Film - The Motorctcle Diaries

A film Critique of “The Motorcycle Diaries”

The movie “The Motorcycle Diaries” (2004), directed by Walter Salles with a beautiful cinematography (by Eric Gautier) and soundtrack (by Gustavo Santaolalla) is about the 1952 journey and written memoir of the 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara with his friend Alberto Granado. Ernesto Guevara later became internationally known as the revolutionary icon of the Marxist revolution, Che Guevara. The movie “The Motorcycle Diaries”, the movie “Che” and books “Open Veins of Latin America” and “Modern Latin America” gave us complementary information about the topic.

The movie “The Motorcycle Diaries”, in my opinion is a transition for the movie “Che” and how Ernesto Guevara changes after he is exposed to a real life and social problems. He was inspired by his 4 month journey because on that trip he had contact with poverty, labor problems, and peasant’s real life. In my opinion, his view about the world started to change when he was at Atacama Desert, and talked with peasants who were looking for any kind of job. That moment for me is a crucial moment in the movie, and after that we can see his transformation as a person and how he became Che Guevara. To complete that reality, the movie “Che” brings us much more about what he became and his involvement with the revolution and socialism.

Also, the book “Open veins of Latin America” and “Modern Latin America” gave us more information about the Cuba Revolution, Argentina political system, agrarian movement, socialism, imperialism and dictatorships.

The Revolution meant freedom to choose other less grueling work and for their children the chance of scholarships to study in the cities. (…) Here one must bear in mind that in a society, unlike in a capitalist one, workers are not motivated by fear of unemployment or by avarice. Other drives – solidarity, collective responsibility, awareness of the duties and rights that move a man beyond selfishness. (…) When the Revolution came to power most Cubans, according to Fidel Castro, were not even anti-imperialists. (…) It built 170 new hospitals and as many polyclinics, and made medical care free. It multiplied by three the number of students enrolled at all levels and also made education free. (76/77)

This quotation represents the Cuban Revolution and the results of that revolution which was free medical care and education, and both issues were important to Che Guevara as we can see in the movie “Che.” Also, that quotation represents the political position chosen by Cuba in relation to the world, which was a socialist system instead of capitalism system.

Works cited: Galeano, Eduardo, Open veins of Latin America: five centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. (Paperback). Monthly Review press; 25 Anv. Editon (January 1, 1997).