The Motorcycle Diaries (DVD 2005)

In 1952, Alberto Granado and Ernesto Guevara “Fuser” de la Serna set out on an odyssey across Latin America to learn all about the America they lived with but failed to understand… For The Motorcycle Diaries, director Walter Salles drew on the journals of Granado and Guevara. Although the story is in a way the prequel to the mythology of the man who would be "Che", each man has a prominent role to play, and this is reflected in the excellent casting of Gael Garcia Bernal as Guevara and Rodrigo de la Serna. Bernal is perfect not only because he has great presence and matinee-idol looks, but because he carries a sense of gravitas. In the DVD interview, Bernal highlights Guevara’s irreverence, and yet it his extremely reverential, if aggressively youthful, performance that makes the film. This is particularly true when contrasted with de la Serna’s vivacious, vibrant and sly characterisation. With Granado himself a regular presence on set, it becomes clear in the extras that de la Serna has done an exceptional job.

Much credit for the success of this film must go to the scriptwriter, Jose Rivera; the simplicity and emotional clarity of the film is wonderful. It also made me laugh out loud a couple of times. Much of it is extremely touching, from the warm exchanges with patients on the San Pablo Leper Colony, to the painful process of Guevara leaving his young girlfriend behind. Add to that solid supporting performances and a gentle, episodic pace, and you have the foundations for excellence. There’s also breathtaking cinematography. It doesn’t take much to make the Andes look spectacular, but the long, indulgent tracking shots in all weathers are incredible. Beautiful, fog-bound shots crossing the vast waterways are rendered hauntingly. Machu Picchu is stunning, as ever. When all this is married to Salles’s fluid directorial style, it becomes almost more of a travelogue at times. Salles alternates between lingering tracking shots and judicious if dizzying use of handheld docu-cam filming. The final piece of the five-star puzzle is a cracking score. “Al Otro Lado del Rio”, which accompanies the film, is gorgeous and groundbreaking, the first ever Spanish-language song to win an Oscar.

Claiming to show the roots of Guevara’s thinking rather than the man he would become, the film still has heavy-handed moments. The learning experience sinks into Guevara in the most aesthetic way (black and white snapshot flashbacks), but his speech-making and grand gestures can be wearying. Having said that, the defining moment of the final act, where Guevara makes a dangerous gesture in a bid to show which side of the socio-political divide he chooses, is a wonderful, non-saccharine moment. At 120 mins this film flies by, and the 15 cert. is for strong language and the odd sexual reference.

The DVD is a goodly collection, including scene selection and trailers, an uninformative but sweet 10-minute featurette and Behind The Scenes feature. More interesting are the short interviews with the cast and crew (snippets, direct to camera, of responses to questions) including Salles, Bernal, de la Serna, and executive producer Robert Redford. Those directly involved speak more of the characters, personalities and real people than the process, whereas Redford cuts to the chase with a tale of film funding. A short but sweet interview with Alberto Granado tops off a generous package, possibly the best of which are the deleted scenes which are included.