"movie Could Make 'che' Even More Chic"

[netw0rk]

not sure if anyone has posted this yet;

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews.../9787765.htm?1c (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/9787765.htm?1c)


Movie could make 'Che' even more chic

REBEL LEADER'S FACE A SYMBOL THAT SELLS

By Mike Antonucci

Mercury News

He's big in Hollywood. He's an international fashion icon. He's collectible.

In other words, 37 years after his execution, the enduring image of Marxist guerrilla leader Ernesto ``Che'' Guevara is of a man with the ideal face for a T-shirt.

Sales of Che-adorned merchandise -- including belt buckles, caps, cigarette lighters, cuff links, drink coasters, handbags, key rings, place mats and watches -- may get a generous boost from the new movie about the pre-combatant Guevara, ``The Motorcycle Diaries.'' Robert Redford was an executive producer for the film, which stars Gael García Bernal as Guevara and opens Friday in the Bay Area.

Guevara's legacy is intensely controversial. Born in Argentina and educated as a doctor, Guevara was a commander in the insurrection that led to Fidel Castro's takeover in Cuba. He later fought against the Bolivian military, who captured and killed him. From one political perspective, he was a martyr for social justice. From another, he was a ruthless, United States-hating killer.

Regardless, Guevara has lived on as a product brand that's perpetually in vogue. For decades now, if it's Che, it's chic. These days, he's usually in the running for revolutionary icon of choice in eBay sales, and his trendiness has such head-spinning manifestations as a large tattoo of his visage on boxer Mike Tyson's rib cage. Guevara tie-ins are also being used to promote tourism in Bolivia.

What Guevara rejected in life has defined him in death: capitalism.

Sarah Knopp, 26, is a teacher at a high school in South-Central Los Angeles and a member of the International Socialist Organization. She admires Guevara ``because of his commitment to fighting for equality and his commitment to fighting against imperialism. He essentially gave his life to fight for those things.''

Knopp believes that Guevara's image, despite its commercialization in Cuba as well as worldwide, is worn or used by many young people, including some of her students, with a strong awareness that it symbolizes ``revolutionary change.'' She's eager to see ``The Motorcycle Diaries'' and notes that she read an interview that quoted Guevara's widow as saying that royalties from Che merchandise are used to fight for social justice.

Much has been made over the decades about the visual potency of a particular Guevara image -- a photograph considered among the most famous ever taken. Snapped by the late Alberto Diaz Gutierrez -- better known as Alberto Korda -- the photo immortalized the beret-wearing Guevara as the epitome of the revolutionary spirit. Its inspirational appeal is often said to overpower any need to understand who Guevara was or what he did.

``It looks like Saint Che on the image. It conveys determination, seriousness, dedication and charisma,'' says Saul Landau, a political scholar and documentary filmmaker who met Guevara in 1960 in Cuba.

Landau, 68, is director of digital media and international outreach programs for the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. He echoes what fierce Guevara admirers say about all the T-shirts and paraphernalia -- that ``Che would roll over in his grave'' -- but adds, ``and then he'd probably laugh.''

Canadian photographer John Trigiani, who created a Web site selling a multiplicity of Guevara-themed merchandise (www.thechestore.com), says he has a core of highly educated buyers who are well informed about Guevara's life.

But he also says there's tremendous interest from consumers who are reacting to the commercial popularization of the image.

``I sell stuff to college students who have no idea who he is,'' said Trigiani. ``They think he's the lead singer for Rage Against the Machine'' (the band that put the Korda portrait of Guevara on the cover of its first album).

Sales rise, says Trigiani, when something like Tyson's tattoo or rapper Missy Elliott's Che cap gets media exposure. He pays close attention to all Guevara-related news -- including the reported plans for a big-budget movie that would star Benicio Del Toro -- and he wants to expand his Web site to add messaging and other social features for the ``community'' of Che fans.

To Trigiani, Guevara's legacy is not hard to analyze.

``Basically,'' he says, ``Che's a rock star.''

