Che Blu-ray

Che

 (2008)

Biography | Drama | History | War



On November 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with eighty rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Benicio del Toro), an Argentine doctor who shares a common goal with Fidel Castro - to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Che proves indispensable as a fighter, and quickly grasps the art of guerrilla warfare. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people. After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. The story of the Bolivian campaign is a tale of tenacity, sacrifice, idealism, and of guerrilla warfare that ultimately fails, bringing Che to his death. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world.

For more details about Che on Blu-ray, see the Che Blu-ray Review

Starring: Benicio del Toro
Director: Steven Soderbergh

Che Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Presented in its original aspect ratios of 2.39:1 and 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted 1080p transfers, Che: Part One and Che: Part Two arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears in the booklet Criterion have provided with this release: "Both films were shot with the RED One Digital Cinema camera at 4k resolution, and the entire production was completed om a fully digital workflow. The original theatrical color timing was done with Assimilate Inc.'s SCRATCH system, viewed on a 2K digital cinema projector through custom Technicolor 3D Look-Up Tables (LUTs) designed to emulate film print stocks. During the grading sessions, the original R3D RED files were used and standard 2k 10-bit log DPX files were rendered out within SCRATCH. The DPX files were then used as the source for the film outs and the digital cinema DCDM. The final color-corrected DPX files were then turned for all home-video uses, such as these Blu-ray and DVD releases.

Note that certain sequences in Che: Part One were photographed in 16mm film; the black-and-white 1964 New York scenes in standard Super 16mm, and the color 1955 Mexico scenes in Super 16mm with custom anamorphic lenses (squeeze ratio 1.44:1) manufactured by Panavision. Had RED digital cameras not become available in spring 2007, Part One would have been photographed in its entirety in this format, and Part Two would have been photographed in standard Super 16mm."

I decided to include the above information Criterion have provided for this supervised by director Steven Soderbergh Blu-ray release because there have been plenty of questions about the different aspect ratios Che: Part One and Che: Part Two utilize after we reviewed the British Blu-ray discs by Optimum Home Entertainment.

I don't see a drastic difference in quality between Optimum Home Entertainment and Criterion's releases of this rather controversial film. Detail is fantastic, clarity excellent and contrast levels very good. As I noted in my reviews for the British discs, there are certain nighttime scenes in Che that look somewhat soft, but apparently this is how they were shot by director Soderbergh. The pseudo-documentary footage also looks identical on both releases. Furthermore, there are absolutely no stability issues of any sort; both films look spectacular when blown through a digital projector. Finally, I did not detect any serious image deteriorations to report in this review. To sum it all up, this is indeed a very strong presentation of Che. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Che Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


There is only one audio track on both discs: Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with an option for Spanish and English voiceovers on Che: Part One). For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. For Che: Part One, when turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

As expected, the audio treatment is fantastic. The bass is strong, the rear channels intelligently used, and the high frequencies not overdone. The dialog is crisp, clean and very easy to follow. Alberto Iglesias' fantastic soundtrack is also well balanced with it. Furthermore, there are absolutely no disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review. Finally, according to the booklet provided with this release, the two soundtracks are identical to the theatrical mixes.

Che Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Criterion New Year's Card Hints at Upcoming Blu-ray Titles - January 1, 2010


• Criterion Signs Deal with IFC, Plans Che for December - September 2, 2009

Che Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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