Che! (1969 film)

Plot synopsis

The film tells of Che Guevara (Omar Sharif), a young Argentine doctor who proves his mettle during the Cuban guerilla war in the late 1950s. He gains the respect of his men and becomes the leader of a patrol.

Fidel Castro (Jack Palance) is impressed by Guevara's tactics and discipline and makes him his chief advisor. When Castro defeats Cuban dictator Batista after two years of fighting, Guevara directs a series of massive reprisals, yet, Guevara dreams of fomenting a worldwide revolution. After Castro backs down during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Guevara accuses Castro of being a Soviet tool and decides to leave Cuba.

Guevara lands in Bolivia, where he attempts to begin his dream of a worldwide peasant revolution, but the Bolivian peasants do not follow his lead and he becomes pursued by the Bolivian Army.

Cast

Production

The film was directed by Richard Fleischer who stated before filming:

An enormous amount of pressure has been brought to bear on this film - both for and against the subject. Each group is afraid we're going to favor the other. The picture will be a character study, and I will only say that it is neither pro nor anti Guevera. The printing of his diary caused only minor changes to the picture... I consider our sources for information impeccable and I cannot tell you who they are.

"We are doing purely the story Che, the person, not the movement," said producer Sy Bartlett. "We want to show what happened with the people who touched his life."

Filming started in October in Puerto Rico. The island was chosen because South America was considered too politically unstable.

Critical reception

The film received mostly negative reviews at the time of its release. Critic Paul Brenner writing: "In this badly misconceived pseudo-biography of the legendary Cuban revolutionary—played, incredibly, by Omar Sharif—Che Guevara takes up the cause as a rebel fighter under the direction of Fidel Castro, played—also incredibly—by Jack Palance." Che! was listed in the book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (1978). The Book of Lists (1977) labeled it "a cardboard, pseudo-historical drama" and noted that "Poor Sharif is forced to deliver lines such as 'The peasant is like a flower, and the revolutionary like a bee. Neither can survive or propagate without the other'".

Film critic Roger Ebert panned the film and the motivations for producing the drama, writing: "From the beginning, it sounded like a bad dream. Hollywood was making a movie about Che Guevara. Why? Probably because somebody smelled easy money, having been inspired by the sales figures on Che posters. That must have been the reason, because Che! is abundant evidence that no one connected with this stinkeroo gave a damn about Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, the Cuban Revolution or anything else requiring more than five seconds' thought".

Soundtrack

The film score was composed, arranged and conducted by Lalo Schifrin and the soundtrack album was released on the Tetragrammaton label in 1969.

Track listing

All compositions by Lalo Schifrin except as indicated

1. "Ché (Orchestra Version)" - 2:22
2. "La Columna" - 2:34
3. "Emboscada" - 3:10
4. "La Ruta" - 2:42
5. "Charangos" - 2:04
6. "Fiesta Numero Dos" - 3:06
7. "Recuerdos" - 2:44
8. "Fiesta Numro Uno" - 2:13
9. "Anita" - 2:00
10. "La Barraca" - 1:56
11. "Tiempo Pasado" - 3:00
12. "Ché (Solo Guitar Version)" - 3:17

Personnel