Motorcycle Diaries screened at Vassar

Few historical figures have had their image as commercially invoked as famed revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. The Motorcycle Diaries, the new film by Brazilian director Walter Salles, follows this legendary figure on his epic journey on a Norton 500 motorcycle through South America with friend Alberto Granado.

The film, with subtitles in English, follows Che (Gael García Bernal) and Alberto (Rodrigo de la Serna) as they leave from Buenos Aires to travel up the backbone of Chile, across the Andes, and into the Peruvian Amazon. Based on Che’s personal memoirs of the same name, the young men are confronted with issues of poverty, indigenous rights, and religious missionary medical camps, along their route.

Though Che was killed in Bolivia in October of 1967, the real Alberto is still living in Havana, as is seen at the end of the film, having moved there upon invitation by his good friend after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. This component of reality removes the film from a position of sappy romantic to one of naïve idealism. Salles chose wisely to include this in his work.

Members of the Vassar community had the opportunity to see this film in advance of the New York release last Thursday, Sept. 23, as a result of the College’s relationship with Focus Films. The event was sponsored by the Latin American Studies Program, Department of Film, Department of Political Science, the Office of College Relations, and the Office of the President.
–Emma White, Contributing Editor