Companero - Victor Jara of Chile

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Description: A tribute to the Chilean musician and political activist Victor Jara, who was tortured and killed in the military coup of 1973.
Duration: 53 mins 54 secs
Director: Stanley Forman and Martin Smith
Producer: Stanley Forman and Martin Smith
Credits: Commentary written by Stanley Forman Lyrics and poems translated by Adrian Mitchell Narrator: David Nadden Reader: Adrian Mitchell Camera: Ian McMillan Sound: Douglas Macintosh Editor: Shelagh Brady Assistant Editor: Janet Trigonopoulos Sound: Douglas Macintosh and Peter Rann Consultant: David Kelly Production Assistants: Mike Gatehouse, Chris Morphet, Wolfgang Tirado Additional Material: Nich USA, Theatre of Latin America Inc., ETV.
Year: 1974
Subjects: Socialism, Homicide, Political crises, Political prisoners, Musicians, Political participation, Torture, Peasantry, Armed forces, Chile
Segment 1: Opening title: 'Companero', 'Victor Jara of Chile'. Credits, accompanied by lilting Latin guitar. Photos introduce us to Jara - popular folk singer, his wife Joan Turner and their children Manuela and Amanda. He was murdered on 15 September 1973 and Joan returned to England with the girls. Cut to a close shot of Joan, who tells their story. She says that the events in Chile that began on 11 September have had a profound effect on those involved - those who have experienced fascism first hand. Victor was the son of a ploughman and a folk singer, Chilean peasants who lived in extreme poverty. Images of peasant life accompany one of Victor's songs, which speaks of the toil of the worker in the field.
Segment 2: Joan continues with her account of Victor's childhood: his exuberant mother Amanda, their move to Santiago where she had a fruit stall and, after her death his being taken in by another family, when he earned enough to eat by carrying parcels. Shots of children in the slums and figures of high infant mortality in Chile. Victor was lucky to have a full education and studied theatre at university, where he remained an individual who desired to recount Chilean peasant life. The narrator tells us of the rise in the workers movement at the beginning of the seventies, the formation of the left wing party 'Popular Unity' and their election candidate Salvador Allende - of whom Jara was a prominent supporter. Returning to Joan Jara, she recounts that life with Victor was fun and recalls his enthusiasm for homemaking. Another of his songs is played, Joan translating. It speaks of love, life's bitter struggles, of returning home and of unknown futures. Images of the family and Victor's life are shown.
Segment 3: Joan explains that although he practised in both the theatre and as a musician, he became frustrated by the narrow audience he could reach as a theatre producer in Santiago. Realising the power of song in an incident where he was stoned in an upper class school during a performance, he decided to devote himself and his music to the people, popular unity and social change. On 4 September 1970, Allende was elected as President - despite a right-wing attempt to prevent him taking office including assassinating the head of the armed forces, General Schneider. Under Allende life in Chile changed. The working classes had finally found a voice. 'Companero' became a special term for solidarity between people, as workers and friends. The middle classes were divided and Victor composed a coarse peasant song that challenged them to get off the fence. Street scenes as the song is played.
Segment 4: Explosions at a copper mine, men smelting. To public acclaim, the government seized the valuable copper industry, nationalising the assets. Chile having been colonised by the conquistadors, when nationalism rose in the 19th century Britain supplied them with arms and advice. Upon independence, British industry moved to take advantage of Chile's natural resources. Post WW2, America sapped the country's wealth. American telecommunications company, ITT purchased their Chilean subsidiary from Britain and helped the CIA try to prevent Allende taking power. Allende complained to the UN of foreign intervention. Joan says big business and the US were complicit in a conspiracy. The first strikes were by upper-middle class housewives complaining they didn't have enough to eat, although the working classes could finally fight off starvation. Lorry drivers attempted to bring the country to a standstill but working people organised the distribution of food, etc. Joan infers that the drivers on strike were being bribed by those with American interests, in an attempt to bring down the Popular Unity government.
