USA: Oliver Stone's documentary about Venuzuelan President Hugo Chavez opens in U.S.

Record ID: 828242

  • Title: USA: Oliver Stone's documentary about Venuzuelan President Hugo Chavez opens in U.S.
  • Date: 25th June 2010
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, DC (JUNE 24, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) OLIVER STONE SAYING: "When we make enemies, we exaggerate to the point of war. And, this is a very dangerous situation. We get rid of our enemies or we declare war on them. rarely can we live with them and tolerate them. But the world is changing, we are losing power, because we are fighting too many wars. C
  • Embargoed: 10th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVAEHP3M71S9Y7XH9RQI8AQRISSK
  • Story Text: Last month, film director Oliver Stone walked the red carpet in Caracas with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for the opening of his film "South of the Border." He also attended the public screening in Bolivia, along with President Evo Morales. Now his documentary film, which profiles Latin America's leftist leaders opens in the United States in 25 cities Stone said the idea for the film in part started with exploring the question of whether Chavez was really the "anti-American" force he is often portrayed as.
    Stone told Reuters TV that Venezuela's Chavez is misunderstood by the Western media, and that the attacks have something of a personal nature . "Chavez is the most attacked and criticized leader in the world press, in that group in South America," he said. Stone attributes it to Chavez's "macho style." "He is a big strong guy, if he looked like Woody Allen I don't think he would have these problems."
    Chavez's opponents say his administration is scaring away investors and wrecking the economy in a country that should be one of the continent's richest, given its huge oil wealth.
    Stone calls the film a road trip movie, that included trips across five countries meetings with seven presidents. He said it is an exploration of the social and political changes in Latin America that have given rise to a block of leftist leaders.
    Stone said that given the US record in Latin America, it is not surprising there are tensions. "Whenever we find an enemy, lets go back to our history, we start with the students that are unhappy; then there is a food crisis; there is inflation and then there is the censorship issue and then it becomes the human rights issue, and then it is the International Monetary Find saying you owe us money. And then, if none if that works, and they can't get the guy out, certainly it is the media the whole time, and if the media doesn't work, what is the last step in this process? Historically, we send in military, or CIA, and there is a Coup d'etat, there's an occupation, at worst he disappears. And that is what has happened, more than 50 times in Central and South America, the United States has intervened. Fifty times, it is an amazing record."
    Stone, the Oscar winning director of "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Platoon," as well as the director of other movies including "Wall Street," and "JFK," said he chose to tell the story in documentary form as a kind of purification. "Features are wonder, I love them, but they take your heart and soul....But it is not all you want to do with your life necessarily, and I need to get out of that rarified atmosphere and I like to go back with my left hand and say and go down to the field and do research and be with real people Get the story direct, without artifice without actors. It is a form of purifying, so -- staying fresh."
    Stone said "South of the Border" is a modest film, an introduction to the issues in latin America.
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