[netw0rk]

not sure if anyone has posted this yet;

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews.../9787765.htm?1c (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/9787765.htm?1c)


Movie could make 'Che' even more chic

REBEL LEADER'S FACE A SYMBOL THAT SELLS

By Mike Antonucci

Mercury News

He's big in Hollywood. He's an international fashion icon. He's collectible.

In other words, 37 years after his execution, the enduring image of Marxist guerrilla leader Ernesto ``Che'' Guevara is of a man with the ideal face for a T-shirt.

Sales of Che-adorned merchandise -- including belt buckles, caps, cigarette lighters, cuff links, drink coasters, handbags, key rings, place mats and watches -- may get a generous boost from the new movie about the pre-combatant Guevara, ``The Motorcycle Diaries.'' Robert Redford was an executive producer for the film, which stars Gael García Bernal as Guevara and opens Friday in the Bay Area.

Guevara's legacy is intensely controversial. Born in Argentina and educated as a doctor, Guevara was a commander in the insurrection that led to Fidel Castro's takeover in Cuba. He later fought against the Bolivian military, who captured and killed him. From one political perspective, he was a martyr for social justice. From another, he was a ruthless, United States-hating killer.

Regardless, Guevara has lived on as a product brand that's perpetually in vogue. For decades now, if it's Che, it's chic. These days, he's usually in the running for revolutionary icon of choice in eBay sales, and his trendiness has such head-spinning manifestations as a large tattoo of his visage on boxer Mike Tyson's rib cage. Guevara tie-ins are also being used to promote tourism in Bolivia.

What Guevara rejected in life has defined him in death: capitalism.

Sarah Knopp, 26, is a teacher at a high school in South-Central Los Angeles and a member of the International Socialist Organization. She admires Guevara ``because of his commitment to fighting for equality and his commitment to fighting against imperialism. He essentially gave his life to fight for those things.''

Knopp believes that Guevara's image, despite its commercialization in Cuba as well as worldwide, is worn or used by many young people, including some of her students, with a strong awareness that it symbolizes ``revolutionary change.'' She's eager to see ``The Motorcycle Diaries'' and notes that she read an interview that quoted Guevara's widow as saying that royalties from Che merchandise are used to fight for social justice.

Much has been made over the decades about the visual potency of a particular Guevara image -- a photograph considered among the most famous ever taken. Snapped by the late Alberto Diaz Gutierrez -- better known as Alberto Korda -- the photo immortalized the beret-wearing Guevara as the epitome of the revolutionary spirit. Its inspirational appeal is often said to overpower any need to understand who Guevara was or what he did.

``It looks like Saint Che on the image. It conveys determination, seriousness, dedication and charisma,'' says Saul Landau, a political scholar and documentary filmmaker who met Guevara in 1960 in Cuba.

Landau, 68, is director of digital media and international outreach programs for the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. He echoes what fierce Guevara admirers say about all the T-shirts and paraphernalia -- that ``Che would roll over in his grave'' -- but adds, ``and then he'd probably laugh.''

Canadian photographer John Trigiani, who created a Web site selling a multiplicity of Guevara-themed merchandise (www.thechestore.com), says he has a core of highly educated buyers who are well informed about Guevara's life.

But he also says there's tremendous interest from consumers who are reacting to the commercial popularization of the image.

``I sell stuff to college students who have no idea who he is,'' said Trigiani. ``They think he's the lead singer for Rage Against the Machine'' (the band that put the Korda portrait of Guevara on the cover of its first album).

Sales rise, says Trigiani, when something like Tyson's tattoo or rapper Missy Elliott's Che cap gets media exposure. He pays close attention to all Guevara-related news -- including the reported plans for a big-budget movie that would star Benicio Del Toro -- and he wants to expand his Web site to add messaging and other social features for the ``community'' of Che fans.

To Trigiani, Guevara's legacy is not hard to analyze.

``Basically,'' he says, ``Che's a rock star.''

[netw0rk]

not sure if anyone has posted this yet;

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews.../9787765.htm?1c (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/9787765.htm?1c)


Movie could make 'Che' even more chic

REBEL LEADER'S FACE A SYMBOL THAT SELLS

By Mike Antonucci

Mercury News

He's big in Hollywood. He's an international fashion icon. He's collectible.

