Film: The Battle of Chile
Director: Patricio Guzmán
Country: Chile
Released: 1975-79
Runtime: 263 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Equipe Tercer Ano
Influenced: Fernando E. Solanas, Ken Burns, Peter Watkins, Michael Moore, Octavio Getino
Patricio Guzmán's groundbreaking documentary The Battle of Chile was filmed in 1972 and 1973 but wasn't fully completed until 1975-1979 owing to various production and financial issues. The conception of the film was a direct response to the political climate in Chile at the time, particularly the rise and fall of Salvador Allende's democratically elected government. The Battle of Chile chronicles the political tension in the country in 1973 and is divided into three parts:
– The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie (1975): The first part focuses on the 1973 Chilean elections and the political landscape of the country. It shows the attempts of the right-wing parties and the Chilean military to overthrow Allende's Popular Unity government.
– The Coup d'État (1976): This second part is a direct follow-up to the first, documenting the actual military coup d'état on 11th September 1973, which ended Allende's government.
– The Power of the People (1979): The final part shows the response of the Chilean left to the military coup, in particular their organisation into resistance groups and the tactics they used in an attempt to regain power.
The film is notable for its on-the-ground, cinema verité style. Guzmán and his crew filmed events as they were happening, giving a raw, unfiltered look at the political climate and the tensions of the time. This technique made The Battle of Chile a significant work in the direct cinema movement, which emphasises observational filmmaking and rejects voiceover narration, interviews or other more traditional documentary techniques.
After the military coup, Guzmán was forced to leave Chile, and so went to Europe carrying the filmed material, where he connected with renowned French filmmaker Chris Marker. Marker was deeply invested in global politics and had been closely following the events in Chile. Marker became significantly involved in the film, primarily as a producer. He helped Guzmán secure funding for The Battle of Chile, while also assisting with the editing of the film in France and Cuba. In this way, Marker's involvement in the project was not only practical, in terms of securing funding and resources, but also ideological, as he shared Guzmán's belief in the power of cinema to document and critique political events.
The Battle of Chile's unflinching look at the political situation in Chile during a period of major upheaval has not only made it an invaluable historical document, but also a masterpiece of documentary filmmaking. The film has won numerous awards and has been praised for its in-depth analysis of the social and political climate of Chile during this time. On top of that, the film is also a testament to the power of cinema as a form of resistance and an instrument for raising social consciousness. Despite the dangerous circumstances under which it was made, Guzmán and his crew remained committed to documenting the events they were witnessing. The film stands as a brave act of defiance and a significant political statement.
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