Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1 (2012)
Abstract
The image of Ernesto Che Guevara has been largely transformed in recent years from that of a violent Marxist revolutionary to a pop icon devoid of true political relevance. Walter Salles The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) has been seen as following in this trend, with the films producer, Paul Webster, claiming that it depicts a Che more akin to Jack Kerouac [] than Marx or Lenin. This article explores the film in light of Websters claim, analysing the implications of and possible motivations behind its depiction of the Che character. Although it is true that the film draws many parallels between Guevara and Kerouac, both through the conventions of the road movie and the significance of their journeys, the two are ultimately distinguished by their response to their discoveries. Salles Che is undoubtedly romanticised, but unlike Kerouac, he is radicalised by his experience of Latin America and determined to effect revolutionary change.
Article
The image of Ernesto Che Guevara de la Serna was forever emblazoned on the public consciousness in Alberto Kordas 1960 photograph Guerrillero Heroico.1 This instantly recognisable portrait, which is claimed to be the most reproduced in the history of photography (Ziff 2006, p. 10), has for many seemed to encapsulate the very spirit of antiimperialist struggle; the low angle and pained, yet strong look of the subject serving to make Guevara an enigmatic symbol of defiance. Kordas refusal to seek royalties, in keeping with the ideals of the revolution, has also been highlighted as an important reason for the images quick spread and popularity.
1 See <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrillero_Heroico> for image and its history, (accessed 5/3/2012).
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It can be argued, however, that through constant reuse and recycling in everything from Pop Art to clothing, Ches image has ceased to represent the militant revolutionary ideology he espoused, and instead, to younger generations in the West, become but a mild symbol of teenage rebellion. It is common now, for instance, to find the Guerrillero Heroico included amongst posters of popular celebrity icons, thereby equating the revolutionary to such teen idols as James Dean and Kurt Cobain. 2 Ironically, this represents Ches acceptance into the very capitalist consumer culture which he hated and sought to overturn. Korda himself has decried such misappropriation of Ches image, suing vodka company Smirnoff in 2000, for their use of his photograph in an advertising campaign (BBC News, 2000). This apparent globalisation and capitalistic use of Guevaras image can be seen as the result of romanticisation that has effectively emptied it of its originally menacing ideological content. Following in this trend, Walter Salles highly successful film Los diarios de motocicleta [The Motorcycle Diaries] (2004) has been criticised for largely omitting explicitly ideological content and focusing heavily on Guevaras positive aspects. In light of this, the films producer, Paul Webster (former head of FilmFour), has claimed that the Che of the film is more akin to Jack Kerouac [] than Marx or Lenin. This is to say that the character has been somewhat tamed in the film, making him resemble the rebelliously cool, but relatively innocuous hero of the Beat movement instead of a budding militant revolutionary. Upon a cursory viewing this conclusion seems to be justified and many parallels can indeed be drawn between the two. But through a closer evaluation of the film, this article argues that such an interpretation may not be wholly accurate and fails to take into account all the films implications. Universalisation, an attempt to make the character appealing to a wide-reaching audience, was part of the expressed intention of the director, but although Salles Che does mirror Kerouac in many respects, there are clear elements which hint at his revolutionary future and ultimately set the two apart. The Che of Los diarios might begin as a type of Kerouacian rebel, but far from merely adopting the individualised, apolitical trappings of the Beat generation, he becomes radicalised and ready for action as a result of his journey. On one level, Paul Webster is accurate in claiming that Salles Che is more akin to Kerouac than Marx or Lenin. This non-politicised depiction of Guevara was the intent of the director, who claims, We tried to see those characters as who they were in that specific time and space, and not as who they would be much later in their lives (Los diarios, DVD Extras).
2 An example of this fact can be drawn from websites such as www.allposters.co.uk, which offers over sixty different prints of Che Guevara alongside movie stars and celebrities.
