WENDY DENT Films: Viva Magazine film review of The Motorcycle Diaries


`NEWS IN BRIEF`	*`BIOGRAPHY`* *`FILMOGRAPHY`* *`ARTICLES & FILM REVIEWS published`* `Theatre background;` `- 'NOBODY' -Children's entertainment`	Published Articles & Reviews by Wendy Dent The Motorcycle Diaries review by Wendy Dent for Viva Magazine (Australia) March 2005: *The Man Behind the Motorcycle* For a ‘gringa’ like me Che Guevara has always been one of those men you are supposed to admire – staring unfailingly at me from riot red T-shirts around the world with that unrelentingly disarming attractiveness. I didn’t know what he believed in, I didn’t know why he should be famous, but that ferocity of righteousness in his eyes almost dared me to disagree with him. It was that idea of irrefutable heroicism that had made films about him something I secretly despised – to me the myth had overwhelmed the man, making cinematic profiles of him seem little more than propaganda in my eyes. The martyr had changed the latin world, but had not changed me. Yet. It took a film that also chose not to iconicise an otherwise ordinary man, not to idolise a man to martyrdom, to convince me to take a second look. I walked away from a cinema some hours later realizing that the makings of heroes are in their actions and principles. And their principles are founded in their fundamental experience of the world, innocent of their own political ideals. Show me the world through Che Guevera’s eyes before he has even recognised his own beliefs, and you have shown me a hero. Thank you director Walter Salles for that. Because Motorcycle diaries has given me a hint, a suggestion of the integrity and humanity as well as the good humour and the artistry that made this man a legend. And it gave me a light and good humoured ‘buddy tale’ and a road movie tour through South America at the same time. The Motorcycle Diaries is clearly about the man behind the myth, not the myth itself. It leaves a feeling that you’ve touched on a journey that has only just begun. As the credits roll original photographs from the travelers’ tales keep audiences captivated, reinforcing the impression that you want to travel further, that you’ve met two friends you’d like to meet again. The cheeky audacity of the characters and their reparte keeps the film constantly upbeat; The understated earnestness of Ernesto (Che) aptly sets up Alberto to irreverently play his lovable side kick. Both characters are charismatic, and at countless times Alberto even almost upstages Che with his bright sparkling wit. But a surreal uniqueness is brought to the film by the fact its ending is foreboding– you know the destiny Che is headed towards, giving his character a strength written more into the subtext of the audiences’ understanding than into the film itself. Without the ending written by history, this travel tale would be enjoyable but ordinary. But this is a film that speaks poetry in its silence, that shows depth in what it declines to describe;. The dawning of realization, as Che looks into the harrowed eyes of an itinerant miner who is struggling to feed himself and the family he has been forced to leave behind. No political speeches are needed here to reveal a defining moment for the characters and the film. Simply the expressions of compassion and confusion, of guilt and bewilderment written across the travelers’ faces. Che understands that whilst their new found friends travel for survival, he and Alberto ‘travel to travel’. The script is impeccable in its simplicity and sincerity. And the moments when understanding cannot be diminished by words are the moments that bring this film to life, and like all good films that live on after its viewing. The lightness of the film’s humour interplays with the gravity of the history it underpins. The cinematography and performances deliver a film that is powerful in portraying experiences both light and dark simultaneously. Now that is a rare film indeed, and a beauty to behold. Like all good travel tales, every bend promises a new adventure and an unexpected twist in tone - The stunning scenery embellishes the journey rather than glossing over it. The camera joins the jilts and jolts of the young adventurers on every bump in the road. Most of the scenic highlights of the continent are touched on, from the chilling fiords of chile to the awe-inspiring Andes. And then there are the haunting faces of its displaced indigenous weathered by time and hardship. The real life Alberto is a touching addition to the medley of profiles at the films end. The staginess of the scenes creates an uncomfortable silence over some photos, for others there is a glimpse of the earthy familiarity of long lost friends, making the photo montage through the film and in the credits at times awkward though always compelling. The film’s pacing surges up and down like a beloved but unreliable motorbike surging towards its last and best adventures. ‘Diaries’ at times meanders between cheerful anecdotes, then at other times speeds towards heart pounding drama. For brief moments the audience looks through the lens in a docudrama style. Intermittently ‘the Diary’ lingers on ‘photo moments’, as Che pauses for reverence and contemplation. The film joins the camera in sepier toned freeze frames, capturing the people that change Che’s life and who’s life Che in turn changes. So... will there be a Motorcycle Diaries 2? I’ve started scouting the Newtown alternative bookshops and found material abounds; though Che’s guide to guerilla warfare may not carry the same sparkling wit that will warm the hearts of even hardened cynics like me. I confess I’m still ignorant about how that mere man changed from young larrikin and aspiring doctor to a guerilla war Commandante. But I’m curious to find out. Recommended viewing for all ignorant though well meaning gringas (foreigners), cinephiles, travelers, and aspiring revolutionaries alike!. (C) WENDY DENT 2005 The Motorcycle Diaries (Viva Magazine REVIEW) Sydney International Film Festival 2005 REVIEW Tropfest 2005 REVIEW Florence Festival Dei Popoli REVIEW A Converation with Danish film-maker Jorgen Leth International Audiovisual Festival of Azerbaijan ; an indie film-maker's odyssey DaKINO (Bucharest International Film Festival) 2005 REVIEW A Converation with River to River Florence Indian Film Festival festival director Selvaggia Velo	m	Girls From Ipanema Kissed By A Crocodile new feature doc JUST RELEASED! new feature doc COMING SOON Beautiful Stranger Coca Leaf Cabaret Dancing With Spirits Photo Gallery News Release; film festivals Photo Gallery -premieres
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