Sunday, May 11, 2008

by Ari

Steven Soderbergh's two-part epic about Ernesto "Che" Guevara will surely be one of the most provocative and controversial films to be released this year. The Argentine and Guerilla premiere at Cannes later this month as a 4 hour film with an intermission. It would certainly be interesting to see them that way instead of waiting a few months between parts.

That said, I do wonder how Soderbergh will tell this story. I'm sorry, but whenever I see someone walking down the street with a Che T-shirt, I sort of throw up in my mouth a little. I have no idea how or why that became part of contemporary, American hipster culture.

This is the description of the material in the second film: "The story of the Bolivian campaign is a tale of tenacity, sacrifice, idealism, and of guerrilla warfare that ultimately fails, bringing Che to his death. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world."

Hmmmmm.

Betweeen this and Stone's Bush film, I can't imagine the political shitstorm coming our way this fall. I'm interested in both (especially Stone's film), and I'm sure they'll ignite heated conversation from both sides.