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There is therefore a deliberate distancing from the introduction of any direct political ideology in the film, opting instead for un discurso inclusivo que se centra ms en el rescate de valores ms bien universales [an inclusive discourse which centres on the redemption of values which are more or less universal] (Daz, 2005). The film instead intends to depict the character on his personal journey of self-discovery, which after awakening him to the injustice of the world, will lead him towards a revolutionary Marxist ideology. Los diarios is thus afforded the luxury of not delving into contentious politics by the fact that it traces Ernestos journey prior to his adopting any official political affiliation. This reasoning might be supported by the assertion of some scholars that Guevara, although having read Marxist works, did not explicitly align himself with Communist revolutionaries until after this road trip when he met with Fidel Castro in July 1955 (Piglia, 2008). If this is true, the film can be interpreted as trying to realistically portray a specific moment in the intellectual development of the young Guevara, before he consolidated his thoughts and focused on what he felt was a concrete solution to the social problems he saw on his journey. The viewer therefore witnesses only the awakening of a political consciousness and not its final revolutionary expression. As Clover puts it, the film is Che before Che, before politics (2009, p. 7). Guevara can therefore be seen to mirror Kerouac at this point in his life since both embark upon journeys of adventure and discovery that show them the true condition of their continents, yet thus far free from strong political attachments. It is also to be expected that the film should reflect Kerouac, as his 1957 novel On the Road is considered by scholars such as Laderman to be the formative literary source for the road movie genre (1996, p. 42). This is not hard to imagine, keeping in mind Kerouacs adventurous, unrelenting narrative as one watches the scores of road movies that have been produced since the novel was published. Since Los diarios displays many common elements of the road movie genre it therefore necessarily draws many parallels to On the Road. The use of road movie topoi in Los diarios can be seen in various instances. Firstly, the outlook of the road movie is based on the conception of travel as a route of escape from the monotonous routine of daily life, breaking free from the confines of the city and traditional family values into the idyllic, unspoiled countryside (Laderman, 1996). This is seen clearly as Kerouacs openly autobiographical protagonist, whose name was later changed to Sal Paradise, begins journeying across the United States, his Western trajectory intimately wrapped up in questions of identity, freedom and future: I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and West of my future ( p.120). That this freedom is inextricably linked to the land itself is also made clear as he peers across the great raw bulge and bulk of my American continent (p.181). A similar view of travel is expressed in the film as Ernesto and Alberto embark upon their journey with the goal of broadening their horizons and discovering the true Latin America which their city upbringing has denied them. Guevaras statement of intent, to explorar el continente latinoamericano que solo conocemos por los libros [to explore the Latin American continent that we only know from books] (Los diarios) is therefore in keeping with the genre and also with Kerouac.
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could be claimed that the concern for public appeal was the motive for the omission of revolutionary content from the film. In this light, by coupling a dilution of his violent rhetoric with an exclusive focus on his universal, human qualities, the film exemplifies the commodification of Ches image. This, in effect, would represent a relativisation of his ideals, removing any content which might offend the viewer in order to ensure a wider appeal. Redford himself hints at this universal appeal when he claims that the film focuses on the adventures of youth and the very real portrait of the human side of Ernesto Guevara (Los diarios, DVD Extras). Writing for The Guardian, Sean OHagan denounced this dilution as adolescent revolutionary romanticism, adding that Salles Che is a rose-tintedsun-kissed loveable rogue on a road trip to political epiphany (2004). Indeed, both the script and the portrayal of the character by Gael Garca Bernal offer an overwhelmingly positive vision of the man who would become Che. He is presented as innocent in his dealings with the opposite sex; honest in his inability to lie to the man with a tumour; faithful as he holds fast to his promise not to spend Chinitas money (until coming across a higher cause); compassionate in his solidarity with the lepers; and visionary in his dream for the unification of Latin America. One could make the case that this is a deliberate reshaping of Che along the lines of Sal Paradise, who displays many of the same qualities. Take for example Sals innocence as he tries to prove to the nurse that sex is beautiful and relates to her his excitement about life and the things [they] could do together (p.159); his honesty in refusing to back up Henri Crus false story with the racetrack owner; his compassion as he prays to God for a better chance to do something for the little people [he] loved (p.197); and his moments of solidarity with the oppressed, such as his claim, They thought I was Mexican, of course; and I am (p.198). These examples show a close resemblance between the two characters in their positive points, yet where On the Road offers a nuanced and often morally ambiguous Sal who is aware of his inconsistencies, Los diarios presents a Che who is practically above reproach. Many scholars suggest that this is a highly romanticised portrayal of Guevara that, even at this point in his life, leaves out other less savoury aspects of his character which are found in the original diaries. Duno-Gottberg, for instance, highlights Ches racist attitudes in his encounter with a group of Afro-Venezuelans on the trip, where he describes el negro [the black man] as indolente y soador [indolent and fanciful], spending sus pesitos en cualquier frivolidad [his pennies on any kind of frivolity] (2005, p. 4). Similarly, as OHagan reports, by the end of the real diaries of the journey, Guevara admits that he savoured the acrid smell of gunpowder and blood, of the enemy's death (2004)!" This kind of hatred is nowhere presented in Salles Che and the convenient omission of such attitudes results in an imbalanced, idyllic characterisation of the protagonist. This could be seen as a real divergence between the films Che and Kerouacs Sal, as the latter, although betraying similar attitudes, such as his threatening of San Francisco queers with his gun, recognises and admits his prejudices: Ive never understood why I did that, I knew queers all over the
