Che

Steven Soderbergh

United States, France

2008

261 minutes

Color, Black and White

Spanish

496

Synopsis

Far from a conventional biopic, Steven Soderbergh’s film about Che Guevara is a fascinating exploration of the revolutionary as icon. Daring in its refusal to make the socialist leader into an easy martyr or hero, Che paints a vivid, naturalistic portrait of the man himself (Benicio del Toro, in a stunning, Cannes-award-winning performance), from his overthrow of the Batista dictatorship to his 1964 United Nations trip to the end of his short life. Composed of two parts, the first a kaleidoscopic view of the Cuban Revolution and the second an all-action dramatization of Che’s failed campaign in Bolivia, Che is Soderbergh’s most epic vision.

Cast

"Che" GuevaraBenicio Del Toro
Fidel CastroDemian Bichir
Lisa HowardJulia Ormond
Moisés GuevaraCarlos Bardem
Rogelio AcevedoVictor Rasuk
Raúl CastroRodrigo Santoro
Camilo CienfuegosSantiago Cabrera
Ramiro Valdés MenéndezVladimir Cruz
Israel PardoAlfredo de Quesada
Aleida MarchCatalina Sandino Moreno

Credits

DirectorSteven Soderbergh
ProducerLaura Bickford and Benicio Del Toro
ScreenplayPeter Buchman and Benjamin A. van der Veen
Based on Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War byErnesto 'Che' Guevara
CinematographyPeter Andrews
MusicAlberto Iglesias
Production DesignAntxón Gómez
EditingPablo Zumárraga
Chief consultantJon Lee Anderson

Disc Features

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION:

  • High-definition digital masters, supervised and approved by director Steven Soderbergh, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
  • New audio commentaries featuring Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
  • Making “Che,” a new documentary featuring Soderbergh, producer Laura Bickford, actor-producer Benicio del Toro, and writers Peter Buchman and Ben van der Veen
  • Interviews with participants in and historians of the Cuban Revolution and Che’s Bolivian campaign
  • End of a Revolution, a short documentary made in Bolivia right after Che’s execution in 1967
  • “Che” and the Digital Cinema Revolution, an original video piece looking at the RED camera and its effect on modern film production
  • Deleted scenes
  • Theatrical trailer
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin

NOTE: Che: Part One appears in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Che: Part Two appears in 1.78:1 aspect ratio.

From the Current

Man or Myth?
Steven Soderbergh Talks Che

Jan 19, 2010

Why Che?

by Amy Taubin Jan 19, 2010

Steven Soderbergh’s Che depicts the two military campaigns that defined the rise and fall of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, hero of the Cuban Revolution, who became in death a global icon of militant leftism—and . . .

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Available Editions

Che Criterion DVD Add to Cart

19 Jan 2010

DVD

3 Discs

SRP: $49.95

Criterion Store price

$39.96

Che Criterion Blu-Ray Add to Cart

19 Jan 2010

Blu-Ray

2 Discs

SRP: $49.95

Criterion Store price

$39.96