Blu-rays.tv Original Review
The following review was written and posted by Blu-rays.tv on
8 February 2010 | |
Che
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Theatrical / Original Release |
2008 |
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Blu-ray Release Dates |
 Unknown  19/1/2010  29/6/2009 |
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Rating |
15 (UK) | PG (13+ Quebec) (Canada) | 12 (Germany) |
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Genre |
Drama | War | History | Biography |
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Studio/Distributor |
Criterion |
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Buy / Pre-order |
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Review
 [5.00/5.00]
Like most people of my generation (circa mid-1970's) and younger, my concept of "Che" was little more than a t-shirt design for those young, fiery, leftist, anti-establishment types. I knew of him in vague terms as a militant communist and a leader of some 1950's Cuban revolution, but that was the extent of my knowledge. He was a mere ghost of history and someone who, at least superficially, seemed to be very far removed from myself temporally, culturally, morally and politically. The truth, as wonderfully exposed by Steven Soderburgh's biographical double feature "Che (Part 1): The Argentine" and "Che (Part 2): Guerilla" is quite different.
Almost everything about the film project, much like Ernesto 'Che' Guevara the man himself, is confrontational and daring. Perhaps the subject matter is somewhat less controversial than would have been the case when the world was in the throws of vehement Cold War sensibilities. For American filmmakers to be depicting these people and events rather objectively with little or no editorial grandstanding would have been the height of anti-patriotism just a couple of decades ago. However, the film holds no punches in it's factual portrayal of the events of the time. This means that that at various points in time any of the parties to the various conflicts may be cast in a negative or positive light based solely on the facts rather than their ideology.
The films are presented almost entirely in Spanish. The risk, in terms of limiting English-speaking audiences (and thus alienating the original investors), is a choice of integrity which I heartily applaud for the way in which it facilitates the gravity and realism of the portrayed events.
A very long pre-production process saw the films take shape over the better part of a decade. They are based on the memoirs and diaries of Che Guevara from the Cuban revolutionary war of the 1950's and early 60's and from his time leading revolutionaries in Bolivia in the later half of the1960's. The level of painstaking research and commitment to uncovering little known truths regarding people and events is clearly evident.
The films both begin with a methodical visual geography lesson set to militaristic music to familiarise the audience with Cuba and with Bolivia on the South American continent respectively. In addition to helping one gather important bearings, they brilliantly set the tone and the mood for the films. Be prepared for a factual, patient (a combined running time of over 257 minutes) and unembellished telling of a fascinating story of important parts of the life of a enigmatic and remarkable man.
Benicio Del Toro practically becomes Che with a performance which is nothing short of stunning. Che's unwavering commitment to his cause and his even temperament in the face of overwhelming obstacles are portrayed with magnificence by Del Torro. Regardless of his politics, Che Guevara as portrayed by the script and Del Toro, was an admirable, yet strangely unpersonable and somewhat humourless character. His care for human beings (being a physician by training) and strength of character lead him to a life of almost unimaginable self sacrifice. He so fervently believed in his duty to the downtrodden to educate, to heal and to liberate, that having won the hard-fought battle of social reform in Cuba, he threw himself right back to square one to try to do it all over again in Bolivia.
The two films which book-end his success in seeing his friend Fidel Castro (played by Demián Bichir) take power in Cuba, examine the duration of the Cuban revolutionary war and then Che's less successful exploits in Bolivia which culminate in his demise. Part one, spanning the Cuban revolution from conception to the arrival of the revolutionaries on the doorstep to Havana, is intercut with 16mm black & white flash forwards of Che's trip to New York to address the United Nations in 1964. The second film is a more linear narrative which takes an incognito Che from Castro's side in Cuba to the forests of Bolivia where he would work with freedom fighters to try to topple the oppressive military dictatorship. Sadly the peasants of Bolivia, battered by a succession of revolutions, were less willing to heed the revolutionaries' call for change. Isolated and without the support of the populous which he enjoyed in Cuba, Che failed in his final quest. The story is embodied by the emotionally poetic image of a frail, asthmatic Che trying in vain to move his stubborn horse, and being so angered with frustration at the lack of co-operation of it to share the single-mindedness of his direction, he lashes out and physically attacks the animal.
