pierre Noher	...	Ernesto Guevara Lynch (Argentina) (as Jean-Pierre Noher)
Lucas Oro	...	Roberto Guevara (Argentina)
Marina Glezer	...	Celita Guevara (Argentina)
Sofia Bertolotto	...	Ana María Guevara (Argentina) (as Sofía Bertolotto)
Franco Solazzi	...	Juan Martín Guevara (Argentina)
Ricardo Díaz Mourelle	...	Uncle Jorge (Argentina) (as Ricardo Diaz Mourelle)
Sergio Boris	...	Young Traveler (Argentina)
Daniel Cargieman	...	Young Traveler (Argentina) (as Daniel Kargieman)
Diego Giorzi	...	Rodolfo (Argentina)
Facundo Espinosa	...	Tomás Granado (Argentina)
Matias Gomez	...	Kid (Argentina) (as Matías Gómez)
Diego Treu	...	Kid (Argentina)

Also Known As:

"Diarios de motocicleta" - Argentina (original title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

Argentina | USA | Chile | Peru | Brazil | UK | Germany | France

Language:

Spanish | Quechua | Mapudungun

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:R-12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Iceland:L | Hungary:14 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:7 | Ireland:15PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:G (Québec) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-7 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Norway:11 | Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Argentina

Company:

FilmFour

Trivia:

Ernesto and Alberto's real-life motorcycle was a British-made Norton International, with a 500cc single-cylinder engine. For the film, the crew used restored Nortons, except for the crash scenes, which used modern Suzukis made up to look like Nortons (and christened "Nortsukis"). According to the director, the old Nortons were unfailingly reliable, and the modern Suzukis constantly broke down.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At the end of the movie, when Che is at the airport, a yellow GMC pickup drives by. The pickup has a 1-piece windshield, which GMC introduced after 1952.

Quotes:

Ernesto Guevara de la Serna:Mother.
Mother Sister Alberto:Yes?
Alberto Granado:We want to eat.
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna:We deserve to eat like everyone else.
Mother Sister Alberto:Yes, but you didn't go to mass.
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna:No.
Mother Sister Alberto:Then, how do you expect to feed the body if you didn't feed the soul first?
Alberto Granado:Er, denying food is not very Christian-like.
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna:Yes, I doubt Jesus would act like this.
Mother Sister Alberto:In this house, we have a set of rules that have to be followed.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Before Sunset (2004)

Soundtrack:

Adiós Muchachos

A sorely needed window on South America

The Motorcycle Diaries does a great job of sketching out the character of Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, without any pandering to our knowledge of who he will become. There are no cheap shots and only one 'Che' joke-to explain the origin of the nickname, which is a play on the Argentinian accent. It's a deeply felt examination of the events that inspired the development of a political consciousness, with only a few touches of the hagiography that has developed around 'el Che' and those not until late in the film. Gael Garcia Bernal is completely believable and very human in the role, and there's real chemistry between him and Rodrigo de la Serna (any relation?) who plays his friend Granado, leading to a lot of funny moments-important, as ther are many stretches of the movie where it is just them and the scenery. The cinematography is truly gorgeous, and reminded me how little of the South American landscape we ever see on film in the U.S. The cinematographer has pulled off a major feat in shooting a period film in slightly grainy, sometimes shaky hand-held. No crane shots or sepia tinting here-the film quality immerses you in Guevara and Granado's experiences and makes them feel very immediate, without sacrificing any sense of history. A film like this is long overdue, and it deserves wide distribution. While the plot revolves around Che's awakening to the social struggles of South America (which are ongoing) there is a rich sense of place, and people, and beauty here. It seems to me that this is the first South American film in a few years that is not a world-weary documentary about social or political problems (and U.S. involvement in them), to open in the U.S. market. It's about the life of Che, yes, but it doesn't forget the people and problems that lead him into political activity, and will hopefully inspire viewers to pay more attention to what is going on around them, not only in Buenos Aires, Cuzco, Havana or Chiapas, but right next door.