The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

The beauty of the South American landscape and of Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Bad Education) gives The Motorcycle Diaries a charisma that is decidedly apolitical. But this portrait of the young Che Guevara (later to become a militant revolutionary) is half buddy-movie, half social commentary--and while that may seem an unholy hybrid, under the guidance of Brazillian director Walter Salles (Central Station) the movie is quietly passionate. Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna, a lusty and engaging actor) set off from Buenos Aires, hoping to circumnavigate the continent on a leaky motorcycle. They end up travelling more by foot, hitchhiking, and raft, but their experience of the land and the people affects them profoundly. No movie could affect an audience the same way, but The Motorcycle Diaries gives a soulful glimpse of an awakening social conscience, and that's worth experiencing. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Bad

Imagine a film purporting to depict the youth of Adolf Hitler that never dealt with an instance of his Anti-Semitism and you will about have what The Motorcycle Diaries represents for Latin American Communism. The film, based upon the book of the same name, culled from the diaries of Ernesto `Che' Guevara (Gael García Bernal), the mass murdering top henchman of Fidel Castro in the Cuban Revolution, attempts to portray the monster as an all-caring near-Christ-like figure. Now, I am not one who's a PC stickler when it comes to art and truth, but the fact is this film is a) bad history, and b) even worse art. While not quite as bad a film as Monster, for its better visuals than that feminist ode to girl power via serial murder, the earlier film at least acknowledged that its subject was a mass murderer, even as it excused it. By contrast, The Motorcycle Diaries not only glosses over Che's massive crimes against humanity, but gives absolutely no hint that such evil ever resided in the man. He was Latin America's Osama bin Laden before there was an Osama bin Laden. Yet, to the recrudescent Hollywood PC Elitists he is a hero, simply because he opposed America. That, alone, to them, erases all of the blood on his hands, even though he was enamored of the Soviet Union's genocidal methods. Yet, George W. Bush, a man I certainly do not admire, is utterly reviled for his crimes against humanity, even though his `cause' is arguably only just as ignoble and ineffective as Che's ultimately was.
The film, which was lauded at the Sundance Film Festival, and widely touted by executive producer and political naïf, Robert Redford, follows spoiled rich kid Che's months-long trek, at age 23, across South America with an older pal named Alberto Granado (Rodrigo De la Serna), 29. The film, while filled with beautiful vistas of the countryside, is not particularly well shot by director Walter Salles nor cinematographer Eric Gautier, as there is none of the lingering sumptuousness that one finds in Lawrence Of Arabia, nor Kundun, films made by filmic masters like David Lean and Martin Scorsese. Instead, we get filmic postcards, not engaging realities. The framing of the shots sometimes seems as if it were done by a tourist who was in a hurry to get through whatever area he was traveling through. It also plumbs virtually every cliché of the two genres it inhabits- the buddy film and the coming of age road film. On the buddy side you have handsome, serious, empathetic Che, who-like George Washington, cannot tell a lie- he rips a doctor's poorly worded novel after his pal praises I- telling the old man to stick to medicine (would that someone had told Che the same thing!), and the chubby, fast-talking sidekick, Alberto, on a continual poon hunt. They get in to wacky adventures, constantly crash their motorcycle, and escape disaster by the skins of their teeth. On the road picture side, Che falls in love with a beautiful girl, but breaks her heart, the two meet strange people and grow up, chase girls, and idyllic vistas inspire the duo to talk like a bad screenwriter's imagination of what depth is, especially when at Maachu Picchu. If this insipidity is what Screenwriter's 101 feels reconstructed conversations should be, well....yeesh. In short, this is one foreign film whose subtitles do not matter vis-à-vis dubbing because they are bad either way.... Despite being made by a Brazilian filmmaker, this film is thoroughly Hollywood, and bound to polarize. Simpleminded Leftists have and will praise it to the hilt, despite its manifest flaws, all because they will not bother to check out the facts. Rightists will damn the film, sight unseen, thereby missing the chance to rip its poor artistry and only justify the many delusions of their enemies, by showing them they are correct that Rightists cannot separate art from reality, either. And so it goes....but, at least, I recognize such things. If the film did so I would not have to state it.
September 19, 2008

ONLY FOR CLUB-MED LEFTIES; OTHERS AVOID!

