Steven Soderbergh’s Che: The Criterion Collection Finally Gets Release Date and Specs
It’s been a long time coming, but Steven Soderbergh’s two-part biopic about Argentine-Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara will finally get the full DVD and Blu-ray release that it deserves this coming January. Apparently they had hoped to have it ready for December, but Soderbergh needed extra time to reconstruct deleted scenes and prepare some of the supplementary material. In the words of Criterion president Peter Becker, the delay was “a trade we will always make, even if it means we don’t get the benefit of sales in the holiday season, and we think that’s the kind of decision our collectors would want us to make”. Kudos to Criterion for that.
The extras on this release will include the following:
- High-definition digital transfers of Che: Part One and Che: Part Two, supervised and approved by director Steven Soderbergh, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
- Audio commentaries on both films, featuring Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
- Making “Che,” a new documentary about the film’s production, featuring interviews with Soderbergh, producer Laura Bickford, actor-producer Benicio del Toro, and writers Peter Buchman and Ben van der Veen
- New interviews with Cuban historians as well as participants in the 1958 Cuban Revolution and Che’s 1967 Bolivian campaign
- Deleted scenes
- Theatrical trailers
- A booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin
- And more!
Strangely, Che: Part One and Part Two will appear in two different aspect ratios… not sure what that’s all about. Either way, I’ve been avoiding the barebones editions of both parts for a while now, waiting for the complete package to become available to ensure an optimal viewing experience. Che: The Criterion Collection hits stores on January 19th, 2010, at a suggested retail price of $49.95 for both the 3-disc standard DVD and the 2-disc Blu-ray. Will you be picking this up?
Comments (6)
The reason the two parts are available in different aspect ratios is because Soderbergh shot them in different aspect ratios.
Posted by Cain on October 26th, 2009Yeah, Pt.1 is shot like a very traditional biopic, with lots of wide shots and panoramic scenery. Pt.2 is shot guerilla-style, handheld, gritty. Cool decision IMHO.
Posted by Fatbologna on October 26th, 2009Yay! I can finally by this thing! Been waiting for ages. Saw them back-to-back at tiff last year, i do not recall an aspect ratio change though…
Posted by kurt on October 26th, 2009Is this movie any good? I remember hearing about it but never saw it released here in Toronto?
Posted by Niklas on October 26th, 2009This has been on my wish list for some time and I can’t wait for it’s release. It’s a terrific film and requires a few viewings to really take it all in. Rest assured it gets better over time and will grow on you.
Posted by Marc on October 27th, 2009Che was released for a run in Toronto at Yonge & dundas AMC. I saw it there. Both films are excellent.
Posted by Brent on November 13th, 2009Leave a Reply