Product Description

Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: Spanish ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), French ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Cast/Crew Interview(s), Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Making Of, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Political unrest helps spawn and destroy a friendship between two schoolboys in this drama. In Chile in 1973, as the leadership of socialist president Salvador Allende was coming under fire from the nation's military leaders and the leaders of several powerful Western nations (including the United States), many in the country were inspired to address the issues of the vast gulf between Chile's rich and poor. Father McEnroe (Ernesto Malbran), one of the headmasters of an exclusive private school, decides to confront this matter by giving a handful of poor children a full scholarship. Pedro Machuca (Ariel Mateluna) is one of the new students, and while he and his fellows are picked on by the school's bullies, Pedro is a brave kid who stands his ground, and he's soon befriended by Gonzalo Infante (Matías Quer), whose rich parents live in Santiago's wealthy suburbs. Gonzalo's family is standing on shaky ground these days; his mother (Aline Küppenheim) is having an affair, and his father (Francisco Reyes) finds himself at odds with her increasingly right-wing political views. Gonzalo begins spending more time with Pedro and his family; he particularly likes Uncle Willi (Alejandro Trejo), who cheerfully sells flags to Chileans on both sides of the political fence, and develops a crush on Silvana (Manuela Martelli), Pedro's older cousin. But the political and economic differences that are dividing the country find their way into the school, leading to a rift between the two friends.
SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Cannes Film Festival, Goya Awards, Osc

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #133214 in DVD
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Format: PAL
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 121 minutes

Features

• THIS DVD WILL NOT WORK ON STANDARD US DVD PLAYER

Customer Reviews

Excellent, historically accurate, moving
This film, presented very recently in Ottawa on celluloid, is a moving,believable tale of two youngsters from different social strata, Pedro and Gonzalo, who become classmates and friends due to the efforts of a compassionate priest (who seems to have actually existed)in allowing a group of poor children to attend an exclusive private school in Santiago during the latter part of Salvador Allende's presidency. Their friendship is portrayed realistically, and when Gonzalo visits the shantytown in which Pedro lives, it is easy to see why someone like Allende who promised Chile social and economic equality would be elected. The two youngsters' friendship,damaged just before the coup that led to Allende's death and Pinochet's decades-long rule, is broken as the school is taken over by the military and the shantytown where Pedro lives is razed by the new autocratic regime. If "Machuca" does find release as a compatible DVD (there is, strangely, a Betamax video version of it), it should be viewed and appreciated by many (it has been noticed at film festivals).

Unbeleivable
For americans or europeans this is the movie to see if you want to understand the Chilean process, and all the damage done by the CIA helping the right wing and the military. Is exactly the moment when everything broke, when nothing could be fixed and when the terror started to spread on the surface of the earth.

!Huevon!
Like other reviews have already noted, this movie takes place in Chile in the early 70s during the last days of Allende's presidency. It depicts 2 young boys' struggle to be friends despite thier socio-economic differences. Although there are frequent clips of the coup and of protests, this film is really more about the human relationships and how they were affected by the politics of the era, not vice versa. In fact, it may help your understanding of the film a little to already have some background info on the coup, as the film doesn't delve too deeply to explain it.