Power to the People

Movie: The Battle of Chile
Years: Part 1: The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie (1975); part 2: The Coup d'Etat (1976); part 3: The Power of the People (1979)
Director: Patricio Guzman

For Chileans, the date September 11 has the same tragic resonance as it does for us in the United States. It was on that date back in 1973 that the democratically elected Marxist president of the country, Salvador Allende, was killed when a military coup (backed by the red-fearing U.S. government) storm La Moneda palace in Santiago and overthrew the government. This film, rarely seen in Chile and still something of a mystery in most of the world at large, chronicles Allende's death and the events that led up to it. It was a heady time in Chile and Guzman and his brave crew--who were often themselves on the front lines--do a superb job in chronicling the turbulent times. In fact, one cameramen, the Argentine Leonard Hendrickson, was killed filming a street skirmish between troops and protesters, capturing the face of his killer--a hard-assed military type--in the final flickering seconds of his life.

The film begins with in March of 1973. Citizens of all stripe are questioned as to their opinions on the upcoming election. Allende--having been elected fair and square--has already been in office two years by this point and has been trying to reorganize Chilean society along democratic socialist lines.

The opposition, consisting of the right-wing Partido Nacional (National Party) and the more centrist Christian Democratic Party defined the elections as a plebiscite on Allende's government and are hoping to emerge with enough seats in Parliament to impeach the president. The opposition did indeed make strides but not enough. So therefore a change in strategy was needed--force--to unseat Allende.
Part 1 ends with a failed coup attempt from June, 1973. At this point, the military wasn't entirely on board with the idea that it should be the one to overthrow Allende. The death of Hendrickson is incredible--both for the cold-bloodedness on the part of the military man who kills him and for Hendrickson's unflinching devotion to his duty as a filmmaker. How could he stand in the line of fire like that, possibly (probably?) knowing what the consequences were? Bravery and courage somehow seem like insufficient words to describe Hendrickson's act. And it was important too in the sense that it foreshadowed much of what was to come in Chile as the military gained more and more power and bloodlust.

The second part picks up at that point, and is equally gripping. One of the highlights is a debate between General Carlos Prats and Jose Toha, the Minister of Defense (both of whom were murdered by the military following the events of Sept. 11.) about how to proceed. It is a fascinating exchange--how often are we allowed to see the inner workings of a government, any government, at the highest levels?--and is another of the many examples of stupendous work by Guzman and his crew. Really, it can't be stressed enough the dedication they showed to seeing their project through. They were seemingly at every rally, every protest and every government meeting.

The key question in part 2, though, is this: Knowing, as many people then did (at least theoretically) that the opposition and the U.S. government were planning a coup, what was to be done? The film accurately presents the debate that existed within the left. Should it accelerate the process and prepare for an armed confrontation or, alternatively, should it attempt to build an alliance with the PDC and prevent it from siding completely with the right? The filmmakers' sympathies for the former option are clear.

In interviews with individuals and through footage of the mass, pro-government demonstrations that punctuated the months prior to the coup, the filmmakers convey the impression that the majority of base level supporters wanted a mano dura (firm hand) against the "momias" (literally the mummies or the bourgeoisie, the dead and dying class). As they march the people chant "crear, crear, milicia popular" (create, create, a People's Militia). In interview after interview, workers question the government's timidity and make it clear that they want weapons to defend themselves.

A second theme of this and the other two sections is poder popular (popular power). In the industrialized sections of Santiago workers took over their factories and set up "cordones industriales," organizations which united workers in the same industrial belts, specifically Los Cerillos, Vicuna Mackenna, and Puente Alto. The "cordones industriales" were both an expression of workers taking control of their work situation and a means to defend themselves against attacks from the opposition. The workers' initiative and development of the cordones industriales led some party and government officials to ask whether or not the workers were forming parallel organizations, a possibility that much of the government and CUT (Central Unica de Trabajadores, the Central Workers Union which grouped together the unions supportive of the government), disagreed with.

In one memorable scene, a CUT official meets with workers to discuss the issue of the workers taking over their factories and initiating the cordones industriales. One worker challenges the CUT official's disapproval of the workers' actions by asking, "Don't you have faith in popular power? Doesn't the president have faith in the organizations we create?"

In one particularly powerful scene, we witness the memorial service for commander Araya Peters, Allende's naval aide-de-camp, whom the right most likely murdered. As the camera pans the faces of the top military officials gathered for the service, a dirge plays. The film clearly conveys that we are watching the death of the Popular Unity government, not just that of one loyal military officer. Part 2 concludes with Allende's final speech, the bombing of La Moneda, the presidential palace, and the Junta's declaration upon seizing power.”

Part 3 changes the pace in a sudden and interesting way. The first two parts followed the events leading up to the coup chronologically; in the third section, Guzman--who was in this point in exile in Sweden having spent time interred at infamous concentration camp set up at the Estadio Nacional--instead chooses to honor the achievement of Allende’s government by backtracking in time and documenting in greater detail the mechanics of popular power within. This is the shortest and in my opinion weakest of the three sections, but only because the immediacy and potency of the first two sections is so overwhelming.

In her famous review in the New Yorker, the legendary Pauline Kael makes an interesting point about "Battle:" "How could a team of five - some with no previous film experience - working with ... one Éclair camera, one Nagra sound recorder, two vehicles ... and a package of black-and-white film stock sent to them by the French documentarian Chris Marker produce a work of this magnitude? The answer has to be partly, at least; through Marxist discipline..The young Chilean director and his associates had a sense of purpose. The twenty hours of footage they shot had to be smuggled out of the country ... the cameraman, Jorge Muller, hasn't been heard of since his imprisonment. The others fled separately, assembled in Cuba, and together with a well known Chilean film editor Pedro Chaskel, ... worked on the movie ... Aesthetically, this is a major film, and that gives force even to the patterning of its charges ... It needs to be seen on public television, with those (U.S.) government officials who formed policy toward Allende explaining what interests they believed they were furthering."

I agree; it is impossible to view this film without reflecting on the dedication and courage of the filmmakers. We hear of those who "sacrifice for their art," but what does this really mean? Does it mean putting your neck on the line or does it mean a few less nights out because funds are low? Whose side are you on? For Guzman it's simple, in every frame, with each magnificent shot, he strives to bring Allende's persona and the dedication of the people, the workers and the "good guys" in the government to the fore. As a chant heard throughout the movie says: Allende, Allende, el pueblo se defiende! (Allende, Allende, the people will defend you).

A better political documentary you will never see. Honest, brave, passionate filmmaking that would be very hard to surpass in these self-indulgent times.

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