The Motorcycle Diaries (film)
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| Director(s) | Walter Salles |
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| Distributor | Universal Studios |
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| The beauty of the South American landscape and of Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Bad Education) gives The Motorcycle Diaries a charisma that is decidedly apolitical. But this portrait of the young Che Guevara (later to become a militant revolutionary) is half buddy-movie, half social commentary—and while that may seem an unholy hybrid, under the guidance of Brazillian director Walter Salles (Central Station) the movie is quietly passionate. Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna, a lusty and engaging actor)… | |
Honors
Reviews
Amazon.com
The beauty of the South American landscape and of Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Bad Education) gives The Motorcycle Diaries a charisma that is decidedly apolitical. But this portrait of the young Che Guevara (later to become a militant revolutionary) is half buddy-movie, half social commentary—and while that may seem an unholy hybrid, under the guidance of Brazillian director Walter Salles (Central Station) the movie is quietly passionate. Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna, a lusty and engaging actor) set off from Buenos Aires, hoping to circumnavigate the continent on a leaky motorcycle. They end up travelling more by foot, hitchhiking, and raft, but their experience of the land and the people affects them profoundly. No movie could affect an audience the same way, but The Motorcycle Diaries gives a soulful glimpse of an awakening social conscience, and that’s worth experiencing. —Bret Fetzer
Barnes and Noble
A road movie that’s strikingly different than its brethren, The Motorcycle Diaries chronicles the 8,000-mile trip undertaken in 1952 by two young Argentinian men—one of whom, Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, became better known as the revolutionary “Che” Guevara. As the movie opens, Ernesto (played by Gael Garcia Bernal) is a somewhat shy, asthmatic medical student who accompanies his jocular friend Alberto (Rodrigo de la Serna) on what they believe will be a grand adventure: a motorcycle journey traversing a good part of South America. Coming from a comfortable if not extravagant background, the two friends are stunned by the poverty and injustice they encounter, and while working to alleviate suffering in a leper colony during a brief stay, their lives are changed forever. Director Walter Salles (Central Station) lets the South American settings and natives do a lot of his work for him: one type of emotional response is elicited by his presentation of spectacular vistas, another by documentary-like glimpses of people who are desperately poor. But Salles never allows his audience to lose faith in human kindness; throughout the film, Ernesto and Alberto are helped by strangers who have no vested interest in their comfort or safety. The humanistic strain running through Motorcycle Diaries is so pronounced, in fact, that it’s easy to forget that the idealistic young medical student was later compromised by his support for repressive, authoritarian regimes. Fortunately, Salles doesn’t have an overtly political agenda, and in the end, his simply but elegantly told tale must be seen as a celebration of the human spirit. Ed Hulse
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Related works
The Motorcycle Diaries: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Argentine filmmaker Walter Salles (Central Station, Behind the Sun chronicles the epic, 8000 mile motorcycle journey of two friends—one of whom is Ernesto “Che” Guevara—in his compelling story of personal, geographic, and political discovery. Composer Gustavo Santaollala, one of the leading figures in Argentine rock and pop (and the producer behind 2003 Latin Grammy Record and Album of the Year winner Juanes) infuses Salles’ unusual road movie with a multi-faceted score that draws not only on his country’s rich national musical heritage, but…
