Che Part 1 & 2 - 2009

On New Year's Day I was fortunate to get to see Steven Soderburgh's excellent Che is its full uncut version. For most people they will have to pay twice and see Che as part 1 and 2 seperately. Unfortunately this will probably reduce the appeal and the reaction of peoples opinion, as the two parts together make the film a more enriching and enlightening experience. Firstly both films are distinctly different. Part 1, the cuban revolution is fragmented, unconventional, and lacks a clear cause and effect. Instead the film seems to show isolated moments of the revolution, the growing guerilla force, the attacks and invasions of villages, towns and cities. Castro pops up from time to time and pushes the story forward, without ever really giving too much context to the struggle. To a degree the film could be accused of assuming too much. i can not tell you why Castro felt a revolution was necessary, other than believing the country was run by a dictator. Nor could I tell you the exact political reasons Che decided to become an integral part. What I can say for sure, is that the revolution made him an icon. A hero in the truest sense of the world (to those who felt liberated at least). And this is generally already known. So the film ends up feeling a little too much like a step by step unvailing of how Castro and Che, along with some other siginificant commanders, managed to overthrow a government and liberate its people.
The film is intercut with moments of Che's address to the UN. Shot in black and white they go some way to underlining Che's political feelings toward America, the world and Latin America in particular. This event occurred chronologically in between the Cuban revolution and the Bolivian revolution, which makes up the second part of Che.
And its with the 2ns part that you begin to fully understand part 1. Where part 1 demonstrated how a nation needed and desired a change, how the people had longed for a hundred years for this revolution, the second part juxtaposes a failed attempted revolution. Part 2 is also much more conventional in its narrative structure. The film carries a fatalistic air from the very first moments. Che, who throughout is portrayed with exceptional skill by Del Toro, is a massive figure to the small band of guerrillas hoping to liberate their country. However, Bolivia is a different country, with a different history and a people seemingly less motivated than the Cuban's. It also demonstrates a slight stubbornness on Che's part. He is so committed to his political beliefs that Latin America be freed from tyranny that he never once contemplates that his revolution may fail, that the people are not as proactive. As such the film becomes a engrossing counterpoint to part 1 and enables a deeper more resonant meaning to come to fore.
If you ever get the chance to view both films as one, do so. It may be four hours, but it will not as such. If on the other hand you see part 1 out of a curiosity, then be sure to watch part 2, and keep in mind throughout part 1. It will make the experience much more fulfilling and definately more rewarding.