VIVA LA REVOLUTION PART III: 20 Fictional Revolutionaries that Beat the System!

"Had I the heavens embroidered cloths, inwrought with the golden and silver light, the blue and the dim and the dark cloths of night and light and half-light, I would spread the cloths under your feet. But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams beneath your feet. Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams” - He Wishes for the Clothes of Heaven by William Butler Yeats

So this is our third and final day of VIVA LA REVOLUTION! This three day event has been a collaboration between myself and fellow blogger Neil Fulwood from The Agitation of the Mind, who by the way has written up his own series of articles on his blog exploring the same theme: revolution on film! I must say it’s been a great pleasure talking about all these revolutionary films! The last two nifty articles I published were on real life revolutionaries who lost their lives fighting for their beliefs and their own revolutions. They basically said: “This is wrong, and I say NO to it! And I say to hell with you!” I respect those real life revolutionary leaders because they stood up for their humanity, problem is that in the real world, when this happens, when an individual or a group stand up against a powerful and oppressive government or system, more often then not they are met with death.

A student behind the gates of the University of Puerto Rico, in front of her a sign made by students that reads: "A country without education is a country of slaves"

That’s the way things seem to go in this world. You go against the system, you perish. They got the guns, the got the power, and what have you got? A brain and a mouth, and though these can be powerful, trust me, guns, armor and ammunition will win over them every time! Maybe you are living in a country where everything is fine and dandy, and you are not feeling that oppression, you don’t feel the foot of the system stomping on your face, stomping your liberty, but you can be certain of one thing, things are not alright in other parts of the world. Puerto Rico is suffering from this ailment right now, but so are students, universities, schools and societies all across the world.

Students form a human chain against the unnecesarilly oppressive police force in front of the University of Puerto Rico

There seems to be a collective attack on education, a classist fight where education is being reconstructed as something that will only be available for those with money. You can go on the net and look up revolts in Greece, France, England, Chile, Argentina…it’s a world wide phenomenon. Governments have aimed their guns at education, and the masses are fighting back. Many students across the world are going into full blown anarchy. Burning cars, hitting cops, graffiti all over the walls, the streets filled with chaos. But out of necessity. This is the poor fighting for their right to be able to educate themselves! To have a decent life, to dig themselves out of the poor life. Unfortunately, the rich and powerful will have none of that! They want the rich to get richer and the poor even more poor. When this kind of oppression happens, the people recognize it, the feel it and they get angry. Unfortunately, governments seem to simply turn their faces the other way. They don’t listen to the peoples demands, they don’t listen to the pleas of the people who put them in power. All they do is reply with violence. They send their soldiers to hit, maim, push, shove and even kill those who dare stand up.

Greece

They sometimes even kill those who decide on going against the system. That’s the sad truth about the whole ordeal, revolt is answered with death. Sometimes one death happens to scare off, sometimes many, to scare the revolutionaries even more. Sometimes people simply disappear! Right here in Puerto Rico, cops took 17 students prisoners, and for days after the fact, parents didn’t even know where their sons and daughters were taken to. What kind of a world are we living in? Are we prisoners? Or are we free men and women? Are we rulers of our destiny and the destiny of our society and the world we live in? Or are we slaves to an all powerful deaf machine that is destroys culture, knowledge, art, expression and all sorts of freedoms? I leave you with these questions, ponder on them my dear readers! Ponder away! Weigh in these questions with thoroughness and care.

France

But enough about death and destruction. However sad the world’s outlook maybe, thanks to the magic of film, we have fictional revolutionaries that do manage to beat the system and ‘stick it to the man’ as they say. Filmmakers have taken notice of this stomping of humanity, so much so that even childrens films like Toy Story 3, 9 and Shrek 4 turned their main characters into revolutionaries fighting against oppression! Hey, at least these fictional characters beat the system for us in a way! This avalanche of rebellion on film once again confirms the old idea that art imitates life. So today I will be focusing on these fictional revolutionaries, 20 of them to be exact! Notice how in most of the pictures, the hero has a weapon in hand, and notice what they are fighting against. These fictional revolutionaries are not here to replace the real ones, the are meant to inspire us into dealing with this whole situation as best we can. One thing is for sure, we must not let terrorist governments win, we must not let despotic rulers stay in power, we must stand up for what is right, and we must stand up for our freedom! This is more true now then ever!

Revolutionary character: Sam Flynn

Film: Tron: Legacy (2010)

What is he fighting against? A despotic ruler known as CLU who wants nothing more than for every program to be the same. CLU was a program created by Kevin Flynn, the creator of the program, but Kevin’s creation has now turned against him and has turned into an evil ruler of all programs! CLU wants to control the media and entertainment, in fact, he actually gets the program responsible for all sorts of entertainment destroyed! Sam wants to start things anew, to build a new society from the ground up, but it might mean the sacrifice of someone he loves, his own father. This film adresses that idea of destroying old ideas and replacing them with new ones. Will this ever be achieved in the real world?

