FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE The Hour Of The Furnaces 

Three hours of agitprop cinema from Argentina, following a statement by Che Guevara: "It's the hour of the furnaces and only the light shall be seen". The quote comes from the 19th century struggle against the Spanish colonial masters. The Hour Of The Furnaces was released in 1968. It was shot secretly in two years, at the beginning of the Dirty War in Argentina. We may think of it as Fernando E. Solana's film being screened in front of an audience of revolutionary workers and students, to be repeatedly interrupted for audience discussion. Part 1 is about the present status quo of the times. Part 2 presents the antithesis of the Peronist struggle and Part 3 the synthesis (to be achieved very soon!). The film as a tool in the struggle against the oppression of the present status quo. Thus the opening describes neo-colonial violence and we experience a montage of all this. The connection between exploitation and consumption is established, and we are asked not to remain mere spectators, but to become actors. This cinema of liberation is called the third cinema and the model of such productions is also cited: Eisenstein's Strike (DVD4030). At the end, the Che lies on the floor, a victim of the struggle for liberation. Part 2 deals with this act of liberation using Argentina as an example. Argentina's most effective tool in the liberation struggle: the Peronists. The part concludes with the realisation that he who has the weapons (the United States of America) has the power. Part 3 Violence and Liberation. In order to realise all that was described in parts 1 and 2, a violent uprising is needed. Obvious, isn't it? But what seems surprising is the filmmakers' call to discuss this approach again. Anyone who now watches this work from 1968 again today will inevitably notice how current the questions and problems in The Hour Of The Furnaces are today. Regardless of whether one agrees with Solanas' world view or not. And how about a video evening including discussion?