Ernesto “Che” Guevara Diary from Bolivia

The death of Ernesto Guevara in Bolivian Maquis immortalised one of the most charismatic figures involved in the struggle for the liberation of oppressed peoples. This cuban revolutionary of Argentine extraction, an early companion of Fidel Castro, resigned from his position as Minister of Industry under Castro´s regime to organise revolutionary warfare in Latin America. His story ended when he was summarily executed in a small village school in Bolivia on the recommendation of the CIA. Shot on location in the places where the actual events took place, and based on fresh documentary, evidence, as well as the accounts of eye witnesses, Richard Dindo´s film tells the story of Che´s arduous expedition through Bolivia in 1967, accompanied by his fellow activists: the death of his comrades, the starvation, thirst and disease, the wandering, the isolation and the lack of support from the population. The film evokes the incredible deployment of troops ordered by the Bolivian army and their American advisers to overcome a bunch of exhausted guerilleros. Richard Dindo´s work is invariably concerned with different ways of consolidating memory on film. Here he remains loyal to his cinematographic approach by relying on Che´s country diary: thus, Che is seen through his own eyes. Consequently, his film does not come across as an exhaustive documentary, nor is it tempted to stray from the original text by referring to dreamy landscapes and the early theoretical writings of Che or by inserting an edifying commentary. The diary is in fact devoted exclusively to the many hardships encountered by the group in Bolivia, from the early betrayal of their Bolivian comrades up to their pathetic final capture: during this time, their revolutionary struggle gradually took on the nature of sacrificial quest. To remain true to the “atmosphere” of the diary, Richard Dindo chose to work with a fragile format. Rejecting the temptations of super 16 mm, he opted for the austerity of video definition, punctuating his film to the rythm of relentless marching and the tragic string of deaths. The emotional factor reaches a climax at the end of the film, with the testimony of the very last person to have spoken to Che – the local schoolmistress from the village of Higuera. Ernesto Guevara, wounded, was held prisoner in the school while his fate was being decided. Persuaded that all guerilleros were murderers because of government propaganda, she had originally gone there to insult the captured “bandit”, however, in a few minutes, he succeeded in explaining to her the reasons behind his commitment. She knew that one of the guerilleros had already been executed and wanted them to release “monsieur Guevara”. But she was pushed aside and then heard the fatal shots. The conclude this dramatic account, the director refers back to the beginning of the film. The striking photograph showing Che lying across the sinks of a wash house, half-naked, eyes open, surrounded by uniformed military men and by Bolivian and American agent dressed in civilian clothes, is taken up by footage of the same scene taken from archive material. This film is an incentive to reflect on a myth of modern times which has gained the support of millions of people of all ages throughout the world.