Music for a Monday: A lament for Che

Yes, I know, this is very belated; I should have put this up yesterday:

Steven Soderbergh’s two-volume movie of Che’s Cuban triumph and his Bolivian downfall is hugely ambitious, and in some instances falls short of its obviously high intent. Benicio del Toro, despite the first film’s subtitle “The Argentine”, isn’t from Argentina, and, though an excellent actor, he can’t do the unmistakable Rioplatense accent at all; he also, sadly, misses much of Che’s wicked, mordant sense of humor; and that’s just for starters. But it’s a valiant effort. Even though this scene muffs Che’s last words to Mario Terán, the Bolivian sergeant chosen to execute him (the actual words are not “shoot, do it”, but “I know you have come here to kill me. Shoot, you coward, you are only killing a man”.) What makes it worthwhile, besides the incredibly beautiful cinematography throughout, is the way the story ends, with this tender, heartbreaking lament by the late (and very great) Mercedes Sosa. Crank your speakers and prepare to cry.

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