Main Cast: Omar Sharif, Jack Palance, Cesare Danova, Robert Loggia, Woody Strode
Release Year: 1969
Country: US
Run Time: 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
In this badly misconceived pseudo-biography of the legendary Cuban revolutionary -- played, incredibly, by Omar Sharif -- Che Guevara takes up the cause as a rebel fighter under the direction of Fidel Castro, played -- also incredibly -- by Jack Palance. Guevara, a young Argentine doctor, proves his worth under the heat of guerilla warfare and, gaining the respect of his men, becomes the leader of a patrol. Castro is impressed by Guevara's tactics and strict discipline and makes him his chief advisor. When Castro defeats the Cuban dictator Batista after two years of fighting, Guevara, under Castro's nod, directs a series of massive reprisals -- but Guevara dreams of fermenting a worldwide revolution. After Castro backs down during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Guevara accuses Castro of being a Soviet dupe and leaves Cuba. Under disguise, Guevara lands in Bolivia, where he attempts to begin his dream of a worldwide peasant revolution, but the Bolivian poor will not follow his lead, and his band find themselves starving in the Bolivian jungle and pursued by the Bolivian army. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Barbara Luna - Anita Marquez; Frank Silvera - Goatherd; Albert Paulsen - Capt. Vasquez; Linda Marsh - Tania; Tom Troupe - Felipe Munoz; Rudy Diaz - Willy; Abraham Sofaer - Pablo Rojas; Richard Angarola - Col. Salazar; Sarita Vara - Celia Sanchez; Paul Bertoya - Raul Castro; Sid Haig - Antonio; Paul Picerni - Hector; Ray Martell - Camilio Cienfuegos; Adolph Caesar - Juan Almeida; Perry Lopez - Rolanda
Credit
Arthur Lonergan - Art Director, Jack Martin Smith - Art Director, Richard Glassman - First Assistant Director, Richard Fleischer - Director, Marion Rothman - Editor, Lalo Schifrin - Composer (Music Score), Charles Wheeler - Cinematographer, Sy Bartlett - Producer, Stuart A. Reiss - Set Designer, Walter Scott - Set Designer, Don Bassman - Sound/Sound Designer, David Dockendorf - Sound/Sound Designer, Sy Bartlett - Screenwriter, Michael Wilson - Screenwriter, David Karp - Short Story Author
The film tells of Che Guevara (Omar Sharif), a young Argentine doctor who proves his mettle during the Cuban guerilla war in the late 1950s. He gains the respect of his men and becomes the leader of a patrol.
Fidel Castro (Jack Palance) is impressed by Guevara's tactics and discipline and makes him his chief advisor.
When Castro defeats Cuban dictator Batista after two years of fighting, Guevara directs a series of massive reprisals—yet, Guevara dreams of fomenting a worldwide revolution.
After Castro backs down during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Guevara accuses Castro of being a Soviet tool and decides to leave Cuba.
Guevara lands in Bolivia, where he attempts to begin his dream of a worldwide peasant revolution, but the Bolivian peasants do not follow his lead and he becomes pursued by the Bolivian army.
Critic Paul Brenner wrote: "In this badly misconceived pseudo-biography of the legendary Cuban revolutionary — played, incredibly, by Omar Sharif — Che Guevara takes up the cause as a rebel fighter under the direction of Fidel Castro, played — also incredibly — by Jack Palance."[2]
Film critic Roger Ebert panned the film and the motivations for producing the drama, writing: "From the beginning, it sounded like a bad dream. Hollywood was making a movie about Che Guevara. Why? Probably because somebody smelled easy money, having been inspired by the sales figures on Che posters. That must have been the reason, because Che! is abundant evidence that no one connected with this stinkeroo gave a damn about Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, the Cuban Revolution or anything else requiring more than five seconds' thought".[3]
