Most people only know Che Guevara from the tattoo on Mike Tyson's pectoral or, mistakenly, as a Rage Against The Machine band member.
Granted, Guevara and his involvement with communism are fairly well known.
However, to viewers' surprise, Walter Salles' powerful new film "The Motorcycle Diaries" is not about that aspect of the communist activist and revolutionary's life.
Instead, "Diaries" is a Spanish-language retelling of eight months in the '50s when Guevara and his best friend, Alberto Granado, traveled across South America with nothing but the clothes on their backs, some youthful idealism and charm. Forget Paris and Nicole - this is the real simple life.
The film lacks an overarching thread to pull the audience through its events other than this bare-bones synopsis, but this fact is a virtue rather than a drawback.
The story feels like screenwriter Jose Rivera was faithful to his source material, Guevara's memoirs, and did not try to artificially create dramatic situations. Although Guevara has a big family, the only communication he has with anyone back home is through periodic letters that are read as voiceovers.
These narrations are unnecessary, because Rivera lets the real story speak for itself. Salles can concentrate more on reality and bring out the humanity in the situations.
The movie feels long, but it's necessarily long. Salles fleshes out scenes that would warrant little attention in a biography. Certain scenes are extended beyond apparent necessity, shunning the en vogue quick cuts of MTV editing.
However, this helps to provide a grander scale for the production. Guevara and Granado's travels through South America become the audience's because they are there every second of the way - not quickly rushed away to the next scene. Salles' editorial tendency to give his characters and scenes breathing room also aids the film, deftly walking the line between comedy and drama.
Side-splitting moments often follow somber moments. Of particular note is the frighteningly genuine portrayal of an asthma attack and scenes involving lepers.
None of this would be possible without the stunningly beautiful on-location photography provided by Eric Gautier. There is no mistaking any of the scenery for Hollywood sets or backdrops. The travelers and the audience are experiencing the real South America.
Worth note is the supporting work of Rodrigo de la Serna and M
