The True Story of Che Guevara

This man, who ordered the execution of countless human beings while in charge of the notorious La Cabaña prison in Havana, who terrorized Cuban society and who denied freedom to thousands of citizens whom he considered "deviants" or "anti-revolutionaries" can never be accepted as a hero, martyr or -- the shock of it -- a saint. The blood of thousands of Cubans is on the hands of "Che" Guevara. The families who lost loved ones cannot condone this exhibition and must protest and express their anger and disgust. The revulsion of Cubans to this event is as valid and honest as would be that of the Jewish community if confronted with the idealization of Adolf Hitler.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara dreamed of creating the "New Man" at any cost. During the Cuban missile crisis, he was in favor of a nuclear war because he believed that a better world could be built from the ashes, regardless of the cost in millions of lives. By adhering to his anti-American feelings and pro-Soviet stance, he achieved a role in history that stands for one failure after another, both in Cuba, as well as in all the other countries where he went to promote and disseminate Castro's Revolution.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara had all the characteristics of a ruthless dictator and opponent of freedom. He believed that the end justifies the means, and he fanatically adhered to this gospel. This "idealized icon" is the one who, as a modern day Grand Inquisitor, eliminated many of his foes with a single pistol shot to the back of their heads. And he is also the same one who authored these enhancing words printed in the identity booklets of young Cuban soldiers sent to fight in Angola: "Blind hate against the enemy creates a forceful impulse that cracks the boundaries of natural human limitations, transforming the soldier in an effective, selective and cold killing machine. A people without hate cannot triumph against the adversary." Guevara's elevation as symbol of goodness, due to the self-indulgence and frivolity of pampered Western pseudo revolutionaries, speaks clearly of their lack of critical objective analysis, forgetting that, as Anthony Daniels states, "The difference between 'Che' Guevara and Pol Pot was that Guevara never studied in Paris."

"Che's life is an inspiration for every human being who loves freedom. We will always honor his memory."

~ Nelson Mandela

"Che is not only an intellectual, he was the most complete human being of our time – our era's most perfect man."

~ Jean Paul Sartre, renowned philosopher and author who knew him

This film does a very nice job capturing the revolutionary heroism of one of the greatest men of the 20th century.

If you enjoyed the film ... then you can read the 800 + page Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson (featured in the film) It is seen as the comprehensive and definitive work on the iconic legend.

For the previous incorrect comment on Che being a "killer" I would point out ...

"I have yet to find a single credible source pointing to a case where Che executed an innocent."

~ Jon Lee Anderson (* author of the 814 page – Che: A Revolutionary Life)

The only thing positive about documentaries, such as this, is they tend to inject a dose of reality into the discussion. Unfortunately, in trying to be 'even-handed' in their reporting, they tend to give the positive and negative sides of the story equal weight. I'm sure in a documentary about Ted Bundy they would try to show his good side too. That said this is a fairly good one in that it shows a more realistic side of Guevara than those love letters to a mass murderer like "Motorcycle Diaries" does.

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara was a true believer in the Communist Revolution. He was also a doctor who became a mass murderer in the name of that revolution. As for author Jon Lee Anderson's statement that he has "yet to find a single credible source pointing to a case where Che executed an innocent", I would ask Anderson, first, his definition of innocent as I suspect he, like many other communist sympathizing academics, believes anyone who is not a believer to be guilty and in need of being eliminated.

If Anderson would like to actually document many of Che's executions he need look no further than the anti-Castro Cuban community here in the US. Many of them have first-hand accounts of Che's murders of family members and friends that they themselves witnessed.

While Che had no problem putting a bullet in the back of someone's head, his preferred method of killing an enemy (anyone who opposed him or the Revolution) was to beat them to death with a baseball bat. In addition, if his enemy managed to escape his wrath, Che had no problem condemning that person's family members (parents, siblings, spouse, and children) to imprisonment, torture and execution.

Che is known to have personally murdered hundreds and to have ordered the deaths of thousands. The only reason he didn't kill millions is he didn't get the chance.

Anyone who reveres Ernesto 'Che' Guevara as a saint or martyr is either an ignorant, revolutionary, romantic or a borderline sociopath who would have no problem murdering anyone who did not share their beliefs.

Its not wise to comment on Che without realizing his true spirits, and his affection for the country he's fighting for. Unfortunately, the imperial countries cannot absolve their ruthless habit of colonization and subjugation of innocent people third-world nations. Sitting thousands of miles away from the actual revolution, and hearing merely the one-sided views of molded facts by the media is what American citizens are all about. They hate any country's growth, and Che's life was a fitting example. This show may explicitly portray certain facts, but to realize the true sense of the revolution, we should have been fighting for freedom. Unfortunately, that feeling has been buried along with Che and his comrades.

The pure fact that people are still in heated discussion about this man is testament to the importance of this broadcast and why this show and the man are interesting. For the record I watched the show but I never heard them compare Che to Hitler.

I thought this Doc gave a balanced informative  perspective on the life of a very complicated and controversial man. The pace was excellent and the show well put together. Many people idolized Che' wear the shirts, etc. but have no idea who he was and what he did. This film does a great job of telling you about Che from all perspectives. The man  made his mark for better or worse and the mere fact that people are still in heated discussion about it shows you that revolution continues as a result of him. This show is definitely worth a look.