Che: Part One (2008)

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

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers:

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

Stars:

Julia Ormond, Benicio Del Toro, Oscar Isaac

4 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julia Ormond	...	Lisa Howard
Benicio Del Toro	...	Ernesto Che Guevara
Oscar Isaac	...	Interpreter (as Óscar Isaac)
Pablo Guevara	...	Dinner Guest #1
Franklin Díaz	...	Dinner Guest #2
Armando Suárez Cobián	...	Dinner Guest #3
Rodrigo Santoro	...	Raúl Castro
María Isabel Díaz	...	María Antonia
Demián Bichir	...	Fidel Castro (as Demian Bichir)
Mateo Gómez	...	Cuban Diplomat #1
Ramon Fernandez	...	Héctor (as Ramón Fernández)
Yul Vazquez	...	Alejandro Ramírez (as Yul Vázquez)
Jose Caro	...	Esteban (as José Caro)
Pedro Adorno	...	Epifanío Díaz
Jsu Garcia	...	Jorge Sotús (as Jsu García)

Storyline

The Argentine, begins as Che and a band of Cuban exiles (led by Fidel Castro) reach the Cuban shore from Mexico in 1956. Within two years, they mobilized popular support and an army and toppled the U.S.-friendly regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista.

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Plot Keywords:

army | fidel castro | che guevara | mountain warfare | guerilla warfare | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Spain] Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Spain USA

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

24 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Che

Filming Locations:

Campeche, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$61,070, 14 December 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,731,665, 17 May 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wild Bunch, Telecinco, Laura Bickford Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For his role, Benicio Del Toro spent seven years researching Guevara's life.

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Goofs

When the guerrilleros are in the Sierra Maestra, we can hear the coqui (Eleutherodactylus coqui) singing in the night. However, this small frog is endemic to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, thus not possible to be heard in Cuba.

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Quotes

Ernesto Che Guevara: [addressing the United Nations in Spanish] Executions? Yes, we have executed. We execute, and we'll continue to execute.

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Connections

Referenced in Che Guevara and Cuba's Social Welfare: Aleida Guevara's Special Lecture at Shizuoka General Hospital (2014)

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Soundtracks

Basura
Written and Performed by Mark A. Mangini (as Mark Mangini)

User Reviews

Hard, Gritty and To the Point But Not In the Way You Expect

Che: Part One felt very complete and fulfilling. I found myself looking at Ernesto "Che" Guevara as a very well rounded person. Not as an ideological self fulfilling man but as an articulate man with thought out rational decisions as well as a man with many useful talents.

The acting of the cast all around was very good but Benicio Del Toro took the movie by storm but he did this in a very subtle way. His performance displayed how Che's spirit was able to superseded the hardships faced in the Cuban Revolution. It did not display any brutality or recklessness but a devotion to a cause. Del Toro's perforations was that worthy of an Oscar nomination but I don't think Che Guervara cared to much about awards.

The directing by Steven Soderbergh was visually stunning at times with much of the scenes shot in the forest. What kept the movie upbeat though were the scenes of Che in New York giving interviews and addressing the U.N. It added an extra layer to the film allowing you to see another side of Che. The side in which he shows his political and speaking abilities. The writing was very good with the dialog always keeping you engrossed. The music, though not much of it, was very good and stayed within rhythm of the rest of the film.

Overall the film succeeds in showing Che as a well rounded man never developing into oversimplified or unnecessarily complex portrayal of a man. The movie was very accurate and refused to take on a role of being inspiring or Hollywoodish which I enjoyed. The only problem with the film I had was that it seems to have a little too much of a feel of a war film rather than a biopic. Still I highly recommend this film.