Revolutionary character: Col. Jonathan ‘Jack’ O’Neil

Film: Stargate (1994)

What is he fighting against? An alien being who has crowned himself king of an Egyptian like race on an alien planet. He abuses the people, and uses them like his own personal slaves. He lies to them and makes the think that he is Ra the “Sun God” when in fact he is just an alien in need of power and attention. An alien who wants nothing more than to be worshiped like a God. Fortunately, Col. Jonathan ‘Jack’ O’Neil and his crew recognize the alien for what he is and are more then willing to blow him up to smithereens with their trusty nuclear device.

Revolutionary Quote: “Give my regards to King Tut, asshole!”

Revolutionary character: Machete

Film: Machete (2010)

What is he fighting against? An American senator who wants to make an electrical barrier that will electrocute any illegal Mexicans who try to cross the border. On top of that, this is a Senator who enjoys shooting pregnant Mexican women who are crossing the border and after shooting them says “welcome to America!” You know, your basic political power hungry polititian. On this film, Machete is fighting against extremely harsh anti-immigration laws that are being set up by a country who’s main workforce is made of immigrants. The senators ideas and actions are kind of contradictory if you ask me! So, Machete joins forces with a revolutionary leader named 'She' to go up against the oppression and the racism.

Revolutionary Quote: “You just fucked with the wrong Mexican”

Revolutionary character: Robocop

Film: Robocop (1987)

What is he fighting for? He is fighting against crime, but at the same time, against all the bullshit programming that they put into him. In the first film, he was fighting at one point against his corrupt creators and against those prime directives that they put on him. And on Robocop 2, Robocops programmers fill him with hundreads of useless laws and directives that he is obligated to follow, because he has been programmed to do so. These new rules make Robocop docile and stupid, he is no longer himself. When Robocop realizes that he can no longer function properly, he electrocutes himself to erase the programming, after he does so, he is once again in control of his actions. Always thought this scene was indicative of all the unnecessaryly restrictive rules and regulations that a system tries to impose on its people, usually to benefit the government. Sometimes these rules and regulations make it difficult to live our lives, and are usually put there to benefit the system, moneteraly.

Revolutionary Quote: “Dead or Alive, you’re coming with me”

Revolutionary character: Evelyn Salt

Film: Salt (2010)

What’s she fighting for? Her own freedom. She’s a Russian spy who infiltrated the CIA. So now she has the CIA and the Russians after her! She doesn’t want to be a slave to either of them! So she runs from both. I especially enjoyed a sequence in which Salt gets back at those who programmed her from childhood, which is something that happens a lot in modern society, where we are programmed with ways of seeing things and ideas that arent necessarilly moral or even true. So she strangles the guy responsible for twisting her young mind to his benefit! On this film you can really feel the hatred SALT has for those that have controlled her life for so long, we all just want to be free!

Revolutionary Quote: “I’m not a goddamn Russian spy!”

Revolutionary character: Snake Plissken

Film: Escape from L.A. (1996)

What is he fighting for? His life! Once again, the government obligates Snake Plissken to do their dirty work. This time, they ask him to retrieve a remote control that a revolutionary leader has stolen from the United States. This remote control can activate an electro magnetic pulse that can shut off the power of any part of the world, it can even shut down the whole world! Like one gigantic EMP. The President of the United States wants the remote back so he can use it to shut down Cuba. But Snake has other plans! He uses it to shut down the whole world and starts things all over again! Not a bad idea if you ask me! Once again, this film like many others on this list presents us with the idea of destroying the old and starting fresh.

Revolutionary Quote: “Welcome to the Human Race”

Revolutionary characters: Logan 5 and Jessica 6

Film: Logan’s Run (1976)

What are they fighting for? Their lives! Society has decided that after you turn 30 you are useless, and so when you reach 30 you go through a ritual called Carousel where you basically willingly kill yourself. In this way, society avoids overpopulation and keeps things in equilibrium. There is a myth that says that supposedly you kill yourself to be re-born again in a mythical process called “renewal”. Problem is that Logan has just turned 30, and he doesn’t want to die! So he starts running from the “Sandmen” - the police who hunt and kill all those rebels who don’t die willingly! Now Logan and Jessica must run for their lives and from societies crazy rules, or perish! Will they discover a new world outside of the walls of their city? Is there something more out there outside of the dome world they are used to living in?

Revolutionary Quote: “No! You don’t have to die! You can live! Live! Life Clocks are a lie! Carousel is a lie! There is no renewal!”

Revolutionary character: Luke Skywalker

Film: Return of the Jedi (1983)

What is he fighting for? Freedom! Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader have the galaxy under a chokehold of terror! The resistance has been fighting against them for years and has now launched a full fledged attack against the empire! But its Luke Skywalker who has decided to personally take on and destroy the powerful Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader himself! Will he overcome the darkside and destroy the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction? I find it interesting how on this film, Luke faces the evil government face to face and actually appeals to their humanity, hoping that there is still some of it left within them.

