The Fmln Flies In With Peace

Essentially a home video made by and for fans of the guerrilla resistance movement in El Salvador, The FMLN Flies In With Peace is a visual record of the General Command of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (the "FMLN," though the full name is never even mentioned in the video) returning to El Salvador on January 31, 1992, after a negotiated cease fire allowed the rebels to re-enter the country that they had been exiled from for years. The video opens with the members of the General Command being identified by name as they head towards the plane. This is followed by interview clips on the plane trip, in which interviewees are asked about their feelings concerning going home. Their answers are rendered in often barely readable subtitles. The FMLN is greeted with applause on their arrival, and the camera is jostled around a bit, giving the film that cinema verite look without any explanatory dialogue on the soundtrack to explain to the viewer what he or she is witnessing. The program concludes with brief clips of political boilerplate rhetoric from the numerous speakers at the February 1, 1992 inauguration of COPAZ, the peace committee. What we basically have here is a 30-minute news clip that a competent editor should have turned into a five-minute (max) piece. Since the film assumes that the viewer knows the key (and minor) political players in El Salvador by name, it's completely unsuitable for general audiences. On the other hand, since the film has very little to say about the situation in El Salvador, it's not much use to those who are extremely knowledgeable in the subject (they will learn nothing new here). Not recommended. (Available from: El Rescate/Video, 1340 South Bonnie Brae, Los Angeles, CA 90006; (213) 387-3284.)