The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2003)

In April 2002, an Irish film crew is making a documentary about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, when a coup from the opposition is made.

Directors:

Kim Bartley, Donnacha O'Briain

Stars:

Hugo Chávez, Pedro Carmona, Jesse Helms

13 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Hugo Chávez	...	Self
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pedro Carmona	...	Self (archive footage)
Jesse Helms	...	Self (archive footage)
Colin Powell	...	Self (archive footage)
George Tenet	...	Self (archive footage)

Storyline

In April 2002, an Irish film crew is making a documentary about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, when a coup from the opposition is made.

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Plot Keywords:

american imperialism | reference to hugo chavez | venezuelan president | coup attempt | failed coup attempt | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The filmmakers were accused of omissions and distortions in another film, X-Ray of a Lie (Radiografía de una mentira) the 2004 documentary examined The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Brian A. Nelson, who wrote The Silence and the Scorpion: The Coup Against Chavez and the Making of Modern Venezuela, says X-Ray of a Lie includes a "blow-by-blow of [The Revolution's] manipulations". Nelson says Baralt Avenue was not empty as the film portrays, "so the filmmakers put a black bar at the top of the frame to hide the Metropolitan Police trucks that were still there", among other manipulations.

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Connections

Featured in Radiografía de una mentira (2004)

User Reviews

A total failure!

This documentary's attempt to catch the reality of the President of this country, Mr. Chavez, I must say, was a total failure, not to mention theirs unfortunate approach to register the facts surrounding the strike of April 2002.

The filmmakers say at the beginning of the movie that they came to Venezuela approximately 7 months before the events of April 2002. They (or their government's guides) were too careful to extract from the discourses of Mr. Chavez all the smiles, all the kids he carries, and a whole interview where he offended no one. This must have cost them a lot of work, because, in almost five years as a president, listening to him every day (plus a couple of years of campaign before that) we had never had the opportunity of seeing a so peaceful and beloved Mr. Chavez. It's amazing how these filmmakers protest against the role of the media's corporations in the Venezuela's current situation, while they serve the same kind of lies, all dressed up as a `documentary', but for the benefits, willingly or not, of the opposite side.

As for the events of April 2002, the directors only failed in one small thing: they were never out of Miraflores Palace (Presidential Palace of Venezuela) and they attended to all the details of the process that were given to them by the same persons that had nailed Venezuela into these unfortunate events. Out there was the massacre, were the outrageous murders of dozens of innocent people, ordered directly by Mr. Chavez, and that were never mentioned in this vindication of the so-called revolution.

Images don't lie. But too few images, along with a couple of directed commentaries, may become the biggest lie of all.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Ireland Netherlands UK Germany France Finland

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

12 September 2003 (Finland)

Also Known As:

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Filming Locations:

Miraflores, Caracas, Venezuela

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,101, 26 October 2003

Gross USA:

$153,859

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$153,859

Company Credits

Production Co:

Power Pictures 2002 Ltd., Bórd Scannán na hÉireann, Nederlandse Programma Stichting (NPS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min 52 min (TV)

Color:

Color