AIFF ’08: Pilger’s Latest Exposé

The War on Democracy
(John Pilger/Christopher Martin, UK 2007, 93 min., video)
Nov. 15 @ Vancity (Amnesty International Film Festival)

Tho’ I’d originally scheduled this John Pilger doc and the new Errol Morris as my best options for attending the Amnesty International Film Festival, I later decided to drop filmgoing due to other things going on.  But then a glitch in plans opened up the opportunity again, and I ended up going to the early show.

I was nearly an hour early, but after getting my ticket was allowed to hang in the film centre atrium till the previous film let out.  In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and ahead of a gala auction being held December 9th, there was art being displayed in the lobby, with pieces representing each of the UDHR’s thirty articles.  With the atrium exhibit to look at, no lines really formed outside the auditorium doors till just before the show was to start.  Not enough turnaround time really — tho’ the previous film got out on time, there was still only a few minutes in between screenings, and the theatre had to be cleared and tickets checked.  We were finally admitted two minutes to showtime, and after a welcome announcement (said this was the fest’s first sold-out show, tho’ there were still empty seats in the front), the curtain went up just over ten minutes late.

John Pilger is an award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker.  He’s Australian but based in the UK, where he’s produced many thought-provoking television documentaries on current affairs.  His work has been considered controversial in that it questions authority and the “official” story of historical and current events.  I’ve seen him before (kinologs show the last time was Breaking the Silence at VIFF ’05, the one about Bush lying to the American public about Iraq) and found him very cut-thru-the-bullshit, if you know what I mean.  As expected, this piece too has that Pilger narration (yeah, the accent and delivery is a bit British-nasal newscaster-like, but I don’t find it too stuffy), often directly to the camera — authoritative, urgent and opinionated.  But his hard-hitting points of view are supported by journalism, and with his thesis he offers extensive background, probing interviews with key players, and various other facts to back up his assertions.

The War on Democracy begins with a lengthy look at Hugo Chavez’ Venezuela, then gets more into American interventions in Latin America, past and present.  Tho’ the U.S. may not like their oil-rich southern neighbour’s protectionist strategies like nationalising the oil industry, interviews with the popular leader and his constituents show the majority who elected him to be very supportive of his government’s social programs and attempts to lift so many poor citizens out of poverty while treating everyone with dignity.  Chavez admits there’s still a lot of work to be done, but takes pride in his nation’s accomplishments, and he’s not the only one (uh, can you say Washington?) who sees them as an example for other Latin American countries to follow.  In contrast to the expansive barrios winding up the hills of Caracas, Pilger also traces the connections and actions of the rich who oppose Chavez and his policies, including the failed illegal coup d’état of 2002, and how events in Venezuela were reported in the American media.

Moving into some history to put Venezuela in context, the film goes on to give examples of other democratically elected governments in the Americas that have been opposed by the U.S.  Pilger asserts that the U.S., despite touting freedom and democracy, has been poking its nose into sovereign nations’ affairs for decades, supposedly protecting American security interests, but, as today with Iraq, it looks like it’s more about power and money.  This stuff has obviously not been taught in American schools or covered fairly by the corporate media, and Pilger wants his audience to opens its eyes.  The history of the U.S. government’s foreign policy and relations with various Central and South American countries, covert CIA operations, fearmongering, involvement in coups d’état and assassinations of government and community leaders, leading to the torture and death of thousands of citizens — very disturbing stuff.  Pilger’s interview with ex-CIA chief Duane Clarridge should worry Americans and foreigners alike — continuing to probe more than many mainstream journalists would bother, Pilger confronts Clarridge on his blunt and dismissive statements, finally just letting him show himself to be a loud, arrogant pig.  (Americans, this is the kind of guy your government has let loose on other countries — you should be appalled!)

The film’s structure felt a bit more like it’d work as a two- or three-part TV series than a feature film, with the early focus on the Chavez stuff being the first part, followed by a look at other Latin American examples of U.S. involvement, leaving viewers to consider how little things have changed today and the consequences of U.S. actions (to its south, and further abroad.)  A longer series would’ve allowed for more detail and dot-connecting on other countries, but as it is, the more in-depth focus on Venezuela is used as an entry into the discussion, and the film makes its point just fine.  As a feature touring Amnesty and documentary film festivals, it’s probably only reaching audiences already aware and/or open to hearing the hard truths Pilger wants to expose.  The people who need to see this are, of course, Americans.  Especially now that they’ve elected a new president, who’s come in on a wave of popularity and promise of change (dare I say, as Chavez did.)  The DVD is available thru Bullfrog Films.

The film seemed to end abruptly — must’ve been a problem with the video.  Just as the organiser guy announced jokingly in the dark that no one must’ve been involved in the making of the film, a final Pilger summing up appeared, then the end credits.