A leftist revolutionary or a reformist democrat? A committed Marxist or a constitutionalist politician? An ethical and moral man or, as Richard Nixon called him, a "son of a bitch"? In SALVADOR ALLENDE, acclaimed Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán (The Battle of Chile and Chile, Obstinate Memory) returns to his native country thirty years after the 1973 military coup that overthrew Chile's Popular Unity government to examine the life of its leader, Salvador Allende, both as a politician and a man.

An interview with the president of Chile conducted by Roberto Rossellini in 1971, but broadcast only after his death.

Feature film.

Salvador Allende’s last radio speech is given in full; nothing is interposed. The translation of the speech appears in subtitles, individual passages are placed into the center of the picture. Film scenes and photos underline Allende’s call to his citizens. The film ends with a slow close-up to the face of the President.

Marcia, granddaughter of Salvador Allende, the first democratic socialist president who was overthrown by the Army in September 1973, seeks to reconstruct the personal and familiar image of her grandfather, buried by his historical person, her exile and the family pain.