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8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 A Great Document And Reflection.Dec 04, 2007
By Michael Kropotkin
"Kropotkin"
Salvador Allende remains one of the most fascinating political figures of the late 20th century. Allende made history in 1971 when he became Chile and the world's first elected Marxist leader. Filmmaker Patricio Guzman here tackles this icon of the Left, and even of democracy itself, with a film that is not so much a biography of Allende, but a memory, Guzman's own search into his country's past, his own memories, and how Allende's revolution marked and affected them. No other filmmaker has attempted to tackle the Allende persona, which is a subject that has gained more importance now in an era when Latin America is choosing to elect socialist leaders and revolutionaries like Hugo Chavez use the ballot rather than bullets to take power. "Salvador Allende" chronicles Allende's rise to the presidency and the socialist revolution he wanted to bring. Guzman uses images he himself filmed during the Popular Unity years, showing the kind of revolutionary fervor that engulfed a nation. The masses take to the streets, the workers take land, music and laughter fill the air while rich elites scorn and scoff. Guzman makes a point about the class struggles Chile faced, as Allende was attacked by a bourgiouse that was heavily funded by the Nixon White House. A former government official even comments on Nixon's fears of Allende's win, threatening to export terrorism into Chile and strangle the nation's economy. There is a particularly powerful moment when Guzman wanders into a rich neighborhood where the presidential home used to reside. He presents photos of Allende's burned home after it was sacked by local enemies after the notorious September 11, 1973 fascist coup that overthrow the government, replacing it with the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. Guzman then goes to rich people's homes asking if they remember the looting, nobody but one resident agree to speak. The portrait we form of Salvador Allende is of an intelligent man, a visionary and thinker who wanted to bring revolution through the vote, through the literal will of the people, but was confronted by powerful forces and vicious enemies funded by the United States. As with his previous films, Guzman here tells a story and also goes on a search. He revisits old spots, interviews eyewitnesses and family members, trying to piece together what exactly happened. There is an urgency in the way he is attempting to document the Allende revolution, a moment in Latin American history the Pinochet government tried desperately to erase and hide. "Salvador Allende" is not just a film about history, but memory, more than most filmmakers, Guzman has been able to evoke a sense of memory, of remembering, not wanting to forget, and finding out the truth of an event. It is interesting how in many circles Allende is placed on the same pedastal as Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, but yet few serious films have been made about the man and his times. Here Guzman gives us a fascinating document that is also a moving experience.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Subtitled??Apr 14, 2008
By V. OConnor
While the documentary was riviting for me (a fluent Spanish speaker), my husband was unable to enjoy it as he doesn't speak Spanish. We tried in vain for fifteen minutes to have the English subtitles displayed. The packaging said the DVD featured a subtitle option but we were unable to get them working.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Salvador AllendeDec 04, 2008
By K. Model
I have been unable to locate a DVD of Salvador Allende so was very excited to find it on Amazon. However, as was the case with the previous reviewer, I could not get the English subtitles to work. On closer inspection, I figured out that the subtitles mentioned on the DVD package refer to a few brief moments in the film which feature Spanish subtitles to translate English conversation. Very misleading! And disappointing since I do not speak Spanish.
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based on 3 reviews
