Far from a conventional biopic, Steven Soderbergh's film about Che Guevara is a fascinating exploration of the revolutionary as icon. Daring in its refusal to make the socialist leader into an easy martyr or hero, Che paints a vivid, naturalistic portrait of the man himself (with a stunning, Cannes-award-winning performance by Benicio del Toro), from his overthrow of the Batista dictatorship to his 1964 United Nations trip to the end of his short life. Originally released in two parts, the first a kaleidoscopic view of the Cuban Revolution and the second an all-action dramatization of Che's failed campaign in Bolivia.
Che has been announced for a release on DVD and Blu-ray on 19th January 2010 as part of the Criterion Collection at the SRP of $39.96 each. Featuring a high-definition digital transfers of Che: Part One (2.35:1) and Che: Part Two (1.78:1), supervised and approved by director Steven Soderbergh, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition, both releases will have the following extra features:
- Audio commentaries on both films, featuring Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life;
- Making Che, a new documentary about the film's production, featuring interviews with Soderbergh, producer Laura Bickford, actor-producer Benicio del Toro, and writers Peter Buchman and Ben van der Veen;
- New interviews with Cuban historians as well as participants in the 1958 Cuban Revolution and Che's 1967 Bolivian campaign;
- Deleted scenes;
- Theatrical trailers;
- A booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin;
- More...
|