Portrait of a Myth as a Young Man

By Brian Mackey - Feature Writer

In 1952, 22-year-old medical student Ernesto Guevara de la Serna and his 29-year-old friend Alberto Granado, a biochemist, set out on a journey of exploration in Latin America .

Riding a 500 cc Norton motorcycle Granado had named “La Poderosa” — the Mighty One —the pair traveled thousands of miles in six months though Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.

Guevara recorded the journey in “Diarios de motocicleta,” which was combined with Granado's “Con el Che por America Latina” and adapted into this 2004 film.

Set against the stunning, ecologically diverse backdrop of South America, the pair travels through mountain blizzards on their motorcycle, across deserts on foot and down the Amazon River on a raft. “La Poderosa” ails from the start and does not make it more than halfway through the trip. But that is OK, said Guevara, because it will allow them to get closer to the people.

Soon, Ernesto and Alberto encounter a couple who were forced from their land. They had to leave their child with relatives and are now hoping to find work at a nearby mine.

As Guevara travels farther into the Andes , he encounters more indigenous people and any middle-class illusions he may have had about his continent's prosperity are slowly washed away.

In Machu Picchu , one of the best-known sites of the pre-Columbian Incan Empire, Guevara wonders about what his continent would be like had the conquistadors never conquered. It is this growing sense of a pan-Latin, Mestizo future that most inspires him.

Toward the end of their journey, the duo stops for three weeks to volunteer at a leper colony on the Amazon River . The facility is divided across the river, with doctors, nurses and nuns living on the north bank and lepers on the south.

In the only part of the film that rings just a bit hollow, Guevara breaks barriers separating the lepers from their caretakers in just a few days. For example, the nuns require that the doctors wear gloves when around the lepers, even though the disease is not contagious under treatment. So it's just for show, Guevara asks, before announcing that he and Alberto will not wear them.

Soon he has organized soccer matches between the patients and the doctors, capping his visit with a near-mythic feat of strength — especially given his asthma — that foreshadows his future as a mythological icon.

After finally reaching Venezuela , Ernesto Guevara returned to Argentina and completed his medical studies, passing through a brief period as Dr. Guevara before becoming “El Che.” (A scene in which a pair of Chilean sisters jokingly refer to the common Argentinean greeting “che,” as in “hey,” is the only wink at Guevara's future.)

It is important to note that while the film does not overplay the “viva el Che” card, it is something of a hagiography. One contemporaneous review of the 1995 English translation of Guevara's book states that he occasionally tossed off racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic remarks; that aspect of his personality is absent from this film.

Despite having his image immortalized on so many Radical Chic t-shirts (worn by so many well-fed, wishful-dissident sons and daughters of the Baby Boom) Che could be a violent and — by some accounts — vicious man. While acting as Castro's number two in post-revolution Cuba , Che was Comandante of the La Cabana gulag, where he is said to have taken a personal interest in the torture and execution of hundreds of prisoners.

If one can suspend distaste over what he became (or if you own one of those t-shirts), “The Motorcycle Diaries” is not only a beautifully filmed travelogue but also a useful exploration of the radical awakening of one of the 20th century's most mythologized men.

“The Motorcycle Diaries” will be shown this Friday as part of the Division of Student Life's Independent & Foreign Film Series. It is also available on DVD. In Spanish with English subtitles. Running time: 128 minutes. The film is rated R for language.

'The Full Monty' comes to Sangamon

By Gabrielle Wiegand - Feature Writer

Everybody remembers the 1997 British blockbuster “The Full Monty.” Well on April 22 and 23, the Springfield community will have the opportunity to see the musical version that captures the film's heart and soul when “The Full Monty,” the musical, comes to town.

“The Fully Monty” is the story of six blue-collar workers who try their hands at, well, shall we say male exotic dance? The “full monty” refers to full nudity. This musical tells the story of these men who are not quite the epitome of prime male specimens and their families and friends as they embark on a journey of self-discovery. At the end of the day “The Full Monty” is a celebration of masculinity in all its varieties.

“The Full Monty” is a collaboration of Terrence McNally (book) and David Yazbek (composer/lyricist). McNally has won for Tony Awards for “Ragtime” (1998), “Master Class” (1996), “Love! Valour! Compassion!” (1995) and “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1993).

Yazbek is an award winning recording artist with three albums. They are “The Laughing Man,” “Tock” and “ Damascus .” Yazbek has been nominated for a Tony and a Grammy for his work on “The Full Monty.” His other work includes scriptwriting. He won an Emmy award for his work on “Late Night with David Letterman.”

Yazbek's score of “The Full Monty” features a variety of songs from the ballad “Breeze Off The River,” to the moving “You Walk With Me,” to “You Rule My World,” which is a love song.

“The Full Monty” will be at Sangamon Auditorium Saturday, April 22 at 8 p.m. and April 23 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets range from $30 to $50. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Sangamon Auditorium Box Office at 217.206.6160 or www.sangamonauditorium.org .

“On paper it doesn't look as dirty as when it's read out loud!”

By Gabrielle Wiegand - Feature Writer

I am going to be honest- I was a bit skeptical when I went to see David Sedaris at the Sangamon Auditorium.  How could one guy, on a bare stage, with nothing but a podium for company, reading from a book be enjoyable?  Well, I am not sure how he did it but he was VERY funny and exceedingly enjoyable. 

Sedaris is, in short, an incredible storyteller.  He regaled the audience with silly stories about nothing in particular that were pure entertainment.  He teased the humor out of the multitude of little details that are found in life - from finding mice in the attic to attempting to learn a foreign language. 

Best selling author Sedaris is well known for his commentaries on National Public Radio's “Morning Edition.”  He has authored several books of essays and short stories; the most recent is “Me Talk Pretty One Day.” 

He read four of his short stories to the audience.  Then he talked about whatever came to mind, and we felt lucky to be sitting there listening to this brilliantly funny man's musings about life and his perceptions of Springfield and the Lincoln craze that we are currently experiencing. 

“I sure picked the right time to come here,” said Sedaris.  “There was a Lincoln impersonator on the plane.  Here you must see that all the time - at the grocery store, wherever you go.”

Sedaris' warm and natural delivery made it acceptable for him to refer to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (which he had toured earlier that day) as “just a museum.”  He said his favorite part of the museum was the section that showed all the negative criticism Lincoln received as president.  “People trashing Lincoln was interesting.” 

Sedaris goes on lecture tours every year and each time, he recommends one book to his audiences.  This year he recommended “Children Playing before a Statue of Hercules,” a collection of short stories Sedaris put together from famous writers such as Alice Munro, Tobias Wolff, Lorrie Moore and Joyce Carol Oates. 

He encouraged everyone to run out and get a copy, saying that Tobias Wolff is what has kept him alive.  “I don't kill myself because I think maybe he'll have another story.” 

The proceeds go to help a literacy charity.  Sedaris said if we bought a copy we would feel better about ourselves as people.  “I dunno,” he said, “maybe you didn't get to play Mary Todd today.  They said you didn't have the right look.  It would make you feel good about yourself if you bought [the book].” 

Sedaris then opened the floor to questions and took about half a dozen, answering people's questions with charm and humor. 

The auditorium was packed with people who were constantly erupting into shouts of laughter at Sedaris' witty, irreverent comments.  He was not overly charismatic or thrilling, but he was darn funny.

Portrait of a Myth as a Young Man

'The Full Monty' comes to Sangamon

“On paper it doesn't look as dirty as when it's read out loud!”