Revolutionary Quote: “Never. I'll never turn to the darkside. You failed your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”

Revolutionary characters: Lincon Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta

Film: The Island (2005)

What are they fighting for? Their freedom. You see, Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta are clones that have been born and bred within the confines of a top secret facility. They are taught that this facility is all there is, there is no outside world except for a mystical island paradise which you can end up going to, but only if you win the lottery. Lincoln Six and Jordan Two discover that ‘The Island’ is a big fat lie and that they are really just clones used as spare parts for humans in the real world. So they decide to escape the facility. From their on in it’s a race to the end with the government following these two escapees. Will they ever find their freedom? This film actually surprises me because its a film with a brain, and it comes from none other then director Michael Bay, a guy normally known for making empty special effects laden films. Though this film does have an emphasis on action and effects, it still managed to give a relevant message. Wake up, see things for what they really are. See past the lies.  

Revolutionary Quote: “All I know is that people will do anything to survive. I want to live, and I don’t care how”

Revolutionary character: The Jewish Barber

Film: The Great Dictator (1940)

What is he fighting for? He is fighting for the right to be treated like a human being. You see, The Jewish Barber lives a peaceful life with his family and friends. He has a romance going on with a humble yet incredibly beautiful girl from his neighborhood. Things are going just fine until a dictator called Hynkel decides to oppress the people and make their lives a living hell. The once peaceful town of Tomania is suddenly overrun by abusive military police that loves to do nothing more then make everyone live in fear. One amazing moment has The Jewish Barber (who looks exactly like the great dictator Hynkel) replace Hynkel. And so, there comes a moment in which everyone thinks The Jewish Barber is actually Hynkel! The Barber gets up on the podium and gives an electrifying speech about the horrors of greed, and the need in society for liberty, and humanity. If you've never seen this film, do yourself a favor and do so, its a picture with lots of heart and lots of love for the human race. Ironically, this film that stands up for humans and points its finger at evil oppressive governments got Chaplin into trouble because it was considered way to subversive. He had to actually flee from the United States and live the rest of his life in other parts of the world.

Revolutionary Quote: “Even now my voice is reaching millions through out the world, millions of despairing men, women and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say, do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators will die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.”

Revolutionary character: Flash Gordon

Film: Flash Gordon (1980)

What is he fighting for? The survival of Planet Earth! Ming the Merciless has his lazers sighted on Planet Earth, and he wants nothing more then to destroy it! Simply to amuse himself. You see, Ming the Merciless is Ruler of the Known Universe, and he loves to step on his loyal subjects. He is all about receiving gifts from every planet and race, but not about giving them the liberty and freedom they ask of him. And if you ask for it, you get zapped into oblivion! Enter Flash Gordon! Quarter Back for the New York Jets and defender of the galaxy! Flash, Dale and Prof. Zarkoff join forces to stop Ming and his rule of terror! Other planets and civilizations join Flash in their quest for freedom until the rebel assault is too much for even Ming and his army or drones to stop.

Revolutionary Quote: “Prince Barin! I’m not your enemy, Ming is! Let’s all team up and fight him!”

Revolutionary character: John Rambo

Film: First Blood (1982)

What is he fighting for? He is fighting to be left the fuck alone. John Rambo served his country in the Vietnam war and even received the Medal of Honor for his time, but when he returns to his country, he is treated like a vagrant by the local Sheriff of a rural town. All Rambo wants to do is visit one of his war buddies, but the local police doesn’t want him in the town. So they arrest him and abuse him. What’s this world coming to when a guy cant even walk into a town in peace? Unfortunately for them, they don’t know that they are messing with a highly trained, war torn, killing machine! And so Rambo escapes to the forest and the police follow in pursuit to trap and kill him. It’s another film that demonstrates how war can completely affect you for life, once a killing machine, always a killing machine. Will Rambo ever find peace and freedom, even in his own country?

Revolutionary Quote: “I could have killed them all, I could kill you. In town you’re the law, out here it’s me. Don’t push it. Don’t push it or I’ll give you a war you won’t believe. Let it go. Let it go.”

Revolutionary character: Tyler Durden/Jack

Film: Fight Club (1999)

What is he fighting against? The system. The way things are. Jack is a guy with a boring ass job, doing the same repetitive boring ass thing every day. He lives in an apartment filled with things that don’t fill him. He feels the emptiness in his life, and wants to ignite the spark within him once again. He wants to feel alive! So he joins Tyler Durden and his underground Fight Club, a place where one can live with out the laws and restrictions of modern society. A place where chaos rules, and the deconstruction of modern society is welcomed. Tyler and his army (known as the “spacemonkeys”) go around destroying every rule set by society. Basically, they are a bunch of unhappy campers who have grown weary of the society they live in. Best part in the film? When Tyler blows up all the credit card buildings so that everyone can start from zero once again, a similar scene can be found in Mario Bava’s Danger Diabolik, where Diabolik destroys all of the governments tax buildings.

Revolutionary Quote: “Fuck off with your sofa units and string green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, stop being perfect. I say, let’s evolve, let the chips fall where they may..”

