{news} COME SEE: THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED THIS FRIDAY 8/19/05 7:30PM PROGRESSIVE MOVIE NIGHT, Hartford Green Party Office

Tue Aug 16 20:14:18 EDT 2005

THE RETURN OF THE PROGRESSIVE MOVIE NIGHT:

WHAT MOVIE: THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED  (76Min)

WHEN: THIS FRIDAY 8/19/05 7:30PM

WHERE: GREATER HARTFORD GREEN PARTY OFFICE, 418A NEW BRITAIN AVE.,
HARTFORD,CT
                 (  www.mapquest.com  ) (Next to the Roma Bakery)

DON'T MISS THIS ONE! ONE OF THE BEST DOCUMENTARIES IN RECENT HISTORY, A REAL
EYE OPENER!
  <http://www.redvicmoviehouse.com/images/poster/revolutionwillnot.jpg> 

FURTHER INFO:

On April 11th, 2002, Irish documentarians Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain
were in Venezuela, with the intention of making a movie about the nation's
left-leaning  democratic president, Hugo Chavez, whose support comes mostly
from the country's impoverished, who make up 80% of the population (versus
past leaders who were often supported by the country's big money minority,
like the petroleum industry). Although they did accomplish that, the film
took a seriously unexpected turn when the filmmakers found themselves in the
heart of a coup d'etat, trapped in the president's palace as Chavez's
right-wing oligarchic opposition overthrew the leader. Chavez was able to
return to power within 48 hours, buoyed by public support, but this film
captures those frightening moments and days in which a nation's political
future was fought over using both bullets and manipulation of the media.
Venezuela's television networks, all owned by oil companies except for the
state channel which the coup brought down, reported distorted
interpretations of the coup, as proven by this movie's footage, which was
then picked up by international news organizations like CNN. This movie also
addresses what the White House thought about this coup in the world's fifth
largest producer of oil (providing 14% of the United States' petroleum).

"This concise, riveting documentary is a first-hand view of the short-lived
coup d'etat that failed to topple Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's left-wing
president, who was elected by a landslide in 1998. More than a scary
close-up look at the raw mechanics of a right-wing coup which took place in
April, 2002, the film is a cautionary examination of the use of television
to deceive and manipulate the public. The coup lasted 48 hours, until a
popular uprising forced the government out of office. These events,
witnessed first-hand generate the suspense of a smaller-scale "Seven Days in
May." - Stephen Holden, The New York Times 

By Phil Villarreal 
ARIZONA DAILY STAR :

Documentarians Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain set out to make a simple
profile of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. 

Fate, serving as a meddling but very helpful producer, decided the Irish
filmmakers would make a different movie: "The Revolution Will Not Be
Televised." 

Stuck amid the maelstrom of the short-lived Venezuelan coup of April 2002,
Bartley and O'Briain kept their cameras running as the charismatic Chavez
was run out of office for two days before a popular revolt spirited him back
into power. 

The cameras, and by extension, we, are there in the Presidential Palace for
the whole thing, and what emerges is a tense, rapid-paced political drama. 

Invisible hands align the powers of media, police and military in a battle
of factions. Leaders squirm, grandstand and debate over helter-skelter
strategy. Throngs of people in the street scream and shoot at one another.
This stuff makes "The West Wing" look like a game of patty-cake. 

The film sets up Chavez, who was elected by a landslide in 1998, as a man of
the people, bent on stripping the nation's vast oil wealth away from the
super-elite and redistributing it to the underprivileged. 

Scenes showing a grinning Chavez reaching out to huddled masses and demurely
addressing citizens on his public call-in television program are cloying
enough to drift over into propaganda. 

Even with a skeptical eye, it's pretty clear to see that Chavez's enemies,
which include the private media, the trade unions and big business, have it
in for the man more because of greed than the political ideals they profess.
The outright manipulation of the television stations is straight out of
Orwell, with cheerleader reporters lauding the coup while refusing to
mention the Presidential Guard's efforts to retake the mansion. 

Once Chavez's enemies take over, they disband the Supreme Court, the
Attorney General's Office and the National Assembly, saying the takeover is
in line with the will of the people, more powerful than any referendum. 

The film's not-so-subtle accusation is that the United States was probably
behind the coup, since so many deposed leaders fled there afterward. The
film explains that American leaders have come to rely on Venezuela as a
cheap source of fuel, and were not pleased when Chavez sought to raise
prices. Clips of smarmy U.S. national news broadcasts show public officials
hinting that Chavez is in league with terrorists. 

Chavez, ever cool and composed, takes the coup in stride. For him, the
capture is just another move in the ongoing chess game of South American
politics. He can probably identify with his opponents, since in 1992, he led
a failed coup of his own. Once Chavez returns to power, he gracefully
refuses to run a witch hunt, and begs with his opponents to respect the
Venezuelan constitution in the future. 

Regardless of the way you may feel about the man, it's nearly impossible to
not be swept away by the movie's final moments, which recall "It's a
Wonderful Life." A crowd of exuberant supporters circles Chavez and breaks
into spontaneous song, screaming the joys of restored demo

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