- Title: Sony launches new series about controversial Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez
- Date: 10th February 2017
- Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) SERIES PRODUCER, LUCHO JIMENEZ, DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SERIES PRODUCER, LUCHO JIMENEZ, SAYING: "When people see this series they are going to continue thinking the same they always thought of Hugo Chavez. Those who idolise him will continue to idolise him, and will say 'That's my "Comandante"', and those who oppose him, what he did and his legacy will continue to oppose him. We tried to tell a good story and, in that story that people will find the truth, we tried to look for truths." VARIOUS OF COLOMBIAN ACTOR, ANDRES PARRA, ON SET AS CHAVEZ (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN ACTOR WHO PLAYS HUGO CHAVEZ, ANDRES PARRA, SAYING: "The process involved a year of research, many make-up tests, we have an incredible make-up team and the art team is impeccable and has done sensational work. I read a lot and watched a lot of videos of Chavez in his speeches, declarations and interviews. We then had a period of voice work, and then a period of rehearsals with two directors to see where we were going to take the character." VARIOUS OF PARRA ON SET AS CHAVEZ (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN ACTOR, ANDRES PARRA, SAYING: "I invite people to watch (the series) as a society, and that we have the opportunity to reflect on how politics work in our countries, because I think that the political phenomenon in Venezuela is perfectly replicable in any other part of Latin America, which is why I think the series is fundamental." GENERAL VIEW OF SET AS ACTORS PREPARE FOR SCENE ASSISTANT CLAPPING DEVICE TO OPEN SCENE CAMERA MOVING TO SHOOT SCENE OF YOUNG WOMAN BEING DETAINED VARIOUS OF CREW AND ACTORS FILMING SCENE IN WHICH A YOUNG WOMAN IS DETAINED (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SERIES DIRECTOR, FELIPE CANO, SAYING: "I think this series is a reflection on Latin American politics and what happened, how someone like Hugo Chavez became such an important leader in Latin American politics, for good and for bad, we are not saying how he should be seen, it is real, (it is about) how a child running through fields in sandals ends up driving the politics of Latin America however he likes, let's say, and we need to think about what happened and reflect on the topic, why do these things happen, why do these leaders exist, why are there these sorts of chieftains, what happens in our societies so that this takes place."
- Embargoed: 24th February 2017 18:57
- Keywords: Hugo Chavez Sony Venezuela series television entertainment
- Location: UNIDENTIFIED FILM LOCATIONS AND BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- City: UNIDENTIFIED FILM LOCATIONS AND BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- Country: Colombia
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Television
- Reuters ID: LVA00262XVO03
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: One of Latin America's most controversial leaders is hitting the screens in Colombia in a prime-time series by Sony, depicting the rise and demise of late Venezuelan leftist president, Hugo Chavez.
"El Comandante" - "The Commander" - tracks the humble origins and rise of the socialist leader who, at only 44 years-old, came to control one of the world's largest oil reserves and hotly divided the nation, offering social benefits to the poor but setting the country on track for severe economic crisis.
The series is said to be a fictional portrayal based on real events, but far from accurately portraying history. Sixty episodes have already been confirmed.
Series producer, Lucho Jimenez, said the programme would be unlikely to change a well established division of perceptions regarding the Chavista movement, but would serve for people to reflect on the events.
"When people see this series they are going to continue thinking the same they always thought of Hugo Chavez. Those who idolise him will continue to idolise him, and will say 'That's my "Comandante"', and those who oppose him, what he did and his legacy will continue to oppose him. We tried to tell a good story and, in that story that people will find the truth, we tried to look for truths," said Jimenez on set in Bogota.
A decade of high oil prices allowed Chavez to spend huge amounts on social programmes that became the linchpin of his support among poor voters.
They included his famous slum "missions" that provided free healthcare and education, plus subsidised food, clothes and even electronics, which he defended as a long-overdue crusade to close the yawning gap between rich and poor in Venezuela.
His critics regularly accused him and his government of being corrupt and inept, and of steering the country towards a Cuban-style authoritarian regime.
The role of Chavez is played in the series by Colombian actor, Andres Parra, who spends three and a half hours in make-up before each shoot, being fitted with a prosthetic nose emulating that which Chavez often referred to as a marker of his Afro-Venezuelan and indigenous origins, previously absent in the political class.
"The process involved a year of research, many make-up tests, we have an incredible make-up team and the art team is impeccable and has done sensational work. I read a lot and watched a lot of videos of Chavez in his speeches, declarations and interviews. We then had a period of voice work, and then a period of rehearsals with two directors to see where we were going to take the character," said Parra.
The series portrays how the former paratrooper ended the grip of Venezuela's traditional parties and launched his self-proclaimed "Bolivarian Revolution" - named for Venezuela's 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar.
Chavez changed the nation's name to the "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" and appeared in front of huge paintings of Bolivar.
"I invite people to watch (the series) as a society, and that we have the opportunity to reflect on how politics work in our countries, because I think that the political phenomenon in Venezuela is perfectly replicable in any other part of Latin America, which is why I think the series is fundamental," said Parra.
Born the second of six sons of teachers in the cattle-ranching plains of Barinas state and raised by his grandmother Rosa Ines in a mud-floor shack, Chavez joined the army at 16 and was eventually promoted to lieutenant-colonel.
Through mixing with left-wing rebels and plotting within the military, Chavez burst onto the national stage when he led a 1992 coup attempt against then leader Carlos Andres Perez.
Series director, Felipe Cano, said he hoped to draw attention to the leader's humble origins and show how he developed the Chavista phenomenon which persists, with widespread complications today.
"I think this series is a reflection on Latin American politics and what happened, how someone like Hugo Chavez became such an important leader in Latin American politics, for good and for bad, we are not saying how he should be seen, it is real, (it is about) how a child running through fields in sandals ends up driving the politics of Latin America however he likes, let's say, and we need to think about what happened and reflect on the topic, why do these things happen, why do these leaders exist, why are there these sorts of chieftains, what happens in our societies so that this takes place," said Cano.
Venezuela is currently facing some of the highest inflation and crime rates in the world with many skipping meals, unable to pay soaring prices for basic goods and facing long lines for scarce subsidised products as oil prices have plummeted.
Polls showed a majority of Venezuelans wanted a referendum last year which could have brought Chavez's handpicked successor, Nicolas Maduro's rule to an early end and sparked a presidential vote. But compliant courts and election authorities thwarted the move, alleging fraud in signature collections.
The series is being aired on Colombia's main television network RCN each night at 10 P.M., as filming continues. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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