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"Why did I like Che so much? Because it seemed to me that Steven Soderbergh and his crew had somehow jumped into a time machine and emerged to plunk their cameras down and capture the life of Ernesto Guevera on film for this generation. Benicio Del Toro, in a performance of enormous beauty and restraint, slips under the skin of the character and simply inhabits him for four-and-a-half hours. No grandstanding, no huge emotional scenes -- he simply is." -- In Contention's John Foote in an 11.9 posting.
"It is a performance done largely with the eyes, and one must be paying attention to fully appreciate the weight and purity of the work. Ever watchful, Che takes in his surroundings in and stock of his men at all times. It may seem that there is not a lot going on with the portrayal. But he is capturing the essence of a man to utter perfection.
"Soderbergh makes no apology for his film. We have a sort of mainstream director who has also been a major force in the world of independent filmmaking. He makes a massive film, in Spanish no less, about one of the most iconic people of the 20th century. For me this is among the most daring achievements in film since...well, MIchael Cimino's Heaven's Gate. Soderbergh has given his film an urgency, an immediacy that's breathtaking to be a part of.
"Che is a film destined to be discovered, I think, by future generations. While it is a historical film, which the Academy usually embraces, it is also a demanding film, asking that the viewer read subtitles, that they sit for a long time, and that they patiently explore the life of this man, with very few large emotional moments."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on November 9, 2008 at 10:21 PM
comment #1
Sabina E
says ...
in other words: IT'LL BE OUR "LAWRENCE OF ARABIA" or "MALCOLM X" film of our generation :-D
Posted by Sabina E
at November 9, 2008 10:37 PM
comment #2
Sabina E
says ...
*of our time, i mean...
Posted by Sabina E
at November 9, 2008 10:39 PM
comment #3
JoseRC
says ...
I hope he doesn't sport the same accent he did on "Traffic". That was awful and a strong enough reason he shouldn't have won that Oscar. Don't get me wrong: I love the guy, but in that flick he was playing a Mexican and didn't sound like one at all.
Then again, he's playing Argentinian here, hope he had a dialogue coach this time around.
Posted by JoseRC
at November 9, 2008 11:03 PM
comment #4
buckzollo
says ...
It is certainly a commitment as I found out today. Benecio is superb. It is a bit too much jungle warfare in the scrub brush at the expense of 'learning' more about Che although I was totally hypnotized for the duration.
Posted by buckzollo
at November 9, 2008 11:37 PM
comment #5
T. Holly
says ...
Don't worry, his Spanish is beautiful, like Bardem's and Cruz'. This is weird, but I still think about his asthma, I know the film could win sound editing for it, but the portrayal of it, by him, but also the people around him was very wrenching and tender, and it also ties Parts 1 and 2 together, revisiting him in Part 2.
Posted by T. Holly
at November 9, 2008 11:44 PM
comment #6
LexG
says ...
I saw this at the AFI thing and let me assure you that it FUCKING OWNS.
I go back and forth between which "half" I liked better. The first film is "Traffic" by way of a more relaxed Oliver Stone and has a great forward momentum and widescreen flair.
The second film reminded me of that second half of "Full Metal Jacket," in how it kind of rambles and frustrates before ultimately finding its way and coming together in a strong and devastating manner. There was a prolonged stretch beginning somewhere around Matt Damon's cameo through about a 1:15 where I was getting confused and disoriented and kind of worn down, till I realized that was Soderbergh's intention and a brilliant way of conveying the ill-fated campaign.
(Also didn't help that the Grauman's isn't exactly subtitle-friendly, with its lack of stadium seating, combined with the roughly 33% of the crowd that seemed like bored looky-loos.)
Posted by LexG
at November 10, 2008 12:08 AM
comment #7
York "Budd" Durden
says ...
When is this going to be released to the general public?
Posted by York "Budd" Durden
at November 10, 2008 5:31 AM
comment #8
Sabina E
says ...
I thought Del Toro is partly Hispanic anyway?
Posted by Sabina E
at November 10, 2008 7:30 AM
comment #9
Circumvrent
says ...
"Ever watchful, Che takes in his surroundings in and stock of his men at all times. It may seem that there is not a lot going on with the portrayal. But he is capturing the essence of a man to utter perfection."
How would he know? Were he and Foote drinking buddies?
Posted by Circumvrent
at November 10, 2008 8:03 AM
comment #10
btwnproductions
says ...
From IFC Films re: release dates...
"The film will be released on December 12, 2008 for 1 week in NY and LA as the full roadshow version. This will be a special presentation with an intermission and a collectible program book.
In January 2009, CHE will open as two separate admissions: CHE PART 1: THE ARGENTINE and CHE PART 2: GUERILLA, and then will be available nationwide on Video On Demand."
Posted by btwnproductions
at November 10, 2008 9:33 AM