Revolutionary character: THX

Film: THX 1138 (1971)

What is he fighting for? His personal freedom. You see, THX lives in a 1984-ish society in which every aspect of your life is controlled for you. You are urged to consume, to be efficient, perfect. If you step out of line, faceless drone-like cops come looking for you and take you away, never to be seen again. The way society is set up has THX going crazy! He wants to be the ruler of his destiny! He doesn’t want to talk to a fake robotic god, he doesn’t want to take prescription drugs! He wants to have sex! So he escapes! He steals a car and runs away from society, from the system. This film was compleltely influenced by Orson Welles 1984, this was basically George Lucas’s version of 1984. In turn, THX 1138 directly influenced The Island (2005). In this film, the system is so overpowering that the individual (in this case THX 1138) says very little! In fact, THX has almost no lines at all! Most of the dialog in the film comes from the systems constant hammering of their ideas through media.

The system speaks: “Blessings of the state, blessings of the masses…work hard, increase production, prevent accidents, and be happy”

Revolutionary character: John Preston

Film: Equilibrium (2002)

What is he fighting for? Humanity, feelings, art and self expression. In the fascist world of Equilibrium the government does not allow any kind of emotion, feeling or self expression. A special drug is to be taken by everyone so that emotion is suppressed. Much like in Fahrenheit 451, books and art are prohibited. A special police task force known as ‘Clerics’ goes around killing or arresting all of those who break the law and dare to have books or art in their homes. Similar themes can be found in V for Vendetta as well. John Preston is a Cleric who has decided to rebel. He has stopped taken the drug and is interested in reading books! So suddenly, a Cleric who was once at the service of the government suddenly turns and decides to overthrow it! This film is influenced by many similar films that came before it, what makes it interesting is the style in which it was made and the action sequences which are pretty spectacular.

Revolutionary Quote: “To feel is as vital as breath. And without it, without love, without anger, without sorrow, breath is just a clock…ticking.”

Revolutionary character: Paul Atreides

Film: Dune (1984)

What is he fighting for? The freedom of the Universe! On this film, Paul Atreides a young man descendent of the royal Atreides family, and son of Duke Leto Atreides sides with the Fremen to overtake Emperor Shaddam IV and the Baron Harkonnen who have been ruling the universe with an iron fist. The Fremen want to take control over their home planet and all they need is the right leader to show them the way. Paul Atreides accepts the role as the leader of the revolution and teaches them the ways of war! Together, the Fremen take on the Emperor and his legions of deadly Sardaukar Warriors. Unbeknownst to the Emperor, the Fremen number in the millions. And so, after a violent revolt, the emperor of the universe is forced to recognize the power of Paul Atreides (now known as Paul Moadib) and the Fremen. He is then imprisoned and sent to a prison planet. Paul Moadib takes over Arakis and rules the universe in peace by the end of the film. This film shows, that when the masses get together, their is no stopping them. It demonstrates that idea that we the people are more then them, the government. Should we collectively decide to arm ourselves and walk up to their gates and kick them the hell out, we would win.  

Revolutionary Quote: “Long live the fighters!” “I am dead to everyone unless I become what I may be” “He who destroys a thing, controls a thing”

Revolutionary character: John Murdoch

Film: Dark City (1998)

What is he fighting for? Knowledge. He wants to know what is really going on in his world. Why does everyone in the city fall asleep at the stroke of midnight? Why is he the only one awake? And who are the mysterious beings who switch everything around while everyone sleeps? John Murdock must find out! I love this movie because it speaks about the powers that be, and how they can sometimes use society like their own personal guinea pigs. Let’s test this idea and see how it affects them, lets tell them things are this way and see what happens. While the ultimate truth is something else entirely. Sometimes, the way we perceive things is not necessarily the way things really are. I love how the ones who really control everything are unseen by the masses, and are referred to as “The Strangers”, the unseen force behind the way things are. I also love how the main character has these enhanced telekinetic abilities, as if the film was trying to say that our minds and ideas, our thoughts are the ones that can really change and alter things.

Revolutionary Quote: “John, you have their power. You can make things happen by will alone. They call it ‘tuning’ That’s how they make the buildings change. Just now you acted out of self-defense, a reflex. But I can teach you to control your power consciously. Let me help you John. Together we can stop them; we can take the city back!”

Revolutionary character: Max Rockatansky

Film: Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

What is he fighting for? He fights for his own liberty and that of his friends as well. After the nuclear meltdown of the world, everything is reduced to rubbish, and only a few towns living on the scraps of the previous world are surviving. One such town is Barter Town. This town is run by Auntie and her gang of thugs. Auntie sees her command threatened by a guy called Master Blaster, and she wants Max to kill him. When Max can’t do it, he is exiled to the dessert to die. Fortunately for him, he finds a group of kids who have been surviving in an Oasis in the middle of the dessert. They have created their own society, with their own rules. But they are all kids, teenagers at best. So when Max comes along, they see him as their savior and he takes it upon himself to save them. This film has Max leading the kids (always a symbol of the future) and his friends towards an unknown place where they will hopefully rebuild a new better society.

