TRAUER IN MONTEVIDEO [FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01365R000300210070-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 29, 2004
• Sequence Number: 70
• Publication Date: January 1, 1973
• Content Type: MISC

31' R 00 0210 0-7
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el L
DER SPIEGEL .. r ' c?
Traver in Z ontevideo
Nach Polit-Thrillern fiber Griechen-
land (,,Z") and die CSSR (,,Das Ge-
standnis") nimmt der Regisseur Co-
sta-Gavras nun die USA kritisch ins
Visier. Sein ,Unsichtbarer Aufstand"
hat Ende Marz Deutschland-Premiere.
I hr Drehhuch", lobte Chiles Staats-
prisident Salvador Allende bei einem
Essen mit der Film-Equipe, ,Iicst sich
wie cin Kriminalroman. Vom politi-
schen Standpunkt ist nichts dagegen
einzuwenden."
Der Prasidentcn-Spruch gab dem mit
Technikern and Darstellern nach San-
tiago gereisten Regisseur Constantin
(,,Costa-") Gavras, 40, gr6nes Licht zur
Fortsetzung einer Serie von Polit-Thril-
lern, fir die der in Frankreich residie
guay (SPIEGEL 34/1970) prangert
Costa-Gavras imperialistische Inter-
ventionsprakt.iken von Hilfsorganisatio-
nen des US-State Departments an.
Zwar heif3t der (wie in ?Z-" and ?)as
Gestandnis") von Yves Montand ge-
spielte Held im Film Michael Santore,
doch an seiner wahren Identitat be-
steht kein Zweifel: Das l.ichtspiel be-
ginnt mit jenem 10. August 1970, an
dem, um vier Uhr frOh, die Leiche des
zuerst entf(ihrten, dann mit zwei Schtis-
sen von MLN-Guerrillcros niederge-
streckten Amerikaners Mitrione gefun-
den wurde. Es zeigt das Parlament, das
Staatstrauer beschlief3t, and das Re-
quiem in der Kathedrale von Monte-
video.
In minuziosen Rtickblenden werden
Biographic and Schuld des Mannes
enthilllt, der sich, privat honett and Va-
ter von neun Kindern, im Dienst der
der bei zwei Reisen nach Uruguay mit
,,Politikern, Schriftstellern, Anwalten,
Journalisten, Zeugen" die Dokumentar-
Basis erkundet hat. Zum Filmen seiner
Recherchen freilich 'mul3te er nach
Chile ausweichen, wo es trotz Allendes
Wohlwollen doch .einige kleine Pro-
bleme" gab (Costa-Gavras).
Linke im Lande etwa nahmen An-
stof3 an der ,.sympathisch" gezeichneten
Hauptfigur and argwdhnten Propagan-
da fur die CIA. andcre Kreise be-
filrchteten eine Glorifizierung der Tu-
pamaros. Ein Arbeitsgericht schlie6lich
beschlagnahmte zeitweilig- das Film-
Zelluloid - der Regisseur hatte vor
Entrichtung einer landesublichen Aus-
landersteuer die Gage von Yves Mon-
tand mit 2000 Franc offensichtlich zu
niedrig angegeben.
Doch seit er fertig 1st, befriedigt _V tat
de siege" (deutscher Titel: .Der fin-
sichtbare Aufstand", deutscher Start:
Ende Marz) Publikum and Kritik:
Schon vor der Pariser Urauffi hrung
Louis Delluc" zugesprochen.
rends Grieche seit einigen Jahren be-
rOhmt 1st.
Er hat schon, halhdokumentarisch
and effektvoll, das Schicksal des vom
Karamanlis-Regime ermordeten gric-
chischen Oppositionspolitikers Grigorios
Lambrakis verfilmt and dafur einen
Oscar erhalten (?Z", 1968).
Zwei Jahre spiiter holte er dann einen
Fall von stalinistischem Justiz-Terror in
der CSSR ans Projektorlicht: Nach den
Memoiren des ehemaligen Vize-
Aul3enministers Artur London, im Pra-
ger Sldnsky-ProzeB falschlich als US-
Spion and "hrotzkist verurteilt, fertigte
er sein, trotz. Schwiiehen cindrucksvol-
les. Kino-?Gestiindnis".
Auch im Schluf3-Stuck der '1-rilogie,
es ist jetzt enter dem Titel ?[:tat de
siege" (Be]agerungszustand) in acht
Pariscr Kinos angelaufen, verarbeitet er
eine AffSre aus jungster "Zit: Mit seiner
so spannenden wic partcilichen Darstel-
Entwicklungshilfe-Organisation ?AID"
in die Rolle eines Inquisitors drangte
and ?dem alle Mittel recht waxen, urn
die Besessenen vom Satan des Kommu-
nismus zu befreien" (,,Le Monde").
