The Pearson World Cinema Series premiered “El Conde” on Sept. 24. with the Chilean dark comedy. The series’ theme this year is to focus on humor as a “great escape”. El Conde portrays the brutal Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire and a royalist during the French Revolution who vowed to crush any political uprising he could. The film combines historical events with elements of vampire horror and dark humor.
Jeffrey Jackson, Ph.D, associate professor in the Department of English commented, “I think it sets you out that this is going to be the old Dracula story, but then goes in a very different, more thoughtful direction.”
“El Conde” begins with Pinochet portrayed as an old vampire, who faked his death and lives out his life in the countryside of Chile. The film’s narrator is presented as Pinochet’s biggest supporter and also happens to speak in English while the rest of the characters speak Spanish. Pinochet lives with his wife Lucia, and his butler Fyodor Krasnov, a convicted war criminal After falling out of favor with the public, Pinochet decides to stop drinking blood so his immortality ends. Lucia and Krasnov however, have other plans to keep him alive. It is later revealed they spike his food with blood to keep him alive.
After a vampire goes on a killing spree in Santiago, Pinochet’s children arrive at his home, believing he was responsible.
Officially, they want to claim their inheritance with the help of an accountant. Unofficially, they want an exorcism performed on Pinochet. The accountant, Carmen, is a nun. As she interviews the family, Carmen discovers offshore banking accounts, properties, and other valuable assets. What they do not know is Carmen plans to give Pinochet’s assets to the Church instead of the family.
After Carmen interviews Pinochet, he becomes interested in her and regains his desire to live. Pinochet begins killing again to regain his strength. Carmen eventually attempts to perform an exorcism, but it is unsuccessful. Pinochet then bites Carmen, turning her into a vampire. The film later reveals the identity of the narrator and concludes with a final twist.
The film uses its portrayal of vampires as an analogy for the violence of Pinochet’s regime. Pinochet ruled Chile as a dictator and was responsible for a period of political repression in which thousands of people were killed, tortured or disappeared. Krasnov, who is portrayed alongside Pinochet as a vampire, is also connected to the regime’s violence.
Jackson said the vampire imagery provides a familiar metaphor for political oppression.
“I think vampires and their blood lust make such a great metaphor because everyone knows the story and the myth behind the mythos of vampires. And then it’s very compelling to see it applied in an allegorical way to talk about dictators and their effects on their people,” Jackson said.
The film incorporates additional metaphors to represent the effects of political violence. In one scene, vampires place the hearts of their victims into a blender, symbolically reducing their victims’ humanity.
“El Conde” also examines Pinochet’s continued political influence after he left power around 1990. The film contrasts his appearance as an elderly man who uses a walker with scenes depicting violence and murder. This contrast highlights the film’s depiction of political extremism as something that can remain present even after a political leader is no longer in power.
The Pearson World Cinema Series will continue with four more films this year. The next screening will be Fuse, a Bosnian film, on Oct. 22. The series is free and open to students of all majors.
Thomas Pearson, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of History and Anthropology, said the series is distinguished by its focus on a central theme across its films.
“What really makes this particular series different from a lot of other film festivals, is there is a central theme. And you’ll see five films that deal with it, and next month’s film, called Fuse, is set in Bosnia and Serbia, and it’s all about the mid-1990s war, and it’s set around President Bill Clinton’s visit to that area. It actually never comes to pass, but such a great satirical look into international relations,” Pearson said.
