Man or Myth? Steven Soderbergh Talks Che
January 19, 2010
Film Info
- United States, France
- 2008
- 261 minutes
- Color, Black and White
- Spanish
- Spine #496
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" Guevara | Benicio Del Toro |
| Fidel Castro | Demian Bichir |
| Lisa Howard | Julia Ormond |
| Moisés Guevara | Carlos Bardem |
| Rogelio Acevedo | Victor Rasuk |
| Raúl Castro | Rodrigo Santoro |
| Camilo Cienfuegos | Santiago Cabrera |
| Ramiro Valdés Menéndez | Vladimir Cruz |
| Israel Pardo | Alfredo de Quesada |
| Aleida March | Catalina Sandino Moreno |
Credits
| Director | Steven Soderbergh |
| Producer | Laura Bickford and Benicio Del Toro |
| Screenplay | Peter Buchman and Benjamin A. van der Veen |
| Based on Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War by | Ernesto 'Che' Guevara |
| Cinematography | Peter Andrews |
| Music | Alberto Iglesias |
| Production design | Antxón Gómez |
| Editing | Pablo Zumárraga |
| Chief consultant | Jon 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 a new 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.
New cover by Eric Skillman
Current Posts
Video
Film Essays
Why Che?
By January 19, 2010
Steven Soderbergh’s Che depicts the two military campaigns that defined the rise and fall of . . . Read more »
Film Essays
Why Che?
By January 19, 2010
Steven Soderbergh’s Che depicts the two military campaigns that defined the rise and fall of . . . Read more »
Video
Film Essays
Why Che?
By January 19, 2010
Steven Soderbergh’s Che depicts the two military campaigns that defined the rise and fall of . . . Read more »