Zunachst scheint nichts gegcn ihn
vorzuliegen. Aber die MLN-'lupama-
ros, denen die Sympathie des Regisseurs
gehort, haben den als ?Kommunika-
tionstechniker" getarnten US-Burger
lange vor seiner Gefangcnnahme durch-
schaut. Dokumente erweisen ihn als
Zogling einer Polizei- and Folterakade-
mie in Washington. Photos belegen
seine Mitwirkung beim Militarputsch
gegen den brasilianischen Prasidcnten
Goulart. Santore-Mitrione war bei der
Aktion der ?Marines" in der Domini-
kanischen Republik beteiligt and diente
dern Polizeichef von Montevideo als
technischer Beratcr, Das Todesurteil
der Guerrilleros. suggeriert Costa-Ga-
vras, war kein Willkilrakt.
lung des 1"upayr~li;fa~les4"2176/I/F1ir!$$~l~PT365R000300210070-7
US-Agenten Daniel itrione in ru- unden", a auptet c er memac ter.
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,After producing political thrillers about Greece
("z") and Czechoslovakia ("The Confession") director
Costa-Gavras now is taking a critical look at the United
States. His "Invisible Uprising" has its German premiere
at the end of March.
the film crew praised the script. It."reads'like a.
Chile's President Salvador Allende at a lunch with
detective story," he said. "No objection to it from a
The presidential;verdict gave director Constantin
(Costa) Gavras, 40, who had traveled to Santiago. with
technicians and actors, the green light to' continue a
series of political thrillers for which the Greek, who
has resided in France for several years, is famous.
He already had filmed in'a semi-documentary and
the Karamanlis regime. Gavras received an Oscar for
effective:'fashion the fate.'of Grigoris Lambrakis, leader
of the Greek political opposition, who was murdered by
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Two years later he illuminated a, case of Stalinist
terror in Czechoslovakia: based on the memoirs of the
former Deputy Foreign Minister, Arthur.L6ndon, who was
unjustly sentenced in the Prague. 'Slansky. trial as a U.S.
..spy and ;Trotskyite, he produced his film.,"Confession
impressive despite some weaknesses.
In the concluding work of. the trilogy, which has
"State
of Siege", he again uses an incident of.recent vintage:.
,now. been shown in 8 Paris theatres under the title
jective, of, the murder of U.S. agent Daniel A. Mitrione
Costas-Gavras here denounces the imperialist interference
by organizations working for the.U.S. State Department
in Uruguay by a presentation, as exciting as it is sub-
by the Tupamaros.
in"Z and "The Confession"),. He is called Michael Santore,
to be sure,: yet his true identity is not in doubt. The
film begins on the 10th of August,l970 when at 4 o'clock
in the morning, the body of the American Mitrone was found,
who had just been-kidnapped and then been killed by 2
,shots from MLN guerrillas. It shows. Parliament, which
The hero in the film is played by Yves Montand, ('a
decrees official mourning, and, the requiem mass at
Montevideo Cathedral..
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In detailed flash-backs the biography and the guilt
of the man are revealed, a man of integrity in.his private
life and the father of nine children, but who pushed
himself into the role of an inquisitor serving, the foreign
assistance. organization AID and "who regarded all means
justified to rid the ones who were possessed from the devil
of Communism" (Le Monde):
At first there doesn't seem to be anything against
him. However the MLN-Tupamaros, whom the director sym-
pathizes, with, had seen through the U.S. citizen dis-
guised as a "communications technologist" long before he
was taken prisoner. Documents show he was a student in
a police and torture academy in Washington. .Photos prove
his involvement in the military putsch against the Brazilian
President Goulart, Santore-Mitrione participated in the
operations of the "Marines".in the Dominican Republic and
served as technical adviser to Police Chief of Montevideo.
Costa-Gavras suggests there was nothing arbitrary in
the death sentence of the guerrillas.
"Nothing in my film is invented," asserts-the director,
who researched its documentary basis in two trips to Uruguay
.with. "politicians, writers,'lawyers, journalists, witnesses."
For the filming of his research, of course, he had to. move
to Chile where in spite of Ailendes good will "there still
were some minor problems" (Costa-Gav.ras).
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Leftists in the country, for ,instance, were somewhat
.offended at the "sympathetically" portrayed hero and ,
a customary tax,in the country on foreigners, the director
of a?glorification of the Tupamaros.. A labor court
finally confiscated the film temporarily--be-Fore paying
suspected pro-CIA propaganda. Other-circles were afraid
had apparently underdeclared the presumed 2000 franc
salary for Yves Motand.
However, since it is finished, "State of Siege (German
title: "The Invisible Uprising", German Premiere: end of
March) satisfies the public and critics. Even before the
Paris premiere the work was awarded the coveted "Louis
D.01 tic" prize.
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