I know the barebones facts about Salvador Allende - the very barebones facts. He was a socialist who was elected President of Chile and sought to lead a peaceful socialist revolution. He was virulently opposed by the United States, and eventually overthrown and died during a coup by the Chilean military with the assistance of the CIA, ushering in a time of violent and ruthless fascist rule of Chile by a military junta under the leadership of Augusto Pinochet.
I knew all that. It's only the basics, but it was enough knowledge to make me intrigued by this movie. For the most part it didn't disappoint. It details the last few hours of Allende's life, as he and his supporters wall themselves up inside the presidential palace and fight desperately, hoping for some miracle that would save them. The miracle, of course, didn't come. I thought it was a pretty convincing account of Allende's last seven hours, but that was also its great weakness. Knowing only the barebones facts, I would have appreciated a little more about the political situation in Chile. How did we get to this last day of Allende's presidency and life? Without knowing much about the internal workings of the Chilean politics of that era, I found myself a little bit lost. Having to watch it with subtitles (because I don't speak Spanish and it wasn't dubbed into English) was also a bit distracting, although the story itself is clear and straightforward enough.
Overall I liked it. I just wish it had offered a little bit more background to the coup and how it came about. (7/10)
I knew all that. It's only the basics, but it was enough knowledge to make me intrigued by this movie. For the most part it didn't disappoint. It details the last few hours of Allende's life, as he and his supporters wall themselves up inside the presidential palace and fight desperately, hoping for some miracle that would save them. The miracle, of course, didn't come. I thought it was a pretty convincing account of Allende's last seven hours, but that was also its great weakness. Knowing only the barebones facts, I would have appreciated a little more about the political situation in Chile. How did we get to this last day of Allende's presidency and life? Without knowing much about the internal workings of the Chilean politics of that era, I found myself a little bit lost. Having to watch it with subtitles (because I don't speak Spanish and it wasn't dubbed into English) was also a bit distracting, although the story itself is clear and straightforward enough.
Overall I liked it. I just wish it had offered a little bit more background to the coup and how it came about. (7/10)