Sacred Heart Parish at Broadway and Ashford Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 US - Malone's Movie Reviews: The Motorcycle Diaries (Brazil, 2004, d. Walter Salles)

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Since his death in 1967, Che Guevara has become a symbol of revolution, an icon for all types of protest. There have been a number of documentaries on him, especially his role in the Cuban uprising (with some comments from Castro himself in Oliver Stone's Commandante) and a late 60s Hollywood biopic with Omar Sharif. Walter Salles' film is based on his diaries, written during a trip in 1952 which took him through his native Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and ended in Venezuela. It is also based on the book by his friend, Alberto Granado, who shared the journey and who also went to Cuba and still lives there (his old and gnarled face being the final image of the film). Walter Salles is best-known for his award-winning movie about life among the poor in Brazil with a special focus on children, Central Station. Enresto Guevara’s journey was life-changing for the 24 year old medical student. The movie shows nothing of his later life and battles. Rather, it portrays a personal Latin American journey of the early 1950s. What started as an adventure was gradually transformed into the beginnings of social consciousness and a fight for justice. This is the journey that the audience shares. Using the conventions of the road movie, the film, at first, seems just another buddy experience in beautiful, rugged and remote areas, the usual spills from their old motor bike, bluffing their way into people's homes, flirting along the road. But, by the time we reach the mines of Chile and meet the Indians in Cuzko and the lepers in San Pablo, Peru, we share the awareness of social inequality and the need for action that is both compassionate and just. As Guevara, Gael Garcia Bernal ( Amores Perros, Y Ty Mama Tambien, Mal Educacion) gives yet another fine, generally understated performance. He is matched by the exuberance of Rodrigo de la Serna as Alberto. The movie notes that this is not a tale of mighty deeds but rather of smaller and more ordinary actions. It is still only too relevant to today and to the countries of South and Central America, a plea for action. The Motorcycle Diaries won the Ecumenical award at the Cannes Film Festival, 2004. -------------------------------------------- PETER MALONE has an Arts degree from the Faculty of Arts at the National University of Australia and an MA in Theology from the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome. He is a film critic for a number of publications including "The Universe" (United Kingdom) and "SIGNIS Media" (Belgium), and for Internet websites in Great Britain and Hong Kong, as well as for the SIGNIS website. He has written many publications on cinema and has presented seminars on cinema and spirituality. He is presently president of SIGNIS at international level.

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