Seen It: Che, part 2

This afternoon, a week after having seen Che: Part 1, I once again found my way to the Little Theater, our local independent movie house, and took advantage of the opportunity to see the second half of Steven Soderbergh's five hour bio-pic about Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

I once again found myself fortunate for having previously read John Lee Anderson's biography, Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life as the movie picks up after Che's success in Cuba, a victory only hinted at in the closing seconds of the first film. The additional information from the book helped to fill in the gaps and allowed me to more fully appreciate some of the nuances of Che's story and especially Benicio Del Toro's performance.

The following premier about the film does a better job than I explaining just what period of Che's life is covered:

Following the success of the Cuban Revolution, Che Guevara is at the peak of his fame and power when he vanishes without a trace. Resurfacing some time later in the jungles of Bolivia, Guevara sets about recruiting a new band of insurgents to help him spread the revolutionary message across the rest of Latin America. But as the Bolivian government and the CIA close in on him, this will prove to be his most dangerous campaign yet.

I found this film to be slightly more lyrical than the first, with a narrative that is loosely told, allowing for the images and performances to transport you to the mountains of Bolivia. While Che's fate is foretold, the manner in which he attempts to maintain his dignity, and that of his men, is poetic (though slightly less true to life perhaps) in its presentation.

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!