Nicaragua - No Pasaran (1984)

Sub-Genres - Politics & Government  |   Run Time - 74 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Eleanor Mannikka

This political documentary records one stage in Nicaragua's turbulent history, the stage just before the Iran-Contra affair and before Nicaragua's harbors were mined by the U.S. -- two events which would have undoubtedly affected the viewpoints in this film. Through narration, dramatic re-enactments, and interviews with leaders and people on the street, a continually moving kaleidoscope of facts and opinions presents a general picture of Nicaragua in 1983-'84. Tomas Borge is one Sandinista leader interviewed at length and it is his imprisonment and torture by the Somoza government that are re-enacted. After accompanying Borge to a variety of locations (a detention camp and an interview in Paris), director David Bradbury turns to interview a Contra insurgent who used to support the Sandinistas and records discussions and comments on the street and in the marketplace. These people-oriented segments are better than the brief attempt at a historical summary of Nicaragua, though that is a minor flaw in an otherwise perceptive film.