Che: Part One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Che: Part One Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 29, 2009

Yet to be released in North America, Steven Soderbergh's epic "Che" (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc is a standard featurette and an interview with the director. Region-B "locked".

In New York City

There were two films in 2008 that made an enormous impression on me. Both were about powerful men with controversial legacies. Some critics hailed these films as cinematic masterpieces; others dismissed them as flawed attempts at rewriting history.

The first film was Paolo Sorentino’s Il divo: La straordinaria vita di Giulio Andreotti, an incredibly detailed look at the life of former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, whose image was severely compromised during the early 90s by allegations of ties between his government and the Italian mafia. The film went on to win the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

The second film was Steven Soderbergh’s ambitious Che, a poignant portrait of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto Guevara. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, the film has received an enormous amount of publicity in Europe and Asia, but in North America it has been very much a persona non grata. It subject matter, I am sure, has a lot to do with that.

Che is divided into two parts - Che: The Argentine and Che: Guerrilla. Director Soderbergh structured both as collections of memory flashbacks linked through an extremely long interview Guevara gave during his famous trip to New York City in 1964, where he represented the Cuban government at the UN. Each of the two parts highlights key events from the life of the Argentine revolutionary.

The first film is primarily about Guevara’s emergence as a political leader. Director Soderbergh focuses on the relationship between Castro and Guevara, their clash with Batista’s forces and consequently Guevara’s New York City visit. Many of his extremely controversial speeches at the UN are recreated with notable precision.

Director Soderbergh also addresses Guevara’s interaction with those who questioned and opposed his political views. Unsurprisingly, throughout the film, there are a number of references to critics and enemies of Guevara. This is very important to note considering that many have dismissed Che as one-sided, shameless piece of propaganda.

The chronology of events is complicated. Director Soderbergh repeatedly goes back and forth between different events highlighting specific details – portions of statements, remarks and confessions - that allow the viewer to better understand Guevara’s position on a number of issues. During the second half of the film, where the political rhetoric is of key importance, the approach works very well.

Che is a notably sterile film. For long periods of time, director Soderbergh’s camera observes the action from afar, de facto preventing the viewer from becoming emotionally involved with the main protagonist. Obviously, this has to do with director Soderbergh’s desire to be as objective in his portrayal of Guevara as possible, drawing a clear line between myth and reality.

Director Soderbergh’s intent, however, is precisely what appears to have divided the critics. Some have stated that his film’s honest and unapologetic tone is precisely what makes it work (Ethan Alter, Film Journal International); others have argued that behind the guerrilla warfare footage and passionate anti-American speeches there is a disturbing message, one that has very little to do with Guevara and his legacy (Betty Jo Tucker, ReelTalkReviews).

Che: Part One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Steven Soderbergh's Che: The Argentine arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

Generally speaking, this is a fantastic transfer. Contrast is impressive, clarity good and detail often incredible. This being said, I would like to point out that light is of utmost importance in Che as it directly affects contrast, clarity and detail. There are certain scenes where the film looks rather soft. Yet, there are also scenes that look incredibly detailed and lush. Additionally, the grain structure is quite wild, particularly during the pseudo-documentary footage recreating Guevara's trip to New York City. All of this, however, is intentional. This is how director Soderbergh shot Che. This being said, edge-enhancement is at time easy to detect. On the other hand, macroblokcing is not an issue of concern. Finally, the actual transfer is notably healthy. (Note: There are a number of forced trailers before one can get to the main menu. The actual disc is Region-B "locked". Therefore, unless one has a native Region-B or Region-Free player, one would not be able to playback this disc).

Che: Part One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Spanish (with portions of English) DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.

The Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is solid. The bass is potent, the high frequencies not overdone and the rear channels quite active. Furthermore, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track impresses with terrific clarity – the dialog is notably crisp and easy to follow. Also, balance is certainly not an issue. Alberto Iglesias' music score is mixed very well with the dialog. This being said, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review. For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear between the image frame and the black bars underneath it (take a look at the screencatures). Please note, that the English subtitles appear only when Spanish is spoken.

Che: Part One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Che featurette – Benicio del Toro, Steven Soderbergh and Damian Bichir talk about Che, Castro and their legacy, as well as how difficult it is to fund and produce a film like Che. (PAL, 11 min).

Interview with Steven Soderbergh – the director talks about how Che came to exist, Benicio del Toro's desire to see the film get made as well the controversy surrounding Che's legacy. (PAL, 13 min).

Teaser/Trailer -

Che: Part One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, do not miss Che. See it and judge for yourself whether or not those who have dismissed it had a good reason to do so. Optimum Home Entertainment's Blu-ray release looks and sounds very good. If you could play Region-B discs, I urge you to add Che to your libraries. Very Highly Recommended.