Cidade de Deus (2002)

Released in 2002, the film Cidade de Deus portrays the lives of residents living in the "favelas" of Rio de Janerio. Located in the suburban outskirts of the second largest city in Brazil, the favelas or shantytowns were originally meant to serve as housing quarters for impoverished citizens, but instead have provided places for growing gang activity, drug trade, unemployment, and crime . The film Cidade de Deus allows the audience to get an exceptional look inside the ongoing struggles and difficulties of the favela's while at the same time, combines individual true stories to get the film's plot across. Narrated by the main character, "Rocket", the plot skillfully intertwines the stories of many different characters, whose paths all cross, enabling the build and lead up to one defining moment/scene at the end of the film.

Cidade de Deus is based on the novel of the same name by Paulo Lins, which was released in 1997, and then re released along with the film in 2002. The film used non-professional actors, some of who were even from the City of God. Although they were non-professional actors, the actors were trained in the art of acting for an extended period of time before filming (Stephen Hart: Cidade de Deus). In the article and analysis by Stephen Hart, Cidade de Deus, Hart mentions that the film most inherently addresses the lives of the lower classes as being manipulated by the mediatic, governmental, and law enforcing powers of the Brazilian society. This statement is quite evident and can be seen throughout the entire movie. An example of the manipulative law enforcing powers in the film happens towards the end of the movie when the character Li'l Ze is ushered into an alley way by the police and instead of being arrested and hauled off to jail, is robbed of his money and set free to go on committing murders.

The whole setting of the film is in the favelas of Rio de Janerio. In the article by Julio Cesar Pino, “Sources on the History of Favelas in Rio de Janerio” an explanation as to the existence of the favelas is thoroughly researched. In the article, Julio explains that a housing shortage in Rio caused the explosion in shantytown construction after 1940 and because Rio does not legally recognize the existence of favelas, there is little documentation of the subject (Julio Cesar Pino: Sources on the History of Favelas in Rio de Janerio). One source that Julio mentions is from the Institu Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE). He states that the organization is able to provide specialized studies documenting there being “a symbiotic relationship between industry and the favelas, and the gradual shift of the squatter population away from the hills and toward the suburbs of Rio” (Julio Cesar Pino: Sources on the History of Favelas in Rio de Janerio). This is an interesting find and allows one to assume the possibility of labor conditions playing a key factor in the impoverishment of the favelas. Another big point Julio makes on the favelas, is that they are very unlikely to vanish from Rio de Janerio. He states that three generations have grown up in them and still no solution has been found.

Cidade de Deus gives the audience a clear insight into the struggles of the favela life and portrays many good examples on the violence encountered in them each day. The main character Rocket explains it best in the film stating, “Fight and you’ll never survive, run and you’ll never escape”, leaving the viewer with a sick sense as to what is must be like to live in such awful conditions.

CHE GUEVARA PART 1

The film Che, Part 1: The Argentine analyzes the works of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his part in taking control of Cuba during the Cuban Revolution. The film begins with Che meeting Fidel Castro and them deciding to plot and rebel against the Cuban regime and the dictator Fulgencio Batista. During part one of this very long film, "flash forwards" occur between revolution scenes to scenes in which Guevara is giving his famous Tricontential speech to the United Nations. In the speech, it is made very clear by Che that there is a constant resentment towards the United States and imperialism overall. From the speech a "Message to the Tricontental" Che is able to express his views and thoughts on global issues (mostly about the United States). He explains that each continent feels the presence of the United States. For example, Che states, "So far it does not have there great interests to defend except its pretended right to intervene in every spot of the world where its monopolies detect huge profits or the existence of large reserves of raw material." (Message to the Tricontinental) It is clearly evident through this statement that he does not like the presence of the U.S. nor does he want to cater to their economic welfare. Another statement in the speech which is very interesting, "Everything indicate [sic] that peace, this unstable peace which bears that name for the sole reason that no worldwide conflagration has taken place, is again in danger of being destroyed by some irrevocable and unacceptable step taken by the United States."(Message to the Tricontinental) Although Che has used much guerrilla warfare and violence in the in the taking of Cuba, he makes a point to say peace is not inevitable if the U.S. was not involved. To me, this is a very complicated statement. It seems as though Che is very critical of the U.S. and he is saying instead of the U.S. stepping in to fight communism and end civil wars within other countries (which is not peace) to allow it to continue to take place and to turn their head.

