Triumph of the Che

CHE (PARTS 1 AND 2).

Meta Question 1: Is it lame to start two posts in a row with reworked film titles? Subquestion, does it make me sound illiterate to refer to Long Day's Journey Into Night as a movie even though it is much more famous as one of the great American plays?

Meta Question 2: Should we rename this blog Owen and Matt Talk Che?

As promised, my second posting on Che, although this one is more about what Steven Sorderbergh said, especially in relation to some of the topics you brought up. OK, perhaps I am giving you more credit than what is due since I was planning this all along, but I'll give you some credit if for nothing more than your reference to Lawrence of Arabia put my Ray allusion to shame (that's what I met when I called myself a philistine, my choice of references). Also, I want this to be my last time referencing Ray on this site. Ever. So I should go ahead and say that your comments about a biopic that is not just an impersonation is exactly what the problem was with Jamie Foxx in that movie. He's the prime example there -- especially in comparison to the immensely talented Don Cheadle who put Foxx to shame in Hotel Rwanda that same year. But I digress.

So to the topic at hand: Che and Steven Sorderbergh. I've teased it enough so here is the story: I found what he had to say a bit troubling. I used hyperbole in the title for this post but I did so to emphasize the point that what he said mirrors to a much smaller extent the arguments used in defense of Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will. I should back up a bit because what I just wrote is a bit, um, inflammatory? Most of the talk with Soderbergh was quite fascinating as he talked about he process of making the film and give little tidbits about details of the movie (like why the people put sticks in their mouth before the explosion -- they do that to prevent their eardrums from bursting). However he became most animated when asked about his decision to portray Che Guevara in a positive light -- probably because that is the question he gets most frequently. First of all, he denied it, which we both find inaccurate. What I found troubling, however, was his statement that it is not his job to make a judgement on Che and as an artist it is his job to portray the man through his eyes. As a filmmaker he wants people to not be surprised to find out other details of the person but, he said that he does not think it is his responsibility to create balance. There was a lot of "I'm just an artist."

The reason I bring up Riefenstahl is because of his comments about the filmmaker not having any responsibility to tell anything more than their own story as they choose to see it. Riefenstahl, as I'm sure you know, created her film as Nazi propaganda and did some very amazing things that pushed the medium forward. But it was Nazi propaganda. She later claimed in her defense that she was just making art and that she did not buy into the Nazi message. I knew from a interview I had just read in the Portland Mercury and other articles on Che that Soderbergh says he did not know much about Che when he agreed to make the movie, but I don't buy that. I find it hard to believe that a man as seemingly intelligent as him would not know Che is a questionable figure historically and that the Cuban revolution did not necessarily turn out all that well. (Side note: All viewers of this movie should be required to watch Before Night Falls with Javier Bardem, a brilliant movie that explores the dark side of the Cuban revolution.)

What's more, Soderbergh talked about all of the research he did into the movie that I found quite impressive. He certainly knows his stuff -- the good and the bad. He referenced multiple times La Cabana, the site where Che was in charge of purging enemies of the revolution. I should be clear that I am not comparing Soderbergh to Riefenstahl in the work that the created -- although I think Che is one-sided, it is certainly no Triumph of the Will. I also am not sure I would pass judgement on Che himself being completely worthy of scorn: Would Cuba have been worse with Batista? It's certainly possible if not probable. What I take issue with is Soderbergh arguing that a filmmaker has no responsibility to create context and, by extension, the truth. I don't think the movie should have been point-counterpoint, but I also cannot agree that when making a film about an actual person there is no responsibility to put that person in context. He exploits the drama of actual events and politics in the movie and to say that there is no need to represent a more complete portion of that history than what is convenient for him is irresponsible and bad filmmaking. Triumph of the Will cannot be separated as art from its existence as Nazi propaganda just as Che cannot be separated as art from its existence as a film about a man whom some consider a hero and some consider a war criminal.

Alright, that's it. On a high note, since my SAT word lately has been philistine, I will admit that the word was put into my head again by Soderbergh (although admittedly it will probably always make me think of Jeff Daniels in The Squid and the Whale). He mentioned that people think of Americans (or, as he corrected himself, North Americans) as philistines when it comes to film, but this is the only country in the world that will accept films with subtitles. Every other country requires a movie to be dubbed into the native language, but the United States shuns movies that dub. It is also the only country in the world where a distributor would actually present the movie in theaters with both parts. All the other countries required it to be cut up.

OK, so that's what I got here. If you ever get the opportunity to go to a screening with a filmmaker, I recommend it if for nothing else then to give you the opportunity to get pissed at him (or her if the case should be). I think judging from your earlier post, you might agree with my assessment of the lack of context in the movie but I'm curious to hear your take on Soderbergh's assessment of the lack of filmmaker responsibility.