Che by Steven Soderbergh

(Soderbergh’s latest movie, Side Effects, threatens to be his last. That would be a terrible pity. If he never made any movie besides Che, his name is secure, in my opinion.)

Soderbergh’s two-part film is a work of genius. His take on it all is, despite some of the iconography on the box, pretty balanced. There’s a fanaticism in these people, that, although inspired by a need for equality and a deeper moral urgency that Batista probably perceived, involved great suffering and death and also no small measure of propaganda. This is usual in war. But whatever about the historical veracity, the film is utterly engrossing and is a great example of how to portray a struggle on film.

The director shows us the legwork, the slow, deliberate, sometimes extremely arduous and challenging ordeal of organising a revolution. But detritus broke off and caused misery. In one scene, a few of Castro’s men strike off on their own, steal and rape.

It’s often like a film set – lots of sitting around, waiting for something to happen, much reflection and discussion but a liberal dose of excitement too. There were slips too, for instance with the urban movement who wished for negotiation while Fidel’s rural agrarian force wished for military force and an engagement on violent terms with Batista’s army. Fidel saw the power of the urban movement though. In the film he advises Ernesto “Che” Guevara that they have a lot of followers while Che refers to them as clowns.

Watch this movie on a lazy Saturday afternoon, maybe when it’s raining outside and you have a spare three hours or more. It’s fabulous viewing.

R.H.