Segment 5: From 1970-73, Jara worked indefatigably, touring the shanty towns, mines and schools - writing songs for the people. He believed that an artist must be part of life, working with the people, and he found happiness by living in the present and putting his all into their service. He sings of his reasons for song: for his people - not for killers, but for those who 'labour so that the future may flower', for Chile. Images of protest, agriculture, children, Jara performing, shanty towns, corpses, men with guns taking prisoners.
Segment 6: Joan recalls New Year's Eve 1972-73, and the knowledge that the coming year was crucial politically. In March Allende's re-election proved the people's continuing loyalty. It became apparent that there was no way of defeating Popular Unity through democratic means, and opposing forces began to stage terrorist attacks. On 29 June the first attempt at military coup took place. The upper middle classes had been forewarned and remained in their homes. The coup failed, but they would become better organised. A film of Jara in Santiago, August 1973 - close up with guitar. He sings of solidarity, justice and hope for the future. Shots of Popular Unity rallies are inserted into this sequence.
Segment 7: Close up of the Chilean flag. September 11 1973, right wing military forces seize control and murder Allende. Stills of tanks. Joan recounts the events of that day. She took the children to school and when she arrived at home found Victor listening to news of the coup on the radio. Joan returned to the school to retrieve the girls. About two hours prior to the bombing of the palace, Victor left to go to the university where he worked. The bombing began and dive bombers destroyed the Monenda Palace and then Allende's home. They watched all this from the balcony as planes and helicopters circled the area.
Segment 8: Victor phoned from the university at about 4.30 to say he was trapped there due to the curfew. He said goodbye and told Joan to be brave. This was their last conversation. From this point she had to wait for official news. The aggressors had taken over the radio. Victor did not return the next day once curfew had been lifted and no-one knew what had happened at the university. On the afternoon of 12 September, it was announced that it had been surrounded and that 'extremists' had been arrested. It became apparent to Joan that the university had been surrounded since the previous day when Victor had called and that there was no way he could have escaped. On the following day, news finally arrived from a man who had been released from the stadium where the prisoners were being held. He gave Joan a message from Victor to say that he had been recognised and would not be released - which she thought meant his indefinite imprisonment. Cut to a photo of Jara in profile.
Segment 9: Joan, in close up, continues. She has slowly pieced together the story of what took place in the stadium from the accounts of people who have, over time, been released. Jara had been recognised from very early on and was heavily brutalised being particularly hated. He was morally strong and gave support to his fellow prisoners, continuing to sing. His captors beat him down and broke his hands and wrists. After two days they finally murdered him. During his time in captivity he composed a poem which was learnt by his fellow prisoners and smuggled out. This is read in voice-over - the screen goes to black, interspersed with still silhouettes of captives and soldiers, people wailing. The poem relates the terror of captivity and approaching death. It condemns the evils of fascism and questions God's purpose. He calls on the world to cry out against the atrocity and believes their murder will prove their power. This 'is how our fist will strike again'.
Segment 10: On 18 September a boy told Joan that Victor's body had been recognised at the morgue. They went there and found the bodies of hundreds of students and workers riddled with bullets - in some cases still with their hands tied. They found Victor's body, half naked, bloody and battered, broken hands hanging from his wrists. Joan was allowed to take his body and bury him as she feels he would have wanted: alongside his fellow workers. She translates a song about Manuel and Amanda. Images of Jara's family, of people in the sunny streets of Santiago and Victor playing guitar. Manuel goes into the mountains to fight, and like many others from the factory, does not return. Joan says that although she and the children have, like many Chilean families, been unalterably changed by the terrible events they have found true friends wherever they have gone. She hopes this gives the girls a sense of solidarity and power. Fade to black, followed by the address of the 'Chile Solidarity Campaign'. End.
Persistent URL: http://edina.ac.uk/purl/isan/0002-0000-2502-0000-0-0000-0000-0
Written and compiled by the British Universities Film & Video Council © BUFVC 2005
Subject classification by University of Edinburgh Library © 2006