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Behind the Scenes on the Set of Che
by
TIME
Dec 11, 2008 5:00 AM CUT
by
TIME
Dec 11, 2008 5:00 AM CUT
Benicio Del Toro plays the iconic revolutionary Che Guevara in Steven Soderbergh’s two-part biopicPhotographs by Alex Harris and Bill Bamberger
Viva Guevara
Che, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Benicio Del Toro as the revolutionary Che Guevara, tells the story of Guevara's involvement in the Cuban revolution. For the re-creation of the last battle of the Cuban revolution, fought originally in Santa Clara, Cuba, Soderbergh brought his cast and crew to Campeche, Mexico, a small town on the Yucatan Peninsula. During the filming, the producers invited photographers Alex Harris and Bill Bamberger to explore the relationship between the townspeople and the actors in the movie. Bill Bamberger
Driver’s Seat
An extra plaing a rebel soldier sits behind the wheel of one of the vintage vehicles used in the filming. Alex Harris
Pitched Battle
Stuntmen playing Batista soldiers fall off a tank after being "shot" by Che's men. In the real Battle of Santa Clara, Batista regarded the city, Cuba's fourth largest, as the last obstacle between the rebels and Havana and stocked it with reinforcements and equipment. Alex Harris
“Aftermath”
The victory of Guevara and his men at Santa Clara was a critical turning point in the Cuban revolution. Within 12 hours of the city's capture, Batista fled Cuba. Alex Harris
Fly Away
Che, set for limited release on December 12th, is a four hour epic split into two chapters. These photographs by Harris and Bamberger are from Che Part One. In part two, Che attempts to foment revolutions in Africa and South America. Alex Harris
In Front of the Camera
Campeche was chosen because its streets echo the atmosphere of small towns in Cuba in the 1950's. Many scenes were filmed on the town's main square. Bill Bamberger
Hands On
Soderbergh, holding the camera, directs Del Toro through a battle scene. The filmmaker is known for doing his own camera work. Bill Bamberger
Local Talent
Photographers Harris and Bamberger were invited by the production company to explore the relationship between the filmmakers and the people of Campeche, many of whom were asked to play extras in the movie. Alex Harris made portraits of many of the townspeople in costume, like the young woman, above, who was cast as a guerilla. Alex Harris
Fraternizing
Three of the actors in the film — from left, Jose Cotte, Aurelio Lima and Vladimir Cruz — joke with some of the town's young children, who are costumed as extras. The producers asked photographer Harris to make these images in order to help them imagine how the townspeople may have reacted to the rebel soldiers after the battle had been won. Alex Harris
Comrades
Some of the townspeople from Campeche, cast as rebel soldiers, relax after a long day on the set. Alex Harris
Portrait of a Guerilla
Photographer Harris captures actor Othello Rensoli on Campeche's main square as he waits for his next scene. Rensoli plays Pombo, the nom de guerre of Harry Villegas, who was a member of Guevara’s general staff. Alex Harris
Hail
Harris says that everywhere Benicio Del Toro went in Campeche, he was greeted like a hero by the townspeople. "It was as if Che himself had returned," he said. "After the filming of a scene in which Che strides triumphantly into the town square, Soderbergh had difficulty getting the extras to stop cheering." Bill Bamberger
Soldier in Arms
Vladimir Cruz plays Ramiro Valdéz Menéndez, a Cuban revolutionary and politician. Alex Harris