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oppressors. It is interesting to note in support of this that it is the rich, bourgeois Dr. Pesce who furnishes Guevara with the revolutionary writings of Maritegui. Although the fact that the migrant, mine-working couple are Communists might suggest that the revolution has a foundation in the masses, it is the overall implication of the film that the indigenas are in need of a white saviour to liberate them from oppression. Indeed, Ernestos heroic and highly symbolic swim across the river to the leper colony is the historically dubious episode which solidifies his status as saviour in the film. The crossing of the water is a metaphor for Ches bridging the gap of inequality between the rich and the poor, thus making the asthmatic youth a figure of Christ. De Ferrari concurs with this interpretation, highlighting not only the dramatic river crossing but also that Bernals portrayal abounds in solemnidad [solemnity], and is demasiado mesinico [overly messianic] in its lack of beligerancia, arrogancia (y) omnipotencia [belligerence, arrogance and omnipotence] (2005, p.151). Since the film suggests that the plight of Latin American society is due entirely to foreign exploitation, such as the example of the Anaconda Mining Company, the implication is that the white man is both the oppressor and the liberator. Los diarios may therefore be seen as adopting an oversimplified, deeply paternalistic view of the problems of Latin America, which attributes no autonomy or power to indigenous groups. As has been shown above, it is possible from different perspectives both to justify the lack of explicit politics in the film and to denounce the politics it does contain as imbalanced and paternalistic. Many critics have taken a similar line with regards to Kerouac , as on one hand he appears to be largely apolitical and individualistic, but on the other hand when dealing with important contemporary political issues such as civil rights seems to be hopelessly conservative, strangely naive, and senselessly self-destructive (Holton, 1999, p.14). Yet whether the viewer of Los diarios decides to be won over by the mythical revolutionary, or decry the inconsistencies of his depiction, there is one important aspect of Salles Che which defies the assertion that he is akin to Kerouac: the Che of Los diarios does not shrink back into Kerouacs apoliticalpassivity (Gelfant, 1974, p.417), but is radicalised and charged for revolution by his experiences. It is in this aspect of the film that Che retains a measure of his political significance. Although his portrayal might be seen as highly romanticised and one sided, Ches fundamental ideals still represent a radical departure from those of his North American Beat counterpart. Kerouacs Sal displays moments of solidarity with the oppressed, which seem to offer glimpses of the way life should be and point to a desire in him to help the downtrodden. But very quickly after such interludes he admits, I could feel the pull of my own life calling me back (p.199). There is a brief moment of political discontent and yearning for change, but soon the Fellaheen are forgotten and Sal is drawn back into the individualistic call of the road. In this sense, Kerouac can almost be seen as Guevaras antithesis. His apathy in the face of political problems, which led him to the conviction that the causes of suffering were beyon d help but that everything would be all right, represents a kind of resignation to injustice that Che would have despised (Gelfant, 1974, p.417). There is also a vehement anti-
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politics can be seen as following the trend of the romanticisation of Guevaras image, emptying it of revolutionary significance and focusing entirely on his positive attributes. While it is true that the film attempts to portray the man in a period when his political thoughts were but nascent, the character presented to the audience is undeniably heroic and admirable, while it can be claimed the real Che had many unappealing attitudes and character traits which the film ignores. Along with this unrealistic characterisation, the film is seen by some to present a simplistic and bourgeois view of the problems of Latin America, suggesting that indigenous people are in need of a white saviour. But the main thesis of this essay is that, when all is considered, Salles Che radically departs from Kerouacs largely autobiographical Sal in that he ultimately becomes a man of action. This is where Websters description can be seen to fall short: whereas Kerouac remained decidedly apolitical and unresponsive to suffering, Salles Che, however imbalanced and glamorous his portrayal, is transformed by his journey into an active revolutionary. Even in this movie, Ches protest cannot be said to be the same as Kerouacs. The two may begin at a similar point of departure, but the difference in where their journeys finally leave them sets them apart as opposites and perhaps even enemies.
Bibliography
Alvaray, L., (2008) National, Regional, and Global: New Waves of Latin American Cinema, Cinema Journal 47.3, pp. 48-65. BBC News (2000), Che Guevara photographer sues, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/870176.stm>, (accessed 5/3/2012). Campbell, J. (2001), Kerouacs Blues, The Antioch Review 59.2, pp. 451-459. Clover, J. (2009), Cinema for a New Grand Game, Film Quarterly 62.4, pp. 6-9. De Ferrari, G. (2005), Diarios de motocicleta: lo que los ojos de Ernesto Guevara le contaron a Walter Salles, A Contracorriente 3.1, pp. 148-161. <www.ncsu.edu/acontracorriente/fall_05/de_Ferrari.pdf> (accessed 19/04/2011). Daz, R. (2005), El viaje como desintegracin y fundacin ideolgica en Y tu mam tambin y Diarios de motocicleta, Ciber Letras 13 http://www.lehman.edu/faculty/guinazu/ciberletras/v13/diaz.htm (accessed 19/04/2011). Duno-Gottberg, L. (2005) Notas sobre Los diarios de motocicleta o las travesas de un Che globalizado, Revista Latina de Comunicacin Social 59 http://www.ull.es/publicaciones/latina/200505duno.pdf (accessed 2/5/2011). 07/08/2000,
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OHagan, S. (2004), Just a pretty face?, The Observer, (11 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2004/jul/11/features.review> (accessed 19/04/2011).
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