22/05/2008

The eagerly awaited Che [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – shown in competition yesterday evening at the Cannes Film Festival – didn’t fail to impress followers of the Che Guevara legend or enthusiasts of the cinematic epic.

Played by a very believable Benicio Del Toro – a strong contender for a Best Actor Award – the famous revolutionary serves as the inspiration for US director Steven Soderbergh’s diptych. Shown back-to-back at the Cannes screening – which lasted 4hr 28min – the two films maintained the audience’s attention throughout.

This cinematic feat was accomplished thanks to mainly European funding, through the French international sales agent Wild Bunch and Spanish company Telecinco, who contributed $40m and $20m, respectively. The film’s overall budget was $70m.

Dismantling from the outset the superman image, by showing Che Guevara in the throes of an acute asthma attack in the Cuban Sierra Maestra, Soderbergh focuses on the fraternal side of the guerrilla and icon, "il Comandante", relegating the character of Fidel Castro (played by an outstanding Demain Bichir) to the background.

Interspersed with scenes from a black-and-white reconstruction of Che’s powerful speech before the United Nations in 1964 and the audio of an interview retracing the different stages of the Cuban revolution, the first part of the film looks at how the revolutionary forces gradually seized control of the island.

This is a period of initiation in terms of military and political strategies for Che, who is passionate about humanity and foregoes the privileges of a victor in order to pursue his ideal of social justice. This mission leads him to travel secretly to Bolivia (the setting for the second part of the film) in 1966, in order to lead an armed movement who aim to overthrow the ruling dictatorship.

More conventional in its chronological structure, the second instalment centres closely on the small group of guerrilla fighters who face growing adversity, culminating in the capture and death of the charismatic Comandante. The director takes the time to fully explore the nuances of the Che myth, by looking at his relationship with his numerous companions in the struggle, including German actress Franka Potente.

Above all, this cinematic saga owes more to its compelling subject matter than its "arty" style. The film is both a great adventure story and a history lesson, told through the prism of human values and the daily sacrifices inherent in true idealism.

(Translated from French)