Che (2008) + Extras [The Criterion Collection]

Far from a conventional biopic, Steven Soderbergh’s film about Che Guevara is a fascinating exploration of the revolutionary as icon. Daring in its refusal to make the socialist leader into an easy martyr or hero, Che paints a vivid, naturalistic portrait of the man himself (Benicio del Toro, in a stunning, Cannes-award-winning performance), from his overthrow of the Batista dictatorship to his 1964 United Nations trip to the end of his short life. Composed of two parts, the first a kaleidoscopic view of the Cuban Revolution and the second an all-action dramatization of Che’s failed campaign in Bolivia, Che is Soderbergh's most epic vision.



Audio Commentary - an exclusive commentary by Jon Lee Anderson, chief consultant on Che and author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life, which was recorded for the Criterion Collection in 2009. This is indeed an outstanding commentary by Mr. Anderson, who offers a wealth of information on the life of Che and the political climate in South America. His comments on some of the inaccuracies in the film are fascinating.

Extras:
– “Making Che" (49:51) - this documentary features interviews with director Steven Soderbergh, actor Benicio Del Toro, producer Laura Bickford, and writers Peter Buchman and Ben van der Veen
– Deleted Scenes (15:31 + 5:26) - a selection of deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Steven Soderbergh. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles.
– "End of a Revolution" (25:52) - in 1967, film producer Brian Moser was in Bolivia, hoping to make contact with Che Guevara. Che was killed before Moser could do so, but Moser was one of the first foreign journalists to arrive at the site of Che's execution. Moser records these experiences in this 1968 documentary, which also looks at the reasons for revolution in Bolivia and the forces dispatched to quell it. It features interviews with then Bolivian president Rene Barrientos, members of the U.S. special forces, and Regis Debray, an intellectual associated with Che in Bolivia. In English, not subtitled.
– Interviews from Cuba with Participants (23:08) and Historians (11:53) - in July of 2009, producer Laura Bickford and actor-producer Benicio Del Toro interviewed a number of participants in and historians of the Cuban Revolution exclusively for this release. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles.
– "Che and the Digital Cinema Revolution!” (33:21) - Che was the first feature to use the RED camera, which director Soderbergh embraced for its versatility and image quality. This short documentary looks at the evolution of the camera during the film's production and at the many ways it has enhanced and altered the process of modern digital filmmaking