A snapshot of the life and times of Che Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) as seen through the events of the successful guerilla campaign in Cuba, his 1964 trip to the United Nations and his disastrous attempts to stage revolution in Bolivia.

CRITIQUE

Steven Soderbergh’s massive CHE, all 271 minutes of it, is one of the most ambitious and mesmerizing theatrical undertakings of this just ended first decade of the new millennium. Split into two distinctive parts, this is a movie that builds in both majesty and momentum, and now that I’ve watched a handful of times I can honestly say I continually find this to be one of the most fascinating motion pictures I’ve ever seen.

That does not mean it is also one of the best. While I definite triumph, the few problems I had with it when I originally reviewed the film back in December of 2008 still by and large stand. I do feel that Guevara remains a bit of frustrating enigma, and as superb as Del Toro is as the character Soderbergh’s structure doesn’t allow for all-encompassing insight that could make me understand how the doctor at the heart of The Motorcycle Diaries could be so completely – and sometimes monstrously – transformed.

It occurs to me it is those years between Part One and Part Two, the time between Cuban victory and the tragic journey to Bolivia, that I now want to see. I want to know how this hardened revolutionary could suddenly become the hard-hearted executioner and driven ideologue that would go down fighting in South American jungles. I wanted to know what it was about his success that could lead him down a path of relative self destruction.

But to show that would probably have required another motion picture (and maybe even more then one considering Guevara also ended up in the Congo before he finally sailed to Bolivia), and I totally understand how Soderbergh could make the decision to focus on the revolutionary’s highest high and his lowest low. More, I find myself thinking that because the director stayed away from that middle period it allowed him to be even more impartial, neither movie passing judgment or stating an opinion about what it was Guevara was doing or the tactics he was employing to see things through.

Over a year later, I do find some of my initial observations from that earlier review still stand:

“I’m not sure what it would be like to watch Part One or Part Two disconnected from its familial partner. While I wouldn’t keep viewers from taking an intermission, it is almost vitally imperative CHE is treated as the singular epic it rightfully is (and was always meant to be). The two pieces feed one off the other, and the only way to fully embrace the shattering power of the climactic denouement is to go on the crazy blood-soaked prologue which precedes it.

[M]uch like Warren Beatty’s Reds this is an epic that is more about the size and the scope of the prize the central figures are fighting for than it is the personal motivations that urged them on to try and do it. This is a film about the furious forces that compel individuals to fight on one side or the other, about the charismatic figures that can convince you to take a stand whether or not the ideals they’re clamoring for are ones you yourself actually embrace.

Soderbergh’s vision is as cinematic as anything he has ever attempted (at least since his divisive remake of Solaris), and even with the overlapping narratives, the changing aspect ratios and the murky moralistic waters in which it sometimes treks to call it anything less than mesmerizing would be a lie. It’s a film I think is only going to improve as time goes by, and as revolutions go this one ranks up with some of the director’s very best.”

All that and more remains true, as do my feelings that Part Two is a wee bit more enjoyable than Part One (thanks to the fact the narrative is a little more familiar and straightforward). But what has changed is the fact my appreciation for CHE has grown many times over. I consumed this Criterion Blu-ray release with a passion I can’t say I’ve had in ages, scouring over every last piece of these two discs three times in the course of a single weekend. This is a movie I am quickly becoming fascinated by, and when the final Soderbergh biography is written decades from I firmly believe this movie will be right at the very top of the list as one of his greatest and most extraordinary achievements.

THE VIDEO

CHE –Part One is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio while CHE – Part Two is presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio, both in 1080p high definition, each film presented on its own 50GB disc. Both transfers have been personally supervised by Soderbergh. Additionally, as the first motion picture to be shot on the RED digital camera these transfers are truly extraordinary and finding fault with either of them is darn near an impossibility.

THE AUDIO

CHE is presented in English and Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and come with English subtitles. Again, Criterion has done exemplary work here, these two Blu-rays featuring soundtracks ranking with some of the best I’ve had the pleasure to hear.

THE EXTRAS

This is one of the most comprehensive Criterion Blu-ray releases yet. The special features cover just about everything you could ever want and then some, pretty much all of them worthy of multiple looks. These extras include:

CHE – Part One

·    Audio Commentary with John Lee Anderson, Author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life – Fascinating commentary track that, while extreme scholarly in nature, offers up so much insight to Guevara and what was going on during the time depicted in the film it’s an absolutely must to listen to.

·    “Making CHE” – What a documentary. I almost don’t know what else to say other than, “wow.” This goes into just about everything you could possibly want to know about the making of the film, including answering many of the quibbles I and many others have had about whether or not to include information about the period of time between Cube and Bolivia. It also offers up one of the most shocking and interesting insights by a major filmmaker I have personally ever seen, Soderbergh’s claims at the end of the documentary that narrative filmmaking has lost its value and importance something I almost couldn’t believe. Easily one of the best retrospective making-of pieces I have ever seen.

·    Deleted Scenes – Collection of scenes omitted from the final cut with optional commentary from Soderbergh. Many of these scenes are quite good, a couple of them I actually wish would have remained in the final cut. Soderbergh’s comments really add insight to his thought process and directorial style, however, and in the end it is ultimately easy to understand while all of them were excised.

·    Theatrical Trailer

·    Booklet featuring an essay by Film Comment and Sight & Sound contributing editor Amy Taubin – She pretty much says everything I could want to and does it far more eloquently.

CHE – Part Two

·    Audio Commentary with John Lee Anderson – Again, a wonderful commentary track full of interesting facts and information.

·    “End of a Revolution” – 1967 documentary made right after Che’s execution in 1967. A totally fascinating piece of history and wonderful curio piece.

·    Interviews – A collection of interviews with some of the participants involved with Che’s disastrous Bolivian campaign and with historians who have researched the period. Again, for those interested in knowing more this is another piece of this collection that allows you to do just that.

·    “CHE and the Digital Cinema Revolution!” – A short documentary on the RED digital camera and Soderbergh’s shooting process using it.

·    Deleted Scenes – More scenes with optional commentary from Soderbergh that are every bit as solid as the ones found on the first disc.

FINAL THOUGHTS

CHE is a remarkable achievement that Criterion has given the deluxe treatment. An early frontrunner as one of 2010 best Blu-ray releases.