The Tricontential speech in 1964 came just years before Che Guevara's death on October 9th, 1967. The topic of Che's death is a very controversial one, but it is now public that the United States had a part in the capturing and killing of Che Guevara. In the "Death of Che Guevara: Declassified" by Peter Kornbluh, which is a compilation of declassified documents on Che Guevara, it is written "...the head of the U.S. MILGP (Military Group) in Bolivia and signed by the commander of the Bolivian armed forces, created the Second Ranger Battalion to pursue Che Guevara's guerrilla band".(Death of Che Guevara: Declassified) This order was issued on April 28, 1967. Also within the documents it mentions that President Johnson is to be informed about the tracking of Che's whereabouts. Along with other dated documents, it is clearly evident through the correspondence of the United States CIA and Bolivian forces, that the United States wanted Che and his guerrilla warfare/army put to an end. Part 1 of the film does not touch on Che's death, nor the other things he accomplished before his death but it does, by tying in the Tricontenental speech, provide a list of things to come and an explanation as to why he was assassinated by the U.S. and Bolivian Forces. Overall, this film was very well done and enables viewers who know little of Che Guevara to gain a better perspective on why he has become such an important figure in history.
 

MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (2004)

Released in 2004, The Motorcycle Diaries is a film based on the journal entries of the Cuban revolutionist, Ernesto"Che" Guevara. The film begins with a 23 year old medical student Guevara deciding to take a cross continent, South American motorcycle journey with his friend Alberto Granado, a 29 year old biochemist. The trip begins in Guevara's home town of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Throughout the long journey, Guevara begins to find himself and change his once well thought out ideals. Along the way he meets many impoverished people who have lost there jobs and been put down by Communism. The film makes it very clear that this journey allowed Ernesto Guevara to change his path of becoming a doctor, and instead become a leader and a revolutionist.

In the article, "Point of Departure: Travel and Nationalism in Ernesto Guevara's Argentina" by Eduardo Elena, Elena makes a clear point that from each country that Guevara entered he encountered similar reoccurring problems within each country. It is written in the article, that Guevara found it impossible, yet despite his best efforts to escape the Peronist-era political trends (Eva and Jaun Perona 's government that pushed urbanization, rural migration, and popular tourism.) Guevara felt that he was a different kind of traveler, metaphorically and literally, stating that he was not the average tourist and by coming in contact with all kinds of people during is journey, he was gathering more and more insight, helping him to fuel and influence his leftist take on a revolution. 

In the article by Ann Zulawski, "The National Revolution and Bolivia in the 1950's: What Did Che See?", Ann writes that Bolivia was of a special interest to now "Che" Guevara, because the country was in a midst of a revolutionary transformation. Arriving in Bolivia in 1953, Che saw an opportunity to fight for the peasant and lower and middle class people. He felt the living conditions and labor conditions of the Bolivian people were intolerable and that the neglect by the Bolivian government and labor unions upon there own people and workers needed to be stopped. Zulawski explains in the article that when Che decided to return to Bolivia in 1966, there is no doubt he made some crucial mistakes that let to his downfall and ultimately his death. First, she states that he ignored the situation of the country being under military rule as well as the history of the working class which dated back to the 1930's. Also that if he would have not left Bolivia in the 1950's he would have had a greater chance of creating a counterrevolution, instead of waiting and returning ten plus years later. She explains that in 1953, Che recognized the power of the middle-class armed workers and how the MNR ( a group of organized middle-class university students who fought in the war) maneuvered to disarm them. If Che would have not ignored this when he returned in 1966, he would have been able to have more success.

The film The Motorcycle Diaries makes a clear depiction on how the the young Ernesto Guevara was changed and transformed into to the leader and revolutionist, "Che". It was what he saw and encountered on the journey that helped him decide his destiny and recognize his calling. Overall, this film was very good and can help someone who knows little about Che Guevara, to grasp a starting point in the learning of such a popular and well known historical figure.