Revolutionary Quote: “I aint no Mr. Walker! I’m the guy who carries Mr. Dead in his pocket! ”

Revolutionary character: Theo Faron

Film: Children of Men (2006)

What is he fighting for? The future of the human race! Theo has the gargantuan task of protecting the only pregnant woman in the whole planet at a time when humanity has lost its ability to reproduce! This is a very bleak picture, humanity has lost all hope for the future, they think that since no one can reproduce, it will only be a couple of more years before humanity completely disappears from the face of the earth. Theo joins the rebels in an attempt to protect the pregnant woman and her child from the military machine. Theo’s mission is to take the woman and her child to meet a group called “The Human Project”, where scientists will try and find a way to help save the future of humanity.

Revolutionary Quote: “Even if they discovered the cure for infertility, doesn’t matter! Too late! World went to shit. Know what? It was too late even before the infertility thing happened for fucks sake.”

Revolutionary characters: Diabolik and Eva Kant

Film: Danger: Diabolik (1968)

What are they fighting for? Themselves. These two guys are the funniest. They aint no Robin Hoods. They don’t steal from the rich to give to the poor. They simply steal from the rich, and keep it to themselves. They simply do it to get back at the government for being such douche bags with society. The government is taking too much in taxes, what does Diabolik do? He blows up the tax buildings! They are corrupt? He steals 10 million dollars from them! And coolest thing about the whole thing is, he gets away with it and laughs an evil maniacal laugh all the way home. His home by the way is this awesome underground lair, complete with revolving bed and a Jacuzzi. On top of everything, Diabolik does all of this with his smoking hot girlfriend Eva Kant. Cant get better then that!

Revolutionary Quote: [Insert Evil Maniacal Laugh Here]

Well, thats it ladies and gents, LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION! Hope you guys enjoyed these articles, and found the informative. Hell, I think its great that we are all aware of what goes on in other parts of the world, we are all one big family, and we gotta help each other! "We are all in this together" says Robert DeNiro's character in Brazil, and thats no lie my friends! There may be imaginary borders and frontiers between countries, but we are all flying on the same big blue and green spaceship my friends,  I speak of Planet earth! Thanks to Neil Fulwood from the Agitation of the Mind for collaborating with me on this! It was great man! Looking forward to the next one!

VIVA LA REVOLUTION! PART II: ERNESTO ‘CHE’ GUEVARA

Well, this is the second day of the VIVA LA REVOLUTION! collaboration between two bloggers, my good friend Neil Fulwood of The Agitation of the Mind and myself, Francisco Gonzalez a.k.a. The Film Connoisseur. We decided to join forces to celebrate revolution on film. This three day event is focused towards real life revolutionaries, those that stood up against the tyranny and the evil. So go on over to The Agitation of the Mind whenever you get a chance, his articles are deliciously revolutionary as well. On this our second day Neil explores English films that have addressed the issue of revolution.

 Just to let you guys know, I don’t care about politics. To me its as dividing as religion is. But, I am an observer of human behavior, and a humanitarian, and through these articles, I’m simply yet honestly commenting on what I’m living through and what I see. What I have experienced. So I will be mixing my film commnents with some real life stuff I’ve been seeing, in my own country. So if you dont like talk of revolution, and oppression and all that, your welcome to tune out. But it is my hope that you will read this article, and at the very least, find it informative. Plus, I'll be talking about various films that have a revolutionary vibe to them.

Forgive me if this article turns a little too personal, but the truth is that I and many Puerto Ricans are going through an extremely difficult time in our history. We are currently being governed by a government with no love for its people. It gives a happy face to tourists and the media, but when it comes to its people, the masses, the poor, the middle class, well, then you see an entirely different face emerge. A violent, cold face, with no love or respect for those that put them in power. Kind of like those robot cops from George Lucas's THX 1138. Every step that our government is taking is to make their powerful grip on the country stronger. The police force is getting bigger, the national guard recruits fresh meat every day, all for the sole purpose of inflicting fear on the people, which I must say they have successfully done. I am not lying when I say that many Puerto Ricans walk in fear when they venture out into the streets. So, this is my personal reason for doing a special blog post about films dealing with revolution. It’s something I needed to do, to vent out all my thoughts and worries on this matter. Today I’ll be commenting on both of Steven Soderberg’s CHE films, on Oliver Stone's JFK and also on The Motorcycle Diaries, because it just feels appropriate, all things considered.

Parents want to pass food and water to the students who are striking inside the University of Puerto Rico, but the police doesnt allow food to go into the University. They'd rather have the  students who are striking starve!

This parent got hit by the police force for wanting to pass food to his son, who was striking inside of the University of Puerto Rico

This cinematic exploration of revolutionary films comes as a direct result of the suffering and oppression I have myself witnessed in Puerto Rico, the land I was born in. Currently, we are under the rule of a government that is taking violent steps towards oppressing its people, steal as much money as it can from them and keep its poor dumb by making the prices of higher education skyrocket. All the while they smile at the media, and put on a façade, lying through their teeth every step of the way. To my surprise, this type of thing isn’t just happening in Puerto Rico, similar stories are heard from countries like France, Greece and England. Do yourself a favor and make a throrough research on revolutions across these countries, this is a world wide phenomenon. Though students in those countries have reacted in a much more violent manner then they have here in Puerto Rico. Here, students have taken a more artistic approach towards expressing their anger at whats happening. Though little by little, things are turning more violent everyday.