The film was shot using a brand new piece of equipment called the "Red" camera. It is a small handheld ultra-high definition camera. Director Soderburgh insisted on the Red despite the fact that it was a prototype at the time. His faith in the technology is spectacularly vindicated. The result is a jaw-droppingly immaculate high definition pair of films which strike a perfect balance between realism and artistic qualities.
Che is a wonderful addition to the Criterion Collection and, based on the films alone it is essential viewing. But it gets even better...
 [4.75/5.00]
As an artistic choice, director Steven Soderburgh produced two very distinct looks for the two films. Part 1 which is set in Cuba makes use of warmer tones and a somewhat softer image in a 2.39:1 ratio aspect, whilst Part 2 in Bolivia is primarily starkly bright and is of unprecedented levels of clarity, detail and edge definition. The later is presented in 1.78:1. [NOTE: Screen shot images up to this point have been from Part 1. Images to follow are taken from Part 2]
The Red camera's capturing of light is unique and is gorgeous to behold. Deep rich colours, immaculate contrast, solid black levels and unparalleled definition of detail make for a breathtaking visual experience.
My only criticism in terms of image quality is the unnatural slight foreground blurriness behind the subtitles in the occasional scene of the first film. Whether this is an artefact of the camera mechanism, the post-production work or the transfer, I don't know. There a couple (literally two) small dust smudges I noticed in the second film. The special feature in which the filmmakers discuss the Red camera do say that the location shoots in Spain for the Bolivian sequences, created significant dust problems for the equipment. So the fact that this is limited to two barely noticeable particles is quite amazing.
This is easily one of the best films in terms of HD image quality available on blu-ray at the present time. I honestly cannot see, save the few very minor observations mentioned above, how it could be improved upon.
[5.00/5.00]
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio quality of both Che films is flawless. The predominantly Spanish dialog (subtitled in English) is always clear and crisp. The unobtrusive and infrequently adopted musical score is perfectly rendered. The beautiful Latin American acoustic guitar with spanish vocals (sung by Mercedes Sosa and Silvio Rodriguez) and score of Alberto Iglesias adds a rich flavour to the films and is articulated immaculately down to the most infinitesimal detail. The audio experience of the gun battle sequences are thrilling and bring the entire sound field to life in such a way as you almost want to duck the bullets whizzing by. The entire range from the full and rich bass to the upper register sound effects is delivered with precision.
[5.00/5.00]
As always, Criterion have included just the right amount of supplementary material. For me the most interesting of these are the 1967 television documentary entitled "End of a Revolution" which discusses Bolivia at the time of Che's death and " Che and the Digital Camera Revolution" (HD) where the filmmakers discuss the experience of using the new Red camera. As dull as the later sounds, it is actually a very entertaining and fascinating piece.
A surprisingly terrific "making-of" documentary (in HD) can be found on the first disc. Cast and crew discuss the arduous, and in many cases unique ordeals of making the films. An interesting pair of audio commentaries by Che biographer Jon Lee Anderson can be found on both discs. Finally there are some deleted scenes, a trailer and interviews (in HD) with participants and historians discussing the Cuban revolution.
[4.95/5.00]
This is a remarkable pair of films and an absolutely stunning blu-ray presentation from Criterion. You will learn a lot of stuff that you probably didn't even know that you did not know and be thoroughly entertained with pristine HD audio/visual in the process. I cannot recommend "Che" highly enough. It is a hands-down MUST OWN blu-ray set.
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About this review...
Reviewer(s)
- Jason Hackett (Blu-rays.tv North America)
- Located in Quebec, Canada
Edition Reviewed
- The region A / North American release
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