Tuesday, May 13, 2008

New Photos of Benicio Del Toro in Steven Soderbergh's Che

Ocean's Thirteen director Steven Soderbergh's latest project is a set of two films shot back-to-back about Che Guevara titled individually The Argentine and Guerrilla. Both are premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this month under the name Che as a 268 minute presentation. I am delighted to share with you these photos of Del Toro as Che, only because I've got a good feeling both of these films are going to be pretty badass. They're both being released in the US by Focus Features later this year as big awards contenders.

Benicio Del Toro as Che Guevara

Benicio Del Toro as Che Guevara

Benicio Del Toro as Che Guevara

The Argentine: On November 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with eighty rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto "Che" Guevara, an Argentine doctor who shares a common goal with Fidel Castro - to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Che proves indispensable as a fighter, and quickly grasps the art of guerrilla warfare. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people. This film tracks Che’s rise in the Cuban Revolution, from doctor to commander to revolutionary hero.

Guerrilla: After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. The story of the Bolivian campaign is a tale of tenacity, sacrifice, idealism, and of guerrilla warfare that ultimately fails, bringing Che to his death. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world.

Not only was Che Guevara a badass revolutionary, but Steven Soderbergh is also an awesome filmmaker, and combining the two can only mean great things. Soderbergh always been one of my all-time favorite directors and even impressed me with Solaris and The Good German. I've been anxious to see these two movies since I first heard about the project years ago. And with each and every new photo, my anticipation grows. Hopefully both The Argentine and Guerrilla will show at the Toronto Film Festival after Cannes, where I'll actually be able to screen them. Definitely keep your eye out for these two movies this fall!


Source: FirstShowing

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for these photos! But I really think Benicio looks too old and not enough like Che.

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  2. Thanks for posting the photos. Btw, there are many more stills on the Benicio del Toro boards at YUKU. Benicio looks very like Che and is the perfect (and probably) only choice for this part. Don't forget that the films are in Spanish and not English.

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  3. I think Benicio looks the part and I'm happy to finally see this picture get made. I've been waiting for years. Although there is a Spanish actor, Eduardo Noriega who looks more like Che than Benicio. In fact Noriega plays Che in the Josh Evans production. That one is set to come out on DVD May 20th. Then on the 21st the Benicio/Soderbergh Che biopic will get it's first premiere in Cannes!

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