THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
by Robert A. Nowotny
“Wandering around our America has changed me more than
I thought. I am not me any more. At least I'm not the same me I
was.”—Ernesto Guevara de la Serna
Welcome to EASY RIDER SOUTH.
The year is 1952. Two young men embark on a journey of
discovery; it is a journey of over 10,000 miles—from
Argentina to Chile to Peru and beyond. Adapted from books written
by both participants, Ernesto “Che” Guevara and Alberto Granado,
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES is a beautifully photographed film with
excellent production values throughout. Winner of the Oscar for
Best Original Song and nominated for Best Screenplay Based On
Material Previously Published or Produced, DIARIES went on to
garner 24 other international awards and received an additional 34
major international award nominations. Clearly this is a film
worthy of your time and mine.
In the final analysis, however, the film fails to fully explain
the future revolutionary success of Che Guevara and for that I
feel a bit disappointed. Historically, there is no disputing this
man's passion or his brilliance, but the waters of Lake Titicaca
are far clearer than the character arc developed by Director
Walter Salles. This is a shame—THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
could have been even better…
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