May 18, 2024
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Terrific review. Can’t wait to see this now.
“This is one reason why I hate seeing a movie ‘after the fact.’
GEE, I can’t wait till I wake up in the morning and find the requisite 21 posts from Nicol Douche complaining about the mere existence of this movie “Che” and how Hollywood is attacking his values and universities promote Marxism and blah blah blah blah blah blah…
To all of which, I ask, DO YOU REALLY CARE? I just want to see a GODDAMN GOOD MOVIE. Sorry if it’s buying into the “liberal Hollywood brainwashing of America,” Nicole, but when Steven Soderbergh and Benicio Del Toro make some grainy, gritty, ambitious epic about giant issues and provocative subject matter, EXCUUUUUUUSE ME for being just a LITTLE more excited than I am for “American Carol.”
On Nicol’s beloved conservative blogs and on conservative talk shows, “Che” is like the 900-pound gorilla of the the year, as if this movie about a revolutionary who’s been dead FOR FORTY YEARS is going to singlehandedly bring down the American way of life. “Sorry, honey, we can’t have our fiftieth fucking kid, and Christmas is canceled, because Soderbergh went and made a movie about the dude annoying college kids wear on their T-shirts.”
I am going to be very clear about this for the people in the cheap seats, but MOVIES OWN and THE NEWS IS BORING, so if they make a movie about some real dude — be it JFK, NIXON, ALI, PATCH FUCKING ADAMS — I don’t GIVE A DAMN about agendas or even adherence to the facts. I want a GOOD MOVIE.
There are MOVIE PEOPLE and there are POLITICAL PEOPLE. MOVIE PEOPLE see something like JFK and think, “THAT MOVIE FUCKING OWNS HOLY SHIT MASTERPIECE!” POLITICAL PEOPLE see JFK and start bitching about facts and distortion and agendas and liberal Hollywood, and it’s BORING. Movies are more important to me. Fuck, Soderbergh and Stone could co-direct a BIOGRAPHY ABOUT ME, filled with lies, distortion, slander, representing me as my complete, total opposite, and all I’d care about is if the movie FUCKING OWNED.
I would think that anyone who TRULY LOVES FILM should be able to LEAVE POLITICS AT THE DOOR.
I also want to make a point that speaks to my general brilliance. I have not seen CHE and I have not seen a single scene of it, but everytime I imagine what the movie is going to be like in my head, I picture Del Toro in grain-vision and shaky camera walking through some burned-out war zone in REAL TIME with some ratting timpany music on the soundtrack, shot in the style of the Be Black Baby segments of DePalma’s HI, MOM. That’s TOTALLY what this movie should look like for four hours, AND it should have a scene of James Brolin in a military uniform, like in Traffic.
Is there canny timpani music and a FULL METAL JACKET like tracking scene?
How does one become a director? I live in Hollywood but I don’t know anybody.
You become a director the same way anybody else does. Get some initiative, get up off your arse and do something for yourself.
Dave, has it been confirmed that Che will be released in it’s entirety or what? Didn’t I read they’re releasing it as Che for an awards run, but then seperately otherwise…? Or am I making that up.
I can easily see it being split in some territories and kept as a whole in others.
I so wish I could see this in one viewing! But in Spain we’ll get it in 2 parts. In fact “The Argentine” is already out, am trying to find time to go see it.
Dave, a question: is the original version in English or Spanish? I’d heard rumours it was in Spanish… which would mean that for once I won’t be seeing a dubbed film, yay!
Great review, I definitely won’t be missing this.
Wow.
Not to diminish what is a great review but…
Poland and Wells. In total agreement for once. Two voices holding out against the rest of the critical world.
I imagine them as the on-line Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
“Next time I say let’s go to Cuba, let’s GO to Cuba!”
Crazycris, there is very limited use of English in the movie, so I would guess you’ll just have to suffer with some English subtitles getting in your way. I was at the same screening as DP, and I enjoyed the movie fine, but it really does remove any “negative” aspects of Che and the revolution and put it onto other people (whether that is true or not). It is definitely not a balanced movie, but it is not trying to be. Benico’s performance is absolutely amazing.
Great review, DP. Looking forward to seeing this.
Now, where’s that “Death Race” review?!?! (j/k – though I fucking loved “Death Race”)
From Anne Thompson’s blog:
“IFC will open the full four-hour movie with an intermission for one-week Oscar-qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles before opening Che Part One (The Argentine) in 15 to 25 key markets in January; Part Two (The Guerilla) will follow the Oscar nominations announcement. The two movies will be made available on video-on-demand concurrent with their wider theatrical runs.”
I expect that IFC’s plans are fluid, depending on what kind of response they see.
In my opinion, splitting them up is suidical on IFC’s part. The majority of people who will rush to see this film will either be very interested because of their relationship to the material or will be cinema lovers who are excited by the idea of a one-of-a-kind 4.5 hour movie experience.
Besides… one half doesn’t really work without the other half… it really IS one movie.
Yes, most of the film is in Spanish.
And as for the politics, the film may be too kind or not kind enough to Che’… but that’s not really the point of the film… nor is the embrace of communism as any kind of panacea. They found the universal in the specific and the point is there, not in the politics.
And thanks, Jackfly… in spite of Jeff’s years of trying to equate what we do, we really aren’t in the same business. Perhaps he can ride with Roger Friedman and Nikki Finke…. the 3 Unmigos.
What, did Nicol take the day off?
I’d have lost that wager.