Videograms of a Revolution

Videograms of a Revolution | Part of the Images Festival 2003, Toronto
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Don’t ever take voting for granted, since these people had to take over their TV station to get that right. The North American self-absorption (which is even reflected in the fact that most people don’t consider Mexico a part of NA) means that many will never see this great compilation by Harun Farocki. The Romanian Revolution of December 1989 was a TV revolution – the people established their base in the TV station, took over the airwaves, and broadcast their proclamations and revolutionary announcements. While watching it I could almost imagine that the year was 2189, and that I was in some History class – since once something’s on video, framed by the edges of the monitor, it is as visually timeless as any painting that has been gathering dust for a few hundred years. As fascinated as I am with the French Revolution of 1789, which also resulted in the execution of a king, I was also fascinated to see a similar uprising and the applause of ordinary people as images of the dