The Motorcycle Diaries
Synopsis
The Motorcycle Diaries
Synopsis
Based on the diaries of "Che" Guevara, it follows his and his friend's
motorcycle trip from Argentina to a leper colony to their ultimate
destination of Venezuela.
History Lesson: The "Che" Guevara was born a well-off Argentinean who grew
up to be a revolutionary most famous for helping Fidel Castro overthrow
the Batista regime in Cuba. He started out an
idealist, and indeed that is what he is most known
for, but ended up being a totalitarian communist.
He is now mostly famous for being the guy in this picture:
http://www.thechestore.com/
From Time:
http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/guevara01.html
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara
Language Lesson: In Argentinean Spanish, the word for "guy" or "dude" is
"che". So you can say "hola che" which means "hey guy". Che Guevara's
main focus was the "comman people", villagers and
such. I assume he's named after the equivalent of "Joe
Schmoe" for that reason. His real name was Ernesto
Rafael Guevara de la Serna.
What I Thought
So this movie is when Che is in his 20's, a year before graduating from med
school. He and his friend (who to this day has a medical clinic in Cuba)
decide to travel across the South American continent.
Note to any political people: this was before he was a revolutionary, so
this movie is in no way subversive, communist, socialist, or anything
else. Just two 20-somethings biking through S.
America.
I don't know what Paul Berman (http://slate.msn.com/id/2107100)
was thinking when he forgot this important tidbit when
ostensibly reviewing this movie.
Anyway, at parts funny and poignant, the movie was well done. The acting is
superb, Che is well-played by an awesome Gael García Bernal, from Y Tu
Mama Tambien (And Your Mother Too) and a few other big
movies. The music is great as well.
This movie IS in Argentinean Spanish with subtitles. You have been warned.
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