An idyllic and compassionate Argentine rich kid decides to throw it all away and redeem himself by redeeming the poor. Only he turns out to be Che Guevara!
Guevara's appeal as a young non-conformist with a heart of gold and a mind of steel -an "armed Christ", as Sartre called him- bears little resemblance with the actual long haired dictator that was: a Stalinist fanatic who once wrote about the joys of executing people, and his personal urgent need to do so. Why these psychos get such pop-star idol recognition among First World well intentioned rich liberals escapes me. Maybe it's because they want to appear cool, defiant and politically correct. Maybe because they also feel guilty about having plenty in a world of scarcity. But mostly because they know nothing, and want to know even less, about the countries they pretend to help by supporting their local crackpots. Either that, or they're just plain morons!
Someday soon, I'd like to see Mexican heartthrob García Bernal -with his handsome "Howard the Duck" looks- impersonate a young Lavrenti Beria on his road to epiphany, and show me how nice a fellow that chap really was. I would love to see that movie get raving reviews and international awards, and I'd also like to see your kids wearing that lovable commissar's face on their T-shirts. And -goes without saying- see how you like that, for a change! September 4, 2008

Great movie

Great movie. Too bad Che turned into such a lunatic after this period in his life. August 3, 2008

Diarios de Motocicleta

Rarely is it easy to make the distinction between social history and cultural mythology. And to create a film to represent the lives of complex historical figures is a daunting task, yet Walter Salles has proven that he is more than capable of creating such a film. In The Motorcycle Diaries we are shown an approximation of the early life of Ernesto Guevara, the man who would eventually recognized worldwide as the revolutionary Che Guevara.

The story begins in Argentina where friends Ernesto Guevara (Gael García Bernal) and Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) decide to take a motorcycle trip across South America. Both are studying to become doctors but are restless and wish to see more of their land, learn more of its history, people and culture. Their trek will take them on an amazing journey of over 8000 kilometers and will end in Venezuela at the Guajira Peninsula. Their route will take them through Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Chile, the Andes and into the Peruvian Amazon. They get off to a rough start, barely avoiding serious accidents and experiencing numerous mechanical problems. The motorcycle, a Norton 500 from 1939, is dilapidated and causes many difficulties. But their early misadventures are soon overshadowed by their realization that much of South America is divided, culturally and economically. Ernesto and Alberto witness the turmoil of their land and it changes them profoundly. While Alberto acknowledges the troubles of the people and sympathizes with them, Ernesto takes them to heart and understands the need for action. The faces of the downtrodden, the diseased and the impoverished haunt him. A new conviction is born within him, a new cause for his existence and he is given something to fight for. He craves revolution and the unity of Latin America.

The film gives a humanistic portrait of a man who has been idolized by young political radicals, respected by social reformers and admired by philosophers. But the man known as Che is more than just a symbol of revolution. He was above all a complicated man capable of sincerity, compassion and instituting great change. For those who are already familiar with his life, this film will deepen your understanding and appreciation of him. For those unfamiliar with Che, the film is a wonderful introduction to a fascinating man.
The film is driven by powerful performances from its two leading men, who enrich their characters with impetuosity, angst, empathy and humor. The music ingeniously captures the flavor of South American culture while imbuing the film with the angst of youthful rebellion. The Motorcycle Diaries is a film that should not be missed.

Also recommended:
The Motorcycle Diaries
Guerrilla Warfare
Che Guevara on Global Justice
Che Guevara Reader: Writings on Politics & Revolution
Traveling with Che Guevara: The Making of a Revolutionary
Che Guevara: Revolutionary and Icon
The Che Handbook
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life July 25, 2008

Superb film and travelogue, with stunning landscapes!

I've read all the 1 star reviews about who Che became, and of course his revolutionary bent, etc. This is not what this film was about. All that came later, and can be judged by history. What this film was about, however, is a true, as real as it gets, soul searching journey by two young Argentinian men who traverse South America on motorcycle in order to see other landscapes and people. The poignancy and 'life lessons' they learn as they encounter injustices and poverty suffered by many of these people are very real and moving. 'Self-discovery' and empathy come in many forms, as these two shape their opinions on the human condition while two-wheeling it across many landscapes and cultures for 8 months. The scenery and landscapes are stunning and gorgeous, and the well-paced film has a very realistic feel to it that draws you in. HIGHLY recommended! June 20, 2008

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