The Battle of Chile: The Coup d’État

Part two of the trilogy on the coup of 1973 in Chile begins where part one ends: with the image of the cameraman shot during the failed coup in June 1973. What follows is a meticulous account of the run-up to the coup three months later, which brought Augusto Pinochet to power.

Tension in the country is growing. We see meetings with fierce debates and mass demonstrations by the president’s supporters, chanting “Allende, Allende, the people will defend you.” But on September 11, the coup becomes a reality. President Allende dies after a final compelling radio address in the presidential palace, and the military led by General Pinochet seizes power—as he put it, “to save the country from the tremendous chaos in which it was being plunged.”

Director Patricio Guzmán was able to film the events with the support of the French filmmaker Chris Marker, and to secure the safety of his many hours of material. After spending two weeks in detention at the National Stadium, he managed to flee the country.