State of Siege (1972)
"État de siège" (original title)

In Uruguay in the early 1970s, an official of the US Agency for International Development (a group used as a front for training foreign police in counterinsurgency methods) is kidnapped by ... See full summary »

Director:

Costa-Gavras

Writers:

Franco Solinas, Costa-Gavras (original scenario),

Stars:

Yves Montand, Renato Salvatori, O.E. Hasse

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yves Montand	...	Philip Michael Santore
Renato Salvatori	...	Captain Lopez
O.E. Hasse	...	Carlos Ducas
Jacques Weber	...	Hugo
Jean-Luc Bideau	...	Este
Maurice Teynac	...	Minister of Internal Security
Yvette Etiévant	...	Woman Senator
Evangeline Peterson	...	Mrs. Santore
Harald Wolff	...	Minister of Foreign Affairs
Nemesio Antúnez	...	President of the Republic
Mario Montilles	...	Assistant Commissioner Fontant
André Falcon	...	Deputy Fabbri
Jerry Brouer	...	Anthony Lee
Roberto Navarrete	...	Commissioner Romero
Douglas Harris	...	A.I.D. Director

Storyline

In Uruguay in the early 1970s, an official of the US Agency for International Development (a group used as a front for training foreign police in counterinsurgency methods) is kidnapped by a group of urban guerillas. Using his interrogation as a backdrop, the film explores the often brutal consequences of the struggle between Uruguay's government and the leftist Tupamaro guerillas.

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Plot Keywords:

uruguay | guerilla | revolutionary | south america | third world | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

France Italy West Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

22 March 1973 (Italy)

Also Known As:

State of Siege

Filming Locations:

Cerro Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, V Región, Chile

Company Credits

Production Co:

Reggane Films, Euro International Film (EIA), Unidis

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Unlike its predecessors, this film is one of the lesser known films of Gavras.

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Goofs

The name of the Brazilian Ambassador in Uruguay is Fernando Campos (the name is revealed throughout the film). But in the beginning of the film right before his kidnap his name appears on a sign at his house as Roberto Campos.

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Connections

Featured in Neverland: The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation Army (2004)

User Reviews

Nostalgia and anticipation

In May, 2002 they are fulfilled 30 years of the beginning of the filming of this movie in several leases of Chile (Santiago, Viña del Mar, Valparaíso and Playa Ancha). It was in the second year of the socialistic government of the President Allende and the tension that is perceived in the movie was the one that already was living through the country a year before the military coup of 1973. The Chileans only we could see this movie 2001 and in an alone cinema-art in Santiago that exhibited it for two weeks. In May, 2002 the channel of French cable TV5 exhibited "State of Siege" four times, which has allowed a deeper critical review and to recognize a series of places of the Chile of 30 years ago, which already do not exist or which are now deeply modified. Besides the climate of the epoch there is perceived the precarious or simple car equipment that Chileans were having in that epoch in which the cars of luxury were the Dodge Dart Chrysler (assembled in the northern port of Arica) and the Peugeot 404 (assembled in Los Andes, 100 kms. from Santiago). The car of the well-off middle class was the Fiat 125 and en their juvenile sectors the ideal was a Mini Austin 850. In the installed middle class there were meeting old Renault 4S (the "renolas" o "renoletas"), VW beetles, Simca 1000 and principally the popular one Citroen 2CV, known like "citroneta" o "citrola". The movie allows to see brief the juvenile or young faces of approximately 30 actors, the majority today mature and well known and to wonder for the identities of others that probably retired, they did not come back from exile or were murdered or disappear during the dictatorship. In short an intelligent and nervous "thriller", in "Z" style, which showing the hard political reality of Uruguay between 1970 and 1972. The film allows a nostalgic look and indicative on the Chile that was on the way to disappear due the Coup d'Etat of 11 of september, 1973.