The Motorcycle Diaries Movie Review 2004

Unadorned narrative about the life of a pre-revolutionary Che Guevara, based on his diaries and a memoir from his best friend. In 1952, naive, asthmatic 23-year-old middle-class medical student Ernesto Guevara (Garcia Bernal) and his rowdy, older compadre, Alberto Granado (de la Serna) decide to take what will be a life-changing adventure. They spend a few months on Ernesto's motorcycle traveling from Buenos Aires to Venezuela. By the time they reach Chile, and then Peru, Ernesto is dismayed by the poverty and injustice he sees around him; an extended stay caring for the sick in the San Pablo leper colony provides an emotional turning point. The film avoids being either a travelogue or a political polemic, thanks to the skill of both director Salles and his two leads. Spanish with subtitles.

Distribution

Universal Studios Home Video, 100 Universal City Plz., Universal City, CA 91608-9955, Phone: (818)777-1000, Fax: (818)866-1483, URL: http://www.universalstudios.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on DVD
Running time 128 minutes.
Originally from United States, Argentinian, Peruvian.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Biopics: Politics, South America, Road Trip, Period Piece: 1950s, Historical Drama, Cuba, Adapted from Memoirs or Diaries, Buddies

Screenplay

Jose Rivera

Cast

Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, Mia Maestro, Gustavo Bueno, Jorge Chiarella

Cinematography

Eric Gautier

Director

Walter Salles

Music

Gustavo Santaolalla

Other

Jean-Claude Brisson, Daniel Rezende, Carlos Conti, Graciela Oderigo, Laurent Ott, Maria Eugenia Sueiro, Beatriz di Benedetto, Marisa Urruti

Producer

Michael Nozik, Edgard Tenembaum, Karen Tenkhoff, South Fork Pictures, Tu Va Voir Prods., Focus Features

Awards

Oscars 2004: Song ("Al Otro Lado Del Rio"); British Acad. 2004: Foreign Film; British Acad. 2005: Orig. Score; Ind. Spirit 2005: Cinematog., Debut Perf. (de la Serna).