Director Patricio Guzmán with cameraman Jorge Müller Silva during the filming of The Battle of Chile.
Hailed as “one of the 10 best political documentary films in the world” (Cineaste Magazine), Patricio Guzmán’s landmark documentary trilogy The Battle of Chile / La batalla de Chile will finally premiere on broadcast television in its native country over forty years after its original release.
Private television channel La red will show the three parts of the influential documentary this weekend on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the 1973 coup d’etat that toppled the democratically-elected government of Salvador Allende. The first part, “The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie," will be screened on Friday night; followed by the second part, “The Coup d'Etat,” on Saturday; and the third part, “The Power of the People.” will be broadcast on Sunday. The broadcast premiere of the three-part film will be accompanied by an interview with the celebrated filmmaker.
Long banned in Chile after Pinochet's coup, only in 1997 could director Guzmán return to show the film there for the first time. "With this, a historic debt of Chilean television is paid," said Mauro Parra, executive producer of La Red, who is in charge of the broadcast. Produced by Chris Marker, The Battle of Chile released between 1975 and 1979, remains one of the most widely praised documentary films of all time.
