Guerrilla (film)

Infobox Film
name = Guerrilla


image_size =
caption = French-language film poster
director = Steven Soderbergh
producer = Laura Bickford
Benicio del Toro
Steven Soderbergh
writer = Peter Buchman
Steven Soderbergh
Ben van der Veen
narrator =
starring = Benicio del Toro
Demian Bichir
Franka Potente
Julia Ormond
music = Alberto Iglesias
cinematography = Steven Soderbergh
(as Peter Andrews)
editing = Pablo Zumárraga
distributor = Focus Features
released =
runtime = 131 min.
country = Spain
United States
language = English
Spanish
budget =
gross =
preceded_by = "The Argentine"
website =
amg_id = 1:289936
imdb_id = 0374569

"Guerrilla" is a 2008 biopic about Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, portrayed by Benicio del Toro. The film, which covers the latter period of Guevara's life, is directed by Steven Soderbergh from a script by Peter Buckman. It is the second half of a two part examination of Guevara's actively revolutionary life, the first part, "The Argentine", relating the events of the Cuban Revolution.

Plot

After helping overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba, Guevara moved on to foment revolutions in Africa and South America, eventually being captured and killed by counter-insurgency rangers in the mountains of Bolivia, backed by the CIA.

Production

According to an October 2006 article in "Variety" magazine, Soderbergh plans to make two films about Che with the other called "The Argentine". "The Argentine" will focus on the Cuban revolution, from the moment Fidel Castro, Guevara and other revolutionaries landed on the Caribbean island, until they toppled the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista two years later. "Guerrilla" will focus on the years following the Cuban revolution. It will begin with Che's trip to speak at the UN headquarters in New York in 1964, until his death in the Bolivian mountains in 1967."cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = Soderbergh plans Guevara double bill
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = The Guardian
date = October 31, 2006
url = http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1935821,00.html
accessdate = 2007-07-20 ]

Soderbergh shot both films back to back over a 90-day period beginning in May 2007 with most of the dialogue in Spanish. The original intention was that "Guerrilla" was shot, according to Soderbergh, "in Super-16, 1.85:1. No dollies, no cranes, it's all either handheld or tripods. I want it to look nice but simple. We'll work with a very small group: basically me, the producer Gregory Jacobs and the unit production manager."cite news
last = Taubin
first = Amy
coauthors =
title = Degraded Dupes Steven Soderbergh
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Sight and Sound
date = March 2007
url = http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/49360
accessdate = 2007-07-20 ] He ultimately opted to shoot both films on early models of the RED One rather than 16mm film, but otherwise kept to his plan of shooting the first film anamorphic, and the second with spherical lenses. Soderbergh has also stated that the films were being made with no U.S. financing: "It was very frustrating to know that this is a zeitgeist movie and that some of the very people who told me how much they now regret passing on "Traffic" passed on this one too. But as it turned out, we have all the financing we need without an U.S. distribution deal."

Cast

* Benicio del Toro as Ernesto "Che" Guevara
* Benjamin Bratt
* Franka Potente as Tamara Bunke
* Lou Diamond Phillips as Mario Monje
* Kahlil Mendez as Urbano
* Julia Ormond as Lisa Howard
* Edgar Ramirez as Ciro Redondo
* Catalina Sandino Moreno
* Demián Bichir as Fidel Castro
* Rodrigo Santoro as Raul Castro
* Roberto Santana as Juan Almeida

Reception

"Guerrilla" was screened with "The Argentine" on May 21 at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival as one motion picture reportedly running over four hours entitled, "Che".cite news | last = Wells | first = Jeffrey | coauthors = | title = Lawrence of Latin America | work = | pages = | language = | publisher = The Huffington Post | date = April 28, 2008 | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-wells/lawrence-of-latin-america_b_99302.html | accessdate = 2008-05-05 ] The film is still without a U.S. distributor and Soderbergh would like to release the two-part, four-hour-plus film as one movie in limited December openings. Afterwards, the first part would be released in January and the second in February. The director has cut five to seven minutes from each half.cite news | last = Goldstein | first = Gregg | coauthors = | title = A Cannes of worms for indie films | work = The Hollywood Reporter | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = July 31, 2008 | url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i9603a54f631ae7b033f83a4a62257dfe?pn=1 | accessdate = 2008-07-31 ]

