Institute History
Description
Twelve years after the military coup that unseated President Salvadore Allende in Chile, David Bradbury returns to that troubled country to record the legacy of General Pinochet: at least 2500 “missing people” (including children), random police-initiated terror against the poor, a $22f million debt, 14% unemployment and a survival-level standard of living for the masses of people. Bradbury entered Chile on the pretext that he was making a film about music, At an elegant garden party for Chile’s international music festival, he briefly corners John Denver who has this to say about the political situation: “People are much happier that they have been for a long, long time. I’m happy for them,”
In one of the film’s final scenes, a 14-year-old boy whose father has been kidnapped and murdered, gives a heart-rending speech calling for unity in the fight against the brutal dictatorship. His pleas are followed by and interview with the Chief of Police, who blames the spate of recent murders on “international communism.” He says these men were killed because they led strikes which failed, and through their murder the Communists hope to place blame upon the Pinochet regime. See this film and decide who’s telling the truth.