Che: Part One (2008)

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers (WGA):

Peter Buchman (screenplay)
Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (memoir "Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War")

Release Date:

24 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Plot:

In 1956, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) and a band of Castro-led Cuban exiles mobilize an army to topple the regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista.

Plot Keywords:

Fidel Castro | Che Guevara | Dictatorship | Dead Animal | Soldier

Awards:

3 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Benicio Del Toro	...	Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
Demián Bichir	...	Fidel Castro
Santiago Cabrera	...	Camilo Cienfuegos
Vladimir Cruz	...	Ramiro Valdés Menéndez
Alfredo De Quesada	...	Israel Pardo
Jsu Garcia	...	Jorge Sotús (as Jsu García)
Kahlil Mendez	...	Leonardo Tamayo Núñez (as Kahlil Méndez)
Elvira Mínguez	...	Celia Sánchez
Andres Munar	...	Joel Iglesias Leyva (as Andrés Manuel Munar)
Julia Ormond	...	Lisa Howard
Jorge Perugorría	...	Vilo
Édgar Ramírez	...	Ciro Redondo García (as Edgar Ramírez)
Victor Rasuk	...	Rogelio Acevedo
Othello Rensoli	...	Pombo
Armando Riesco	...	Benigno

Also Known As:

The Argentine (International: English title) (alternative title) (USA) (working title)
Che - 1ère partie - L'Argentin (France)
Che, el argentino (Spain: Castilian title)

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

France | Spain | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Spain:7 | UK:15 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Czech Republic:15 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Finland:K-13 | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Sweden:11 | USA:Not Rated | Singapore:NC-16 | Germany:12 | New Zealand:M | Netherlands:12 | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Campeche, Mexico

Company:

Estudios Picasso

Trivia:

This film and Che: Part Two (2008) were screened combined at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival under the title "Che".

Goofs:

Factual errors: The film leads the viewer to believe that Guevara was hired as a mercenary and a combatant. In actuality, he was hired as a medic. It wasn't until he was seen running into battles that he became a combatant.

Quotes:

[upon hearing that Batista has fled Cuba]
Ernesto Che Guevara: Nobody is going home on leave. We have only won the war. The revolution has just begun.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "De wereld draait door: (#4.125)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Basura

Super Cuban revolution biopic

In the first of the two Che films (this London Film Festival screening I attended showed both The Argentine and Guerrilla back to back with an intermission) we get all we might expect from a Soderbergh film. Detail without obsessiveness; straightforward storytelling without diluting or oversimplification. The period covered is the Cuban revolution from inception to completion, with flashbacks of Guevara addressing the UN in 1964. Though a large - and largely well-acted - ensemble film, Del Toro dominates the screen. His presence, utterly submerged in his character, gives the impression of a patient, caring Guevara, steely, rather than fiery and almost never ill-tempered. I don't know if we are given a balanced portrait of Guevara but this performance will win Del Toro a best performing actor Oscar. The bookies might as well pay out now.

On top of the Soderbergh's own lush photography I was also stirred by Alberto Iglesias' insistent, original but unobtrusive score. By far the better of the two Che biopics. 8/10