¡¿Revolutiòn!?
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| ¡¿Revolutiòn!? | |
|---|---|
 A citizen holds up his free Don Quixote. |
|
| Directed by | Charles Gervais |
| Starring | Hugo Chávez José Vicente Rangel Julio Borges Manuel Sucre Donald Rumsfeld |
| Cinematography | Sylvestre Guidi |
| Editing by | Étienne Gagnon |
| Release date(s) | December 8, 2006 |
| Running time | 85 minutes |
| Language | French, Spanish |
¡¿Revolutiòn!? is 2006 political documentary directed by Quebec journalist and filmmaker Charles Gervais. It examines the so-called peaceful and democratic revolution operated by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. It was produced by Télé-Québec, the Quebec government's public television network.
As part of the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal film festival, first screenings occurred on November 10 and 14, 2006 at the Cinéma ONF in Montreal. The general opening happened on December 8, 2006, at Cinéma Ex-Centris, also in Montreal. This version showed the original Spanish spoken by the subjects, as well as narration and subtitles in French.
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[edit] Production
In April 2005, director Claude Gervais heard of the news that Hugo Chávez decided to distribute one million free copies of major 17th century Spanish novel Don Quixote de la Mancha to Venezuelan citizens. This gave him the inspiration to fly to Venezuela and examine from within this "revolution" in the making. Also, after filming the medium-length documentary Quand la vie est un rêve on the Haitian youth, Gervais wished to focus on something more positive.[1]
[edit] Synopsis
The film is narrated by a fictional Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote. As his voice guides the documentary, animations of his famous character illustrate his discourse. The narrator observes that history has seen time and again revolutions set against a high pressure of injustice on the people that see their achievement through violence, from the French and American Revolutions to the Cuban, Bolshevik and Latin American decolonization experiences. But, as he remarks that violent revolution leads to the victory of the most powerful, not necessarily the most legitimate, the narrator asks: what if there were a series of guidelines for a democratic and peaceful revolution? The film is thus structured around that main question as it examines these "guidelines" supposedly put in practice by Hugo Chávez.
It opens on the distribution of those free copies of Don Quixote, and also travels through the history of Chávez' failed coup d'état and subsequent conversion to democratic means. In the present, it also shows the medical and agricultural initiatives of Chávez, as well as the 2005 legislative elections and the electoral boycott attempt by the opposition.
The movie features pro-Chávez and anti-Chávez militants, politicians and citizens, within and without the barrios (the poor districts of Venezualan cities like Caracas). The anti-Chávez politicians interviewed are members of Primero Justicia. It also examines the nationalization of petroleum. Other Chávez opponents met by the filmmaker come from places like the newspaper El Nacional and the former direction of the petroleum industry. The director did not obtain an interview with the President, but filmed him first hand in speeches and his famous weekly Aló Presidente television show. About the situation of the freedom of the press, director Gervais claimed that it was easier to film in the Venezuela of Chávez than in Canada.[1]
The film is in major part a positive account of the "Bolivarian revolution". The question marks in the title however denote the author's interrogation about how the affair could get out of control, drawing from guerrillero supporters ready for violence and the appearance of Chávez' desire to hang unto power. The film ends on the quote from Don Quixote: "Do not let personal passion blind you in another's case".
[edit] Trivia
- The film features a brief scene where then-American Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld compares the democratic election of Chávez to the election of Adolf Hitler in 1930s Germany, also achieved through democracy.
[edit] Reference
- ^ a b "Le nouveau Quichotte?" by Jérôme Delgado, Voir, December 7, 2006
