Missing Directed by Costas Gavras 1982
a film about the American backed coup in Chile 1973 ousting President Allende by General Pinochet to protect American Interests as usual. A great piece of film-making combined with stellar & realistic performances by Jack Lemmon and Sisy Spacek . It is a film that is serious and profound and deeply moving while always returning to its core of a study of humanity of the fanatical cold-warriors to the the fear, apprehension and sorrow of ordinary people. It is a film that makes one angry and sad while presenting the entire episode as surreal and baffling. For what was the great evil being committed by Allende and others that they deserved to be shot down like mad dogs or tortured and then executed . It raises the question whether Americans truly believe in the right to dissent. They claim they do . But their actions from Vietnam to Iraq , from Kent State to Gitmo & Abu Ghraib to the Media blackouts as in refusing to cover or to cover accurately and fairly anti-war demonstrations in America today suggest otherwise.
It is one of my favourite films. It is I believe a great film not just because of its politics. Gavras has done a wonderful job of turning a somewhat prosaic and political story into a heartfelt plea for sanity in a world gone mad. A world dominated by Cold War Warriors who see the world in stark black and white terms and fail to see what may be worth supporting and valuing. Democracy and freedom and capitalism and the fight against evils of Communism they see as incompatible . They therefore prop-up oppressive regimes while forgetting what supposedly differentiates American and Western values from those of Communist China and Communist Soviet Union at that time. The question is should the American and Western life styles be maintained by oppressing and even murdering the voices of change in other countries such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua etc'
added by steve2000a
Music of Vangelis for end credits.
End Credits/Finale (Missing) Music by Vangelis
Missing is a profoundly disturbing political film based on a true story. Very little is exaggerated as the Neocons & the Religious Right and their fascist friends have claimed. Most Neocons and other twisted patriots American or Canadian believe such a film should have never been shown in theatres. They see it as a subversive anti-American and therefore anti-capitalist and anti-Christian and anti-Western film. They see nothing at all wrong with executing unarmed students, professors, scholars, musicians, artists, journalists, poets, novelists, social workers and all community activists and other so called agitators or free thinkers.
As film Missing is one of the truly great films like Citizen Kane . It is a mater piece of editing which turns what could have been a rather obvious piece of politicising or as a political biopic. Instead Gavras has turned the story into a mystery in which we are given clues along the way from Flashbacks and flashbacks within flashbacks.
The director uses some great bits of juxtapositions such as a crowd of rich people at a party singing along to the pop song my ding-a-ling as we hear gunshots and then the well to do go out on a balcony and applaud a general and soldiers who pass by on the street - possibly it is General Pinochet himself.
From: trauld at YouTube Missing by Costas Gavras 1982 (part 1 )
the rest is available at YouTube
Spreading American Values.
Missing is the story of a young America caught up in the Military Coup in Chile. General Pinochet backed by the American government and the American people and the complicity of much of the West overthrew the legally elected and popular President Allende. But even thirty five years later one will get hate e-mail just for mentioning it. America more often than not supports the anti-democratic forces in favor of friendly fascist or authoritarian regimes.
Americans prefer to drink the Kool-Aid rather than face the truth. they prefer ignorance . They rationalize this by claiming all true Americans are patriots who would not dare question their government, the CIA, the Pentagon -
Missing part 1.
This next clip is a pivotal scene at the end of the film.
After being lied to again and again by officials they finally reveal that his son was executed .
Mr. Horman Jack Lemmon sheds his old self & his view that America could do no wrong. He is a typical American who is patriotic and believes in his country.
Now he knows what those in power in America are capable. They gave the order to have his son arrested, tortured and executed because he knew too much .
Should those who order such actions be treated any better ???
Missing (part 12 ) Costas Gavras
