Gianni Truvianni

A story told to me by my sister, who like me also spent a good deal of time in Santiago de Chile.

It was back in 1992 that my sister and her husband moved to Santiago, Chile for a 3 year stay, this due to my brother-in-law working for Columbia Pictures, which sent him to that part of the world. I in all my sister’s later descriptions could tell that she and her family enjoyed their lives in Santiago, as in fact her husband was given a very good job, as manager of film distribution.

It however was a particular story which my sister told me that still stands out in my mind. It being one which I doubt not of its authenticity; told to her by a secretary at Columbia Pictures who not only had been there for sometime but seemed to have that sincerity about her which would lead most to take her word on face value. This being what my sister claimed about this secretary who told her the following story.

This secretary, whose name my sister said was “Teresa” stated that after taking the office of President of Chile; Salvador Allende made it a habit of going to the offices of Columbia Pictures and ordering that films be played for his own benefit and that of his friends. Of course with Allende being a president who everyday took more and more power from the constitution; why should it strike anybody as odd that he would order a company to provide him with a service for free.

Allende however eventually become no longer satisfied with merely having films played for himself and his friends; therefore he opted for more. This coming in the form of going up to the president of Columbia Pictures in Chile and relieving him of his duties, naturally to substituted by one of his own friends. It being at this point that Columbia Pictures opted to close its operations in Chile or at least till a leader came who respected the rights of foreign companies such as was Augusto Pinochet.

Columbia Pictures would eventually re-open in Chile as Teresa was apparently rehired yet we might ask ourselves what other liberties Allende might have taken with other private companies. All of which to a certain extent making it clear why many believe it was Pinochet who saved Chile from the sort of communism Allende was trying to impose.

As for my personal relationship with Chile, I spent a good part of 92 in Santiago working as a photographer. It being in this particular city where not only did I meet some very nice people and get some very good shots which were published in a few local magazines but the place I encountered the world famous “Bolshoi Ballet”; whose members I got to meet in person.