“The major political film of our times – a magnificent achievement” (Tom Allen, Village Voice).
“Not only the best film about Allende and the coup d’etat, but among the best documentary films ever made, changing our concepts of political documentary within a framework accessible to the widest audience” (Time Out Film Guide).
Few documentaries have received the acclaim of Guzmán’s three-hour, on-the-street-as-it-happens record of one of the twentieth century’s most significant political events, the 1973 overthrow of Salvador Allende’s democratically elected government.
Broken into two sections, the film begins with “The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie,” detailing the increasingly violent response of elitist and right-wing sections of Chilean society to Allende’s surprise election victory in March 1973. The second part of the film, entitled “The Coup d’État,” shows how right-wing forces rallied to decimate a divided left, mounting a military assault that removed Allende and his supporters and ultimately resulted in his death.
The Battle of Chile is a raw elegy for thwarted democracy, a tumultuous and gripping account of a watershed moment in world history, and essential viewing for all.
“A landmark in the presentation of living history on film” (Judy Stone, San Francisco Chronicle).
– George Kaltsounakis