In other words, 37 years after his execution, the enduring image of Marxist guerrilla leader Ernesto ``Che'' Guevara is of a man with the ideal face for a T-shirt.

Sales of Che-adorned merchandise -- including belt buckles, caps, cigarette lighters, cuff links, drink coasters, handbags, key rings, place mats and watches -- may get a generous boost from the new movie about the pre-combatant Guevara, ``The Motorcycle Diaries.'' Robert Redford was an executive producer for the film, which stars Gael García Bernal as Guevara and opens Friday in the Bay Area.

Guevara's legacy is intensely controversial. Born in Argentina and educated as a doctor, Guevara was a commander in the insurrection that led to Fidel Castro's takeover in Cuba. He later fought against the Bolivian military, who captured and killed him. From one political perspective, he was a martyr for social justice. From another, he was a ruthless, United States-hating killer.

Regardless, Guevara has lived on as a product brand that's perpetually in vogue. For decades now, if it's Che, it's chic. These days, he's usually in the running for revolutionary icon of choice in eBay sales, and his trendiness has such head-spinning manifestations as a large tattoo of his visage on boxer Mike Tyson's rib cage. Guevara tie-ins are also being used to promote tourism in Bolivia.

What Guevara rejected in life has defined him in death: capitalism.

Sarah Knopp, 26, is a teacher at a high school in South-Central Los Angeles and a member of the International Socialist Organization. She admires Guevara ``because of his commitment to fighting for equality and his commitment to fighting against imperialism. He essentially gave his life to fight for those things.''

Knopp believes that Guevara's image, despite its commercialization in Cuba as well as worldwide, is worn or used by many young people, including some of her students, with a strong awareness that it symbolizes ``revolutionary change.'' She's eager to see ``The Motorcycle Diaries'' and notes that she read an interview that quoted Guevara's widow as saying that royalties from Che merchandise are used to fight for social justice.

Much has been made over the decades about the visual potency of a particular Guevara image -- a photograph considered among the most famous ever taken. Snapped by the late Alberto Diaz Gutierrez -- better known as Alberto Korda -- the photo immortalized the beret-wearing Guevara as the epitome of the revolutionary spirit. Its inspirational appeal is often said to overpower any need to understand who Guevara was or what he did.

``It looks like Saint Che on the image. It conveys determination, seriousness, dedication and charisma,'' says Saul Landau, a political scholar and documentary filmmaker who met Guevara in 1960 in Cuba.

Landau, 68, is director of digital media and international outreach programs for the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. He echoes what fierce Guevara admirers say about all the T-shirts and paraphernalia -- that ``Che would roll over in his grave'' -- but adds, ``and then he'd probably laugh.''

Canadian photographer John Trigiani, who created a Web site selling a multiplicity of Guevara-themed merchandise (www.thechestore.com), says he has a core of highly educated buyers who are well informed about Guevara's life.

But he also says there's tremendous interest from consumers who are reacting to the commercial popularization of the image.

``I sell stuff to college students who have no idea who he is,'' said Trigiani. ``They think he's the lead singer for Rage Against the Machine'' (the band that put the Korda portrait of Guevara on the cover of its first album).

Sales rise, says Trigiani, when something like Tyson's tattoo or rapper Missy Elliott's Che cap gets media exposure. He pays close attention to all Guevara-related news -- including the reported plans for a big-budget movie that would star Benicio Del Toro -- and he wants to expand his Web site to add messaging and other social features for the ``community'' of Che fans.

To Trigiani, Guevara's legacy is not hard to analyze.

``Basically,'' he says, ``Che's a rock star.''

[Anti-Capitalist1]

you know, capitalist could have found no better way to ruin his image than this. No amount of bible thumping right wingers saying he hates America, no president calling him evil could have ever done this to him... it's genuis, yet sickening. Not only going against everything he ever stood or fought for, but also spreading misinformation and causing ignorance.

EDIT: I hate it when capitlists whore out the dead's image for profit... Jimi Hendrix in Pepsi commercials, Che on tshirts, the list stretches on.