 A student gives her public outcry against oppression in front of the University of Puerto Rico while an army of cops stands at the gates of the university behind her.

I see the revolution on the streets everyday because I live in the town of Rio Piedras, the epicenter of the revolution and home to the University of Puerto Rico. Thing is that for the longest time, higher education in Puerto Rico was extremely cheap, and the masses, the poor, were getting too smart for their own good. The powers that be have taken notice and now they want to make it difficult for the poor or medium class to get themselves educated. So they’ve raised tuition prices. Of course, the students are going to protest, this means that their lives will get more difficult, some won’t be able to pay the new higher tuition. So the students have started strikes that paralyze the whole university. In retaliation, the government has sent the police force to take over the university, and naturally, tensions are escalating. Day by day I wonder if things will eventually blow up in an ugly way, with possible blood shed. Cops are taking students that are speaking up against the violence and putting them in black vans and taking them away.

The words on the skull read: "A nation without education is a dead nation"

This is an issue that has divided people. The rich side with the government, while the poor side with the revolutionaries. I really hate how politics and money divides people, you see the rich throwing their hate at the students who are striking, leaving any sense of empathy outside of their points of view. I’ve personally heard people say that the police should shoot down all the rebellious students. Government officials themselves have said that if they had things their way, they would kick all those long hair hippies out of the campus. The government has done a good job of turning the peoples favor against the students by generalizing and calling the students terrorists and drug addicts through the media. As a result, a lot of people think the students are getting what they deserve.

Thousands hit the streets to protest agains the oppression

And things don’t just stop there! Last year, the government fired more than 30,000 of its employees! This means that 30,000 people (many with families to feed) were suddenly left job less. Simply because the government wants to keep as much cash as they can to themselves. They say they will use this money to square out the governments’ debt, but we all know that isn’t so. The money is being used for hiring more police men, buying more guns, and pepper spray, for new police cars with dark windows, so we can’t see who is driving them. The money is being used to fund the ever growing militia.

In front of 'El Capitolio' Puerto Rico's own house of laws

Hatred for our governor has escalated to the point where someone threw and egg at him while he was giving a speech. The man who did it, was taken away screaming “look! Your cops are going to kill me!” In all honesty, a huge part of the country was happy that that guy did that. It was an action that was representative of how the majority of the country felt for the government. After that day, the governor isn’t seen in public that often anymore; and anyone who even tries to get close to the governor of Puerto Rico gets a big warm hello from the clubs, pepper spray and tear gas courtesy of the Puerto Rican police force! The police have violently hit people that simply want to express their concern for what is going on.

This is how the people are welcomed when they go visit the house of laws in Puerto Rico, notice the cop spraying the person right in the face

A couple of months ago a group of protesters went to the house of laws of Puerto Rico, they were there peacefully. They wanted to go and offer some solutions to what is going on in Puerto Rico, they wanted to read a manifest that would state how the country felt about the way things have been going. How were they received? They were violently kicked out of the building by force! The police force hit civilians indiscriminately, they didn’t care who they were hitting, these drones didn’t see a country crying out in pain, they saw something less then them. It was a horribly dark day in our history as far as I’m concerned. It was the day the government decided to do a show of force and scare its people. This is the kind of Puerto Rico I am living in. And this is why I need to see films like CHE and Romero. They let me see that I am not wrong in hating this kind of behavior from our government. When I see films that depict revolutionary leaders like Malcom X, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, JFK, Martin Luther King, or even Ron Kovic (who’s story was brought to life in Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July) the question inevitably arises: where are our current revolutionary leaders? Can such a thing exist in today’s modern world? Or are people today so docile that no one is willing to stand up for what is right?

What makes up a true revolutionary? After seeing Romero (1989), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) and both of Steven Soderberg’s CHE movies I come to the conclusion that many things make up a true revolutionary leader, but one of the most important attributes of a revolutionary is their love for humanity. Their willingness to fight to the death so that everyone gets treated with dignity and respect. Revolutionary leaders stand up against governments who treat their people (usually the poor) as less then human. The Motorcycle Diaries is a film that shows how Che Guevara was a person who cared for the people very early on in his life. He recognized abuse, he saw the suffering first hand. It was a film based on Che’s own diary. A diary he wrote as he went on a cross country motorcycle ride with is best friend. But there’s a moment on the film in which Che sees the overworked and underpaid mine workers, and he starts working right next to them, when he sees people desperately in need of medical attention and we see the compassion in his eyes, these are moments that let us see that even during his young formative years he was always concerned about the well being of the people. On The Motorcycle Diaries, we see Che during his early twenties, and we see how even then, he had the heart and compassion of a man who cared about the less fortunate, and would do anything to help them. We see the seeds of who would later become one of the truest revolutionary leaders to ever walk the face of the earth.

