#496: SODERBERGH, Steven: Che (2008)

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SODERBERGH, Steven (United States)
Che [2008]
Spine #496
DVD


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 Soderergh's most epic vision.

Che: Part One
135 minutes
2:39:1 aspect ratio

Che: Part Two
136 minutes
Black & White/Color
Surround
in Spanish
1:78:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2009
Director/Writers


Based on Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War by Ernesto “Che” Guevara.

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twenty-four page booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin.

Commentary

Featuring Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life.

Making Che

Documentary featuring Soderbergh, producer Laura Bickford, actor-producer Del Toro, and writers Buchman and 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

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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