[TONY RICHARD- ingredients of the true SON reviews…]

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TONY RICHARD- ingredients of the true SON reviews the ability to create images that latest film by Costa in a few brief seconds tell Gavras. more than any length of THIS film is based around the true story of Charles Horman, who gets caught up in the 1973 Chilean coup and is executed by the troops of the Pinochet junta. 'The story tells of the search tor him by his wife (played by Cissy Spacek) and his father (played by lack Lemmon, Costa Gavras has mad some good political films. 'Z' dealt with the Greek coup and 'State of Siege' with the Tupamaros guerrillas; but in my opinion this is better.

Here he unravels the American participation in the coup in a way that involves the viewer. The speech or book.

The true story provided the basic ingredients.

Horman was a vaguely left-wing journalist. He happened to be caught by the coup in a naval base town from which the American intelligence agents helped organise the coup.

He spoke to some of inest agents wuu, LAN dhana arennto whn as he was American, took it for granted he would support the coup.

The problem was he wrote down all they said in his notebooks.

When it was discovered what he had done, his home was raided when he was alone; he was taken away to the football stadium and there he was executed. The junta claimed he had been released.

The American Embassy too said he had been released and suggested he must be in hiding.

The film is based on the search of his wife and father for him, and their gradual unravelling of the truth.

In this is the strongest ingredient of the film. His father, brilliantly played by Jack Lemmon, is a wealthy, conservative, American. He has a great deal of influence and is able to put pressure on the US government.

He is a great believer in American "democracy' and cannot believe US involvement in the coup or that his son is dead. he starts off believing the US Ambassador when he says he is doing his best.

' Horman's wife goes everywhere with him in his search. She has similarWill AT the LPYS National Conference last Easter the Standing Orders Committee wouldn't allow a debate on the resolutions on gay rights to be taken. This has happened repeatedly. At the 1981 National Confeence there were six resolutions on the subject (more than on some of the subjects which wrop discussed) but the Natural Committee used • bureaucratic manoeuvre to avoid debate.

Currently the LPYS position on gays is a bare statement that we are opposed to discrimination against ly 'left-wing' , pro-Allende politics to Horman. She ridicules the US Ambassador and this causes great conflict with the father.

It is in their search that the father learns the truth and changes his opinion.

One is reminded of that great film Soldier Blue by Ralph Nelson in which a white woman who has lived with the Indians goes on a journey with a soldier who will not Deleve unal uit vo .:.st halinen that tha lIC Cavalry committed atrocities on the Indians. During the journey his mind is slowly change, culminating in the 'Wounded Knee' massacres.

The other ingredient of 'Missing' which turns it from a good into a great film is the direction of Gavras. He doesn't show the torture 'of Pinochet': Chile, he just shows fleeting glimpses of the action of the military during the coup and then longer gay people - hardly an adequate position for socialist youth movement.

We must fight to get the LPYS to adopt a better position on gay rights. But more importantly we must campaign to get the issue discussed in LPYS branches and at regional and national LPYS events. This is important for the information and education . of those LPYS members who have backward ideas about gays:

There have been a number of incidents when gay LPYS members have been verbally abused by other views of the bodies.

But in these fleeting glimpses he brings out the horror of the events. He makes us feel the rush to be indoors before the curfew, with people running desperately one way, and then the other, cramming onto buses.

On the night before he died, Horman and his wife are caught out in the curfew and so have to stay in a hotel. This produces the clearest image in the film.

Fugitive We witness the desperation of the fugitives in the hotel: but opposite the hotel a party is going on. The rich of Santiago are dancing to "My Ding-aLing" . A troop transporter LPYS members. This clearly shows the need for discussion and education.

A good place to start this discussion would be at this year's LPYS Summer Camp. This is a week-long event of political and social activities where the National Committee arranges discussions and debates on all sorts of issues: unemployment, YOPs, women's rights, Ireland, etc. It could be very useful to have a discussión on gay rights there.

The NC. can hardly argue that there isn't enough time to fit it in. But goes past; the party stops, the rich all move to the window, clapping the soldiers. The soldiers salute.

the scene is over briefly.

During their investigation they meet a military relugee who knows someone who saw Horman while he was being interrogated. Flashed onto the screen for a few seconds is the scene of Horman strapped to a chair, of the tortures and of the American military adviser who is the same person who is supposed to be helping them find their son.

The military refugee makes it clear that Horman, as an American, could not have been executed without the agreement of leaaers of 'ine lana of ine jree the US officials.

In their search they tour the Embassies. In some of them they can't move for the hundreds of political refugees.

"Says it all"

As the father looks out at the vast empty lawns of the US Embassy, without a single refugee, he realises that 'that says it all"

Finally the American Ambassador comes close to admitting their support for the coup and tries to explain it.

'We have 3,000 companies operating down here. We have to look after their interests.' Go and see 'Missing'. How good it is to see a brilliantly made 'political' film!