Saw the movie Che last night .. based on the life of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (from Argentina) .. starring Benicio Del Toro. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. (Matt Damon makes a cameo.)
Wow. Actually *two* DVDs .. plus a supplemental. Ten years in the making. Thoroughly researched. Different kind of movie. Easy to recommend.
Did you know that the image of Che found on so many t-shirts and posters is the world's most reproduced image? (In the history of mankind.) Made from a photo shot by Albert Korda on March 5, 1960.
Che was a medical doctor. (Dr. Guevara.) 'Che' was his nickname. During his life he was considered the most dangerous man on the planet.
Also worth seeing » Motorcycle Diaries, which chronicles his travels thru South America during his youth. (That's where he witnessed the social & economic inequality that led to the outrage which affected him so profoundly.)
Soderbergh said (in the supplemental DVD) that Guevara's ability-to-sustain-outrage, and his willingness to put his life on the line to effect a change .. were the most prominent aspects of the revolutionary's life.
We all get outraged from time to time .. but our outrage wanes. There's so much krap out there. (Our government is in bed with Wall $treet & corporations & their lobbyists.) Easy to suffer from outrage fatigue.
Anyone who has ever been a victim of injustice knows how badly it suks to be on the receiving end. But who will put their life on the line to effect a change? In a true revolution (Guevara says) you either win or die trying.
He walked away from a life of wealth & privilege to (try to) help the peasants in South America by fighting for social & economic change. (He died trying.) Jesus with a machine gun.
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Guevara wrote the book on guerilla warfare. (Literally.) He's as far LEFT as you can get. At one point in the film he says, If the Cuban revolution taught us anything it's that a struggle that does not include armed resistance has no chance of succeeding.
The most sobering part is where they discuss how the goverment sent troops to gun down miners who went on strike in Bolivia. That's one way to end a strike.
One final point » Soderbergh (as he often does) acted as his own Director of Cinematography .. under the name of Peter Andrews. (His father's name is Peter Andrews Soderbergh.) If you click the link labeled 'Peter Andrews' here, it takes you to Soderbergh Wikipedia page
For more along these lines, here's a Google search preconfigured for the query » che guevara film movie soderbergh del toro
Speaking of South America, there was an interesting article (+ video) posted over at Yahoo Finance about how the United States is starting to look more like South America with the emergence of an underclass caused by the financial crisis. It's titled » America's Underclass. Another discusses how this same financial crisis will lead Europe into Communism.
Related Rad entries:
- What Drives a Handsome Doctor (like Che Guevara) to Become a Militant Revolutionary? (posted July 4, 2010)
- Answering the Handsome Doctor Question | Che Guevara (posted August 10, 2010)