"Guerrilla" will be shown at the upcoming 33rd Toronto Film Festival and as "Che" with a 15 minute intermission.cite news | last = Thompson | first = Anne | coauthors = | title = Toronto fest adds 20 films to lineup | work = Variety | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = August 13, 2008 | url = http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=story&id=1061&articleid=VR1117990479 | accessdate = 2008-08-14 ]

Both films have been pre-sold to several major territories, including France, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Italy, Japan (Nikkatsu), and Twentieth Century Fox has buying the Spanish theatrical and home video rights. Early reviews of the two films were mixed.cite news | last = Thompson | first = Anne | coauthors = | title = Cannes: "Che" Meets Mixed Response | work = | pages = | language = | publisher = Variety | date = May 21, 2008 | url = http://weblogs.variety.com/thompsononhollywood/2008/05/cannes-che-meet.html?query=Anne+thompson | accessdate = 2008-05-22 ]

"The Argentine", made its world premier on September 5, 2008, in Spain to mixed reviews. The conservative Spanish newspaper "ABC" critiqued the "flatness" of Del Toro's depiction of Che, while the left-wing daily "El País" noted that "Soderbergh tried to keep a distance which makes his film more didactic than political." In response to such criticisms, Soderbergh while unveiling the film in Madrid, declared that he was not seeking to "glorify" Che but rather show him "just as he was". [ [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gN5je3OQvbQ3n0ADCOO2kEn3uH8w "Soderbergh film on Che Guevara has world premier in Spain"] AFP, September 5 2008]

Awards

Benicio del Toro was awarded the Prix d'interpretation masculine (or Best Actor) for his performance in both films and in his acceptance speech dedicated his award "to the man himself, Che Guevara and I want to share this with Steven Soderbergh. He was there pushing it even when there [were lulls] and pushing all of us."cite news | last = Hernandez | first = Eugene | coauthors = Brian Brooks | title = Laurent Cantent's "The Class" Wins the Palme d'Or | work = | pages = | language = | publisher = indieWIRE | date = May 25, 2008 | url = http://www.indiewire.com/ots/2008/05/cannes_08_dispa_4.html | accessdate = 2008-05-25 ] Che's widow Aleida March, who is president of the Che Guevara Studies Center, sent a congratulatory note to del Toro upon hearing the news of his award. [ [http://www.prensa-latinaenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7BDF642072-8FBD-4A32-85D7-C872A2F421DD%7D%29&language=EN Che's Widow Congratulates P.Rican Actor] Prensa Latina, May 29 2008]

ee also

* "The Argentine"
* "Che" (film)
* "Che!"
* Che Guevara in popular culture
* Legacy of Che Guevara
* "The Motorcycle Diaries" (film)

References

Notes

External links

*
*
* [http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=9012575 "Guerrilla"] trailer sp icon
* [http://www.screenrush.co.uk/video/player_gen_cmedia=18722098&cpersonne=11732.html Steven Soderbergh] video Interview
* [http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=9c291cad-e96f-4fe7-9466-bc79d85153a8 "Del Toro Goes Guerrilla"] by Josh Grossberg at E! News
* [http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/10803637.html "Guerrilla"] film details at the official Cannes Film Festival website
* [http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/01/04/first-look-steven-soderbergh%E2%80%99s-the-argentine-and-guerrilla/ /Film] "First Look: Steven Soderbergh’s "The Argentine" and "Guerrilla"
* [http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN2348798420080525?feedType=RSS "Che More Informative Than Inspiring"] at "Reuters" May 24, 2008