 | More Than a Biography - A Window to the Past
rating: 4
Anyone with an interest in the history and culture of Chile should add "El Derecho de Vivir en Paz" to their DVD collection. Victor Jara is a signficant figure in Chilean culture, and one of the key attributes of "El Derecho" is that it informs a viewer of the range and breadth of Jara's talents. He had gifts in theatre as well as music, and this biography shows how his origins in the poblaciones, his interests in both acting and production, his activism and his exploration of Chilean culture for the stage informed and amplified his skills as a songwriter. Against that context, Victor Jara's murder by the Pinochet regime is portrayed not only as a crime against individual, but a brutally symbolic act against the culture of Chile, intended to enshrine the despotism of fear. It remains a tragic irony of our politicized times that many of those who rightfully condemn similar actions by regimes of the Marxist Left persist in giving Pinochet's goons a pass. The DVD has compelling footage from the 60's and early 70's, and some fine interviews with those who worked with, knew and loved Victor Jara.
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A great documentary of a great artist
rating: 5
The documentary features extensive interviews, television footage and never before seen fotos. Victor Jara was a dangerous singer to the forces of facisism in Chile and his songs live on today in the hearts of those who seek justice and peace in the world. This dvd takes you into not only Victor's life, but into Chile's history during a very turbulent period when the US helped Pinochet come to power and commit terrible human rights abuses, of which Victor was a victim. If you are familiar with Victor Jara's work, I cannot recommend this dvd highly enough.
Any student of Spanish or Latin American history should own this!!
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