In his film, Missing (1982), director Costa-Gavras documents the disappearance/death of US citizen Charles Horman (John Shea) during the 1973 military coup in Chile. In doing so, Costa-Gavras’ film offers a realistic portrayal of the US government’s involvement in the coup through a documented account of their failure to protect their own citizens. He accomplishes this by having the film follow the emotional journey of Charles Foreman’s father, Ed Horman (Jack Lemon), who represents the lifestyle the US claims it’s protecting with its actions in Chile; he essentially forces the audience to emotionally connect with Ed Horman to highlight the heinous actions of the US government. In response, the audience empathizes with Ed’s horrifying realization
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For example, Costa-Gavras’ depictions line up with Joyce Horman’s, who’s renamed Beth Horman in the film, observations in her article, “Justice for Charles Horman – and the truth about the US and Chile's coup”. In the article, she documents the US government officials’ attitude towards her and Ed during their search for Charles, “rather than aiding our search…they inquired about our social circles, and asked if we had been "annoying" the Chileans”(Horman 1). Costa-Gavras’s holds true to Horman’s account through portraying numerous US officials being very unhelpful with the search for Charles. For example, Ray Tower (Charles Cioffi), based on Captain Ray Davis, becomes obsessed with obtaining a list of Charles’ friends, “presumed Allende "sympathizers””(1), coinciding with Joyce’s remembrance of the US officials “inquir[ing] about our social cirles”(1). Meanwhile, Costa-Gavras’ depiction of the chaotic Chile streets reflects Hugh O’Shaughnessy’s observations, “when the curfew was clamped down at 6pm, there was a nightly rush for transport, public and private, as people scrambled to get indoors promptly”, made in his article “Chilean coup: 40 years ago I watched Pinochet crush a democratic dream”(1). Therefore, Costa-Gavras creates a realistic atmosphere to project a sense of authenticity for …show more content…
In this scene, Babcock conveys he’s coming from being stationed in Panama. Costa-Gavras uses “Panama” to indicate Babcock’s purpose in Chile was to train military personnel torture techniques; Panama was infamous for being the place where the United States would train military personnel how to torture combatants. In fact, O’Shaughnessy’s article highlights this connection with an observation about the military being “ready with their electrodes, thumbscrews and waterboarding equipment to defend “western Christian civilization”. Many had been brought to a peak of perfection in their trade in the US itself or in its bases in the Panama canal zone by US instructors” (1). Furthermore, Costa-Garvas’ inclusion of Babcock coincides with Guzman’s essay referencing the torture methods of the Pinochet’s military coup were, “employed by utilizing methods imported from the United States, Brazil, France, and other places” (210). Therefore, Costa-Garvas uses this historical fact to further convey his narrative’s exposing the US government’s lack of appreciation for humanity. In a sense, Costa-Garvas uses the true story of Charles Foreman’s murder to expose the US government’s willingness to cross any boundary to exercise their ability to
For example, Costa-Gavras’ depictions line up with Joyce Horman’s, who’s renamed Beth Horman in the film, observations in her article, “Justice for Charles Horman – and the truth about the US and Chile's coup”. In the article, she documents the US government officials’ attitude towards her and Ed during their search for Charles, “rather than aiding our search…they inquired about our social circles, and asked if we had been "annoying" the Chileans”(Horman 1). Costa-Gavras’s holds true to Horman’s account through portraying numerous US officials being very unhelpful with the search for Charles. For example, Ray Tower (Charles Cioffi), based on Captain Ray Davis, becomes obsessed with obtaining a list of Charles’ friends, “presumed Allende "sympathizers””(1), coinciding with Joyce’s remembrance of the US officials “inquir[ing] about our social cirles”(1). Meanwhile, Costa-Gavras’ depiction of the chaotic Chile streets reflects Hugh O’Shaughnessy’s observations, “when the curfew was clamped down at 6pm, there was a nightly rush for transport, public and private, as people scrambled to get indoors promptly”, made in his article “Chilean coup: 40 years ago I watched Pinochet crush a democratic dream”(1). Therefore, Costa-Gavras creates a realistic atmosphere to project a sense of authenticity for …show more content…
In this scene, Babcock conveys he’s coming from being stationed in Panama. Costa-Gavras uses “Panama” to indicate Babcock’s purpose in Chile was to train military personnel torture techniques; Panama was infamous for being the place where the United States would train military personnel how to torture combatants. In fact, O’Shaughnessy’s article highlights this connection with an observation about the military being “ready with their electrodes, thumbscrews and waterboarding equipment to defend “western Christian civilization”. Many had been brought to a peak of perfection in their trade in the US itself or in its bases in the Panama canal zone by US instructors” (1). Furthermore, Costa-Garvas’ inclusion of Babcock coincides with Guzman’s essay referencing the torture methods of the Pinochet’s military coup were, “employed by utilizing methods imported from the United States, Brazil, France, and other places” (210). Therefore, Costa-Garvas uses this historical fact to further convey his narrative’s exposing the US government’s lack of appreciation for humanity. In a sense, Costa-Garvas uses the true story of Charles Foreman’s murder to expose the US government’s willingness to cross any boundary to exercise their ability to