[Anti-Capitalist1]

you know, capitalist could have found no better way to ruin his image than this. No amount of bible thumping right wingers saying he hates America, no president calling him evil could have ever done this to him... it's genuis, yet sickening. Not only going against everything he ever stood or fought for, but also spreading misinformation and causing ignorance.

EDIT: I hate it when capitlists whore out the dead's image for profit... Jimi Hendrix in Pepsi commercials, Che on tshirts, the list stretches on.

[Anti-Capitalist1]

you know, capitalist could have found no better way to ruin his image than this. No amount of bible thumping right wingers saying he hates America, no president calling him evil could have ever done this to him... it's genuis, yet sickening. Not only going against everything he ever stood or fought for, but also spreading misinformation and causing ignorance.

EDIT: I hate it when capitlists whore out the dead's image for profit... Jimi Hendrix in Pepsi commercials, Che on tshirts, the list stretches on.

[redstar2000]

I don't know.

Suppose for every 100 or 1,000 (pick a number) people that wear Che merchandise because it's "chic" or "cool", one of them is curious enough to google him to learn what he was really about. They might even end up here.

Is that bad?

:redstar2000:

The Redstar2000 Papers (http://www.redstar2000papers.fightcapitalism.net)
A site about communist ideas

[redstar2000]

I don't know.

Suppose for every 100 or 1,000 (pick a number) people that wear Che merchandise because it's "chic" or "cool", one of them is curious enough to google him to learn what he was really about. They might even end up here.

Is that bad?

:redstar2000:

The Redstar2000 Papers (http://www.redstar2000papers.fightcapitalism.net)
A site about communist ideas

[redstar2000]

I don't know.

Suppose for every 100 or 1,000 (pick a number) people that wear Che merchandise because it's "chic" or "cool", one of them is curious enough to google him to learn what he was really about. They might even end up here.

Is that bad?

:redstar2000:

The Redstar2000 Papers (http://www.redstar2000papers.fightcapitalism.net)
A site about communist ideas

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

That's exactly what happened to me, RS, and so I very strongly disagree with all the folks here who say again and again that the Che shouldn't be marketed the way he is. Granted, I was already a commie when I bought my Che shirt and found Che-lives, but I knew next to nothing about it and probably would've ended up never actually becoming an activist and vehement advocate of communism.

Wearing Che stuff and knowing who he was can even inspire others to find out more about him and learn about communism. Like Martha would say, it's a good thing. :lol:

The movie will probably do the same thing.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

That's exactly what happened to me, RS, and so I very strongly disagree with all the folks here who say again and again that the Che shouldn't be marketed the way he is. Granted, I was already a commie when I bought my Che shirt and found Che-lives, but I knew next to nothing about it and probably would've ended up never actually becoming an activist and vehement advocate of communism.

Wearing Che stuff and knowing who he was can even inspire others to find out more about him and learn about communism. Like Martha would say, it's a good thing. :lol:

The movie will probably do the same thing.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

That's exactly what happened to me, RS, and so I very strongly disagree with all the folks here who say again and again that the Che shouldn't be marketed the way he is. Granted, I was already a commie when I bought my Che shirt and found Che-lives, but I knew next to nothing about it and probably would've ended up never actually becoming an activist and vehement advocate of communism.

Wearing Che stuff and knowing who he was can even inspire others to find out more about him and learn about communism. Like Martha would say, it's a good thing. :lol:

The movie will probably do the same thing.

[che's long lost daughter]

Was Che ever chic? Saying that Che is chic is one of the shallowest adjective you could attribute to the man. And saying that the enduring image of Che is the ideal face for a T-shirt makes me want to to gouge the author's eye out. he did not exactly say anything against Che but seeing Che as a merchandise made Che seem to look like a cheap action figure.

[Pawn Power]

Since the movie just came out this month in NY and LA and will be coming out in 2 weeks in other cities,
How many more members do you think will join che-lives specificaly because they saw the movie and wanted to know more... 10,50,100...? I would be intrested to find out

[Guerilla-Strength]

you guys know when it'll be coming out in miami? and is it a tv movie or a theater movie?