Introduction
For the past three classes of FYE, we watched a film,"Motorcycle Diaries," and discussed the issues, themes and people presented in it such as Ernesto "Che" Guevara and topics related to the film such as Che's impact on the Cuban Revolution.
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| Gael García Bernal is the lead actor in "Motorcycle Diaries" (1) |
Personal Reflections
On Monday's class, we watched the beginning of "Motorcycle Diaries." We were then asked to finish watching the rest of the film for Wednesday's class. The only thing I knew before watching the film, was that Che was part of the Cuban Revolution and he was the person with the smoldering look in the iconic photo. The film however takes place before the revolution and shows Che as an honest, naive, asthmatic Med Student who decided to go on a trip through South America on a motorcycle with his Biochemist friend Alberto Jiménez. It's amazing how they managed to travel that long distance through South America. The film highlights some issues such as the treatment of indigenous people and the leprosy colony.
A quote from the film that stuck with me was, "The Incas had a high knowledge of astronomy, medicine, math, among others. But the Spanish invaders had [gun] powder. How would America be today if things had been different?" It's sad to know that these people who have been there for thousands of years were decimated by the European colonizers. Furthermore, the manner in which some history books portray these civilizations(Mayas, Incas and Aztecs) as primitive savages is really unjust. The ending of the film, where the events that took place after the motorcycle trip were described, was really shocking and climatic. How could the Che presented in the film do something like that?
In that class, we were handed a table to write about scenes and themes from the film as well as compare/contrast Fuser and Alberto. Afterwards, we discussed what we wrote down and learnt about what Che did after the film's ending. Doctora then showed us the iconic picture of Che and briefly went over its background information. It's funny how his image is just a brand name icon for the uneducated masses.
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| The Iconic Picture (2) |
In the following Wednesday's class, we watched a TedEd video (3) and another YouTube video (4) about Che Guevara. We also looked at the significance of the film's song, "Al otro lado del Rio," by Jorge Drexler(5). Afterwards, Che's death was discussed. We were then given a handout put into groups to discuss the questions on it. I was placed in a group with Livia and Charlotte. The three of us talked about the memorable bits from the film and whether he is a hero or villain. The quote that reflects Che's goal of the unification of the Americas as one nation of the mestizo race(people of European and indigenous descent) illustrates the beginning of his radical beliefs. In doing this would result in cultural erasure and lack of individuality.
We were also tasked to find a review. I found one (6) from the Guardian that was written by Peter Bradshaw in 2004. Bradshaw shares similar opinions to mine about the actors' performance in the film (especially Gael's). He also commends the filmmakers for using the people they found at the filming locations to maintain historical accuracy.
Che Guevara as an Icon
Here's a few examples of his face on everyday items.
Pictures of Gael for absolutely no reason
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(13)
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Final Thoughts
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| This picture of Che an John Lennon is fake but it looks cool(14) |
"Motorcycle Diaries" portrayed Che in manner that I didn't expect. Learning about Che's history really makes you question whether he was good or bad person. It was also really interesting to learn about what went on in South America during the 1950's. How long until we can make a better assessment of him? My parents were toddlers when Che was killed in 1967 and it puts into perspective of how recent his death was. Some people view him as a hero whilst others view him as a mass murderer. It also raises the question, should we remember the good or bad things about people when they die? When would we be able to objectively judge notorious historical figures?
I really enjoyed watching and discussing the movie as well as learning about Che Guevara in FYE.
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| (15) |
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People forget that he killed the innocent(16)
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Sources
Photo Credits
Videos Mentioned
Review Mentioned
Wow, Matthew! Your blog this week is very good! I appreciate all of the pictures of the everyday items with Che's face - it adds a nice touch. Your blog is filled with a lot of detailed information that I forgot we even covered in class. Thanks for sharing, and I'm glad I got to see you at the football game on Saturday. See you next week!
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