Gael Garcia Bernal portrays a 23 year old Che in The Motorcycle Diaries

There is one key sequence in Soderberg’s first CHE film (The Argentine) that I really enjoyed in which Che goes to the United Nations representing Cuba and stands on the podium because it’s his turn to speak. What’s a revolutionary leader like Che going to tell the nations of the world? Political babble? Nope, not Che! He told them the truth right in their faces! An awesome moment in deed, and it was a moment that Soderberg himself fought to include in the film. What made this moment so great? Well, for one, Che wasn’t talking political bull crap like so many politicians do. When he got up there on that podium, he spoke the truth. I truly despise how you ask a politician a question, and they use a thousand words to answer something entirely different, avoiding the question you have just asked. Che wasn’t like that. When he spoke in the United Nations, he went straight to the point and spoke the truth. He called out various countries and told them how they were oppressing and abusing their people.

That is another thing that defines a true revolutionary: speaking up without fear. Despotic governments use fear tactics to keep the masses quiet, to make them afraid of speaking up. But revolutionaries do not fear these tactics. They become the voice of the people and speak up for them. They organize the people, make them see that things shouldn’t be this way, and that we don’t have to sit and let the chips fall where they may. You can actually stand up and do something about the whole thing! Problem is that this type of talk can lead to the governments making your life a living hell. They don’t like it when you speak up against them and tell them the truth in their faces, especially when said truth cannot be denied. That’s one thing I love about modern technology. Everyone has a camera on their phone; anyone can take a video of abusive government behavior and put it on You Tube or facebook and show the world how things are being conducted in their country and you know what they say “a picture speaks louder than a thousands words”

In The Argentine we see Che arrive in Cuba meeting and uniting forces with Fidel Castro in a fight against the oppressive and corrupt government. Said government was under the power of one Fulgencio Batista, one of the most evil governments that Cuba has ever had. This guy was a dirty politician who had ties with the mob! He (like many politicians of our own time) only cared about making money, or rather, stealing as much money as he could from the people. Worst part is that Batista’s reign of terror was backed up by the U.S. government which at the time had President Eisenhower in command. John F. Kennedy himself (another revolutionary who got shot down for not playing the game) spoke up against this horrifying fact:

“Fulgencio Batista murdered 20,000 Cubans in seven years, and he turned Democratic Cuba into a complete police state, destroying every individual liberty. Yet our aid to his regime, and the ineptness of our policies, enabled Batista to invoke the name of the U.S. in support of his reign of terror. Administration spokesmen publicly praised Batista - hailed him as a staunch ally and a good friend - at a time when Batista was murdering thousands, destroying the last vestiges of freedom and stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the Cuban people”

5,000 of these flyers were handed out in Dallas, Texas accusing Kennedy of being a traitor

John F. Kennedy saw the evil being committed, and even agreed with Castro and Che in their revolution. I’m sure this was one of the many reasons why JFK was eventually killed, he wasn’t doing what he was being told, he actually wanted to be truthful, and humanitarian, and sincere. Whenever JFK spoke, you heard a sincere desire to truly change things, make things right. He was well on his way towards becoming a real revolutionary leader, and in many ways, he was. Unfortunately people with such a mentality aren’t appreciated in this greedy world. So he was assassinated and replaced with someone that could be manipulated easier. Some one who would play along. It’s funny how those that want to change things and call out the wrongs of humanity get wiped out. Martin Luther King, Malcom X, JFK...the list goes on and on. Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991) is also a heartbreaking film, if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and do so. In my opinion, the death of JFK was one of the darkest days America has ever lived through. Not just because of his death, but because of what it represented.

Castro and Che where doing their own part in rising up against this great evil that was being committed against the Cuban nation. Can’t say I blame them for wanting something different for their country. The qestion of weather this revolution and its outcome was for the best or not, one thing was clear: it was needed at the time. I mean, who wants a government that’s killing its people and stealing from them? Nobody. Problem is that you take out one evil government and another one will replace it, with equal amounts of opportunities to turn every bit as evil as the last one, even if they start out with good intentions. One famous Che quote says: “Cruel leaders are replaced only to have new leaders turn cruel!” You know how the saying goes: “Absolute power, corrupts absolutely”

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara most famous picture

Ernesto Che Guevara is a historical figure that is [polarizing. He is seen as a hero by some and as a violent subversive by others. Its view of him will most likely depend on who you side with politically speaking. Im one of the ones who cant see him as something evil at all. He was standing up for humanity!  In Soderberg’s first CHE film, we see Che becoming that revolutionary leader, slowly accepting his role in the grand scheme of things, taking the steps to make it happen. We see him organizing his army, amassing his guns, training the new soldiers, who by the way where mostly made up of farmers. But Che taught them to hate the evil. He taught them to hate those that took their freedom and humanity from them. When you read Che’s books, those written by himself during those years of the revolution, you can see that Che’s motivations for revolution were always based in love of humanity, love for true righteousness, he taught his soldiers to hate those who were taking their basic human rights from them. After all, their enemy was being equally barbaric with them. In fact, more so. This is the only reason why CHE believed in using force and violence to make the change. He taught that when governments use guns and violence to oppress and kill its people, then that gives the people the right to protect themselves in the same way. It’s the same principles of self defense. When it’s your own life that is in danger, you have a right to protect yourself.

