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Patricio Guzmán: The Watchful Eye

Screening of El Caso Pinochet (The Pinochet Case) & Salvador Allende, directed by acclaimed Chilean documentarian Patricio Guzmán. Part of the film series "Patricio Guzmán: The Watchful Eye," a retrospective showcasing several of the acclaimed Chilean documentarian's films.

Friday, May 06, 2011
7:30 PM
Billy Wilder Theater
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles,

“The only eternal lesson to be had is to study the past, so that we won’t repeat it.”— Patricio Guzmán.

In a remarkable 40-year career, Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán has crafted a unique legacy among documentarians: cataloguing the cataclysmic modern events of his country in a body of work not only timely, but timeless. Influenced early on by the non-fiction work of Chris Marker, Frédéric Rossif and Louis Malle, Guzmán began his career in 1971, documenting the sweeping social and economic reforms enacted by Chile’s then-president, Salvador Allende, Latin America’s first democratically elected socialist head of state. In 1973, Allende’s government was brought down in a bloody coup that brought General Augusto Pinochet to power and Guzmán was forced to leave Chile for Europe where he completed The Battle of Chile, Parts 1-3 (1975-1979), a searing account of the Allende government’s final year. Guzmán has returned to the events of 1973 and their aftermath several times throughout his career while also expanding his field of inquiry to explore the very natures of cinema, history and memory. 

About the Films:

THE PINOCHET CASE (El caso Pinochet) (2001)

In 1998 at the request of a Spanish magistrate with the initial support of the British government, Augusto Pinochet became the first head of state to be charged with crimes against humanity under the concept of universal jurisdiction. For Guzmán these events offered not only a chance to document the unprecedented international judicial proceedings against Pinochet, but to examine the concept of justice itself. Intercutting interviews with lawyers and Pinochet’s victims, Guzmán follows the process through which painful memories are translated into dry legalese in pursuit of an ambiguous, uncertain closure.

109 Minutes | In Spanish & English with English Subtitles

 

SALVADOR ALLENDE (2004)

Guzmán himself narrates this portrait of the political leader whose life and work have had such a profound influence on his own life and career. Through rare archival footage and contemporary interviews with supporters and enemies alike, Guzmán cuts through the popular mythology surrounding Allende to craft a multi-layered biography of the doctor-turned-socialist-activist-turned-reformist-president who remains a powerful figure of hope for many around the world.

100 Minutes | In Spanish, French and English with English Subtitles

 

Cost: Free to UCLA students with valid ID; General Admission: $10

Special Instructions

To purchase tickets, please visit http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/calendar (Filmforum members receive a $1 discount off the regular ticket price at the theater box office) Parking Information: Parking is available in the lot under the theater. Enter from Westwood Blvd., just north of Wilshire. Parking for people with disabilities is provided on levels P1 and P3. After 6pm: $3.00 flat rate. Before 6pm: $3.00 for first 3 hours with Museum validation and $1.50 per 20 minutes thereafter, maximum $12 per day. To obtain validation stamp show your ticket stub at the security desk in the Wilshire Lobby.

www.cinema.ucla.edu/calendar/

Sponsor(s): Latin American Institute, Center for Argentina, Chile and the Southern Cone, Film and Television Archive, Spanish and Portuguese, Los Angeles Filmforum