Dec 29 2008
Commodifying Revolution! Che Guevara 14
Che’s iconic image has appeared on countless products, posters, and t-shirts. It is with this that a shift occurred in “revolutionary” thought. What Dylan started, the Cult of Che finished. By removing almost any actual revolutionary attachment to Che, Che became a label; some say a global brand, no different than Nike, McDonald’s, or Coca-Cola. It is with this that the message of “revolution” became appropriated. It proved itself to be profitable.*
The Motorcycle Diaries, the movie adaptation of Che Guevara’s pre-Revolutionary writings, was released in 2004 to rave reviews. The movie was sold to the public as an “independent” movie, free of the hassles of the large movie studios. What most of the public did not realize, and still does not realize, is that Focus Features is a division of NBC Universal, which considers Focus to be its art house/specialty division.**
* To see to the extent of which Che and revolution has been appropriated, one only needs to go to www.thechestore.com “…for all your revolutionary needs.” On this website, of which it is not the only, you can purchase “officially licensed” Che Guevara merchandise ranging anywhere from t-shirts to clocks to belt buckles and then use Paypal or any of the major credit cards to pay.
** Answers.com, “Focus Features,” http://www.answers.com/topic/focus-features (accessed January, 2007).