How evil was Fulgencio Batista’s rule over Cuba? Well, his government had its bases on pure fear. He used murder as his prime way of inflicting it on the masses! He sent out his soldiers to kill people who were rising up and then he hung their dead bodies from the streets lamps for everyone to see, just to let the people know what could happen to them should they decide to join the revolt. That my friends is the face of true evil in my book! It had to be stopped!

Eventually, as we see in the film, the Cuban revolution was won. Che and Castro achieved their goal, for better or for worse. Cuba was no longer under the rule of Batista. After this, Che disappears from Cuba. This is where the second CHE film (called Guerrilla) begins. On this second film we see Che going to Bolivia to organize a similar revolution against a government that was also abusing its people, and that was also aided by U.S. military. Problem is that this revolution had a very different outcome, the film shows how the Bolivian people didn’t really support Che because the government had a hate and fear campaign on the media saying all sorts of lies about Che, in this way scaring the people from wanting to join his guerrilla. Still, this campaign of lies did not stop his movement. He took it as far as he could. Che going to Bolivia like that proved one thing, he went were ever the people were being abused and oppressed, no matter what country. This is why he considered himself a “citizen of the world”, he would go where ever he was needed, where ever people where being stepped on.

Fulgencio Batista, the face of dictatorship

On more then one occasion he was accused of being a murderer. And of course, they were right. He had to kill his enemy, this after all was war. But the difference between this war and other wars, were the reasons behind it. It was a rebellion fueled by a desire to make things right and stop the abusive behavior of the government. Let’s face it; there are times when this simply has to be done. The evil is simply too great to stand around doing nothing. One famous Che quote says: “Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love” Che killed, but we have to remember that this was simply a counter measure to the slaughter of innocent civilians by the government. Were people simply supposed to stand around and be slaughtered? The answer to that question is a resounding “HELL NO!”

When governments forget that they are there for the people, then they have to be reminded that they are there not to oppress and fill their pockets with the peoples money, they are there to serve the masses. It’s what any true government should do. Sadly, it seldom happens. Sometimes they go in the complete opposite direction, masquerading their true intentions and blatantly lying and manipulating the masses. This was an interesting aspect of the film, how we see the governments lying to the people through the radio waves and news paper articles. This is something that in my own personal opinion goes on to this day. Newspapers, websites, radio shows and news channels are controlled to bend the masses opinions on any given subject matter, especially when it comes to politics. Sadly, most people take what they read on newspapers and see on TV as the truth. As Che says in the film, moments before his execution: “Maybe they believed your lies”

Another dead revolutionary, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara's dead body, moments after his execution

I must admit that this second film is a much sadder affair, especially when we come to the last moments of the film, when Che is about to be executed. Soderberg’s direction was awesome in these moments, for when they shoot Che, we see everything from his own point of view. When they shot Che in Soderberg’s film, I felt like they had shot that gun at me, simply because I was so into the movie and because of the way that scene was shot and directed. I did shed a tear for this ultimate revolutionary; and his earnest desire to stand up for humanity and what is right. When asked what he believes in he answered “I believe in humanity”. I was moved by this film probably because of what is going on in my own country of Puerto Rico, where the government is earning its stars, little by little, club hit, by club hit towards becoming an oppressive government. Hell, I’ll say its well on its way to becoming one of the most violent governments in Puerto Rican history. But don’t ask our governor, he’ll smile at you, shake your hand and invite you to enjoy the beautiful beaches and hotels in the tourist area of our island.

The governor of Puerto Rico or he who shall not be named

But Che’s fighting spirit seen in Soderberg’s film is with every poor person that is being oppressed around the world. It’s with every student that is fighting for their rights to public and affordable higher education. It’s with them when police forces invaded college campuses and the streets, making everyone feel like we are living in a police state. Will any more Che Guevara’s ever rise up in this revolution? Who knows, revolution nowadays is seen under a different light. A violent revolt is seen as something evil. Marching and striking seems to be the way to ‘revolt’ nowadays. Will all the marching and striking ever achieve anything? Or will the governments let us do our marching and complaining and then simply do what they wanted to do all along? When is the time to truly rise up and do something against the oppression? When is too much, too much? I leave the answer to that question to you my dear readers. Dont forget to come back tomorrow for part three of VIVA LA REVOLUTION! where I will suggest 20 movies where revolutionaries actually got to beat the system! Be there or be square.  

“I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves” - Ernesto Che Guevara

Cover of the 'El Nuevo Dia', Puerto Rico's main newspaper. On it, a cop is threatening a mother and a daughter who are crying on the floor, pleading for justice.