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| Redford Shows Che Guevara Film in Cuba |
| 2004-01-26 |
| Robert Redford showed his new film about Che Guevara, "The Motorcycle Diaries," to the widow and children of the legendary guerrilla fighter on Sunday. "I came to present the film that I produced on Che Guevara and I am very happy to be in Cuba - where the ho's are lovely and dirt cheap and I'm free to leave when I'm done since I wouldn't actually want to live and raise kids here...despite the fact that I admire their education and healthcare system so much." Redford told Reuters before the private screening at Havana's Charles Chaplin cinema. He watched the film with Guevara's widow, Aleida March, son Camilo and daughters Celia and Aleidita, as well as Ramiro Valdes, a top military commander in Cuba's communist government who fought with Guevara and Fidel Castro in the Sierra Maestra mountains. The film, directed by Brazilian Walter Salles, is based on the diaries Guevara wrote on a nine-month bike trip through South America in 1952 when he was an asthmatic wealthy, pimply-faced 23-year-old medical student. "The film is excellent," his widow Aleida, who "I can't wait for the royalties!" "If you read the book Daddy wrote on his trip through Latin America, you will see that the film is very faithful to the original," daughter Celia said. Guevara's motorbike journey opened his eyes to poverty in Latin America and he later joined Castro in Mexico where the Cuban leader was organizing a landing party to launch a guerrilla movement in Cuba that triumphed in 1959. ...and helped perpetuate poverty in Latin America within a system that denies basic freedoms including freedom of speech and thought. Whatta romantic hero. Guevara was executed by army troops after his capture in 1967 in the Bolivian jungle, where he had tried to where, presumably, his eyes will not be opened to Latin American poverty and oppression under the world's oldest dictator from the Sundance Film Festival, of which he is a backer and where "The Motorcycle Diaries" received a standing ovation at its debut a week ago. Of course it did. |
| Posted by:Tokyo Taro |
| #8 The first movie about Che that I know about was called Che. It made the list in the Meved brothers' book The 50 Worst of All Time. Haven't seen it myself although I hope everytime that I flip through MST3000 that it will be playing. As I remember from one of the reviews, it is worth a watch just to see Jack Palance play Fidel Castro. One reviwer pointed out the Omar Sharif's most convincing moment in his portrayal of Che was when the great revolutionary was slabbed out for autopsy. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-1-26 9:26:15 PM |
| #7 Guess I better find my sleeping bag and get down to the nearest theatre where it's showing. Don't want to get shut out by the clamoring throngs.Glad you're so rich, Bob, that you've got money to burn on this shit. Prediction: This has Golden Globe Winner written all over it. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-1-26 8:45:53 PM |
| #6 Castro almost started a nuclear war with the U.S. He's still a threat to future stability and freedom in Latin America - the massive wave of liberalization and democracy in the '90's doesn't appear as permanent and irreversible as it once did. Chavez is a potential monster. Nobody knows for sure about Lula or Kirchner in Argentina but the dire economic crises may lead to sweeping shifts to the left. However, Regime Change seems like a bad idea for Cuba. There is no doubt that he still retains some sway over the Cuban people - he is not as widely hated like Saddam. Their growing dislike of him would reverse course if the U.S. got aggressive. He can be waited out. Barring emergency, the U.S. must not interfere in Latin America the way it did during the Cold War. Castro will not live another decade and it is doubtful that the revolution will long outlive him. Some people argue that we should lift sanctions as a more effective way to undermine Castro. But I'm not convinced. As far as murderous, ego-maniacal, oppressive dictators go, Castro is way down the list in terms of historical ranking. He ranks at the top in terms of longevity, romantic charm, and long-windedness (7hr. speeches). |
| Posted by: Tokyo Taro 2004-1-26 7:05:11 PM |
| #5 They don't use chippers in Cuba, but there was a significant wave of political executions in the last couple of years (immediately post 9/11 when he thought no one was looking?). The body count isn't in the Stalin or even Mugabe league, but he's a standard issue bloodsoaked tyrant. He's way down the "regime change" list because he's not much of a threat to kill Americans in America (as opposed the emigres flying in international airspace) right now. If he thinks he can get away with it, or if he hooks up with Chavez and Lula, that could change. |
| Posted by: VAMark 2004-1-26 3:21:43 PM |
| #4 Quana, I liked the article. I am curious about the state of the current dictatorship in Cuba. My impression is that Castro should be way down the "regime change" list as he is not currently manufacturing human fertilizing for his agricultural endeavors. He is certainly repressive and is not doing anyone any good by supporting Chavez and others, but I wouldn't expect to find a wood-chipper in use for dissident disposal on the island. Is that accurate? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-1-26 1:16:40 PM |
| #3 Excellent point, Mr. Crawford. Here is an interesting article about Guevara. |
| Posted by: Quana 2004-1-26 9:57:33 AM |
| #2 He watched the film with Guevara's widow What? None of the widows of Guevara's victims were available? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-1-26 8:37:16 AM |
| #1 ... where, presumably, his eyes will not be opened to Latin American poverty and oppression under the world's oldest dictator... TT, the people of Sundance give a standing O to oppression. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-1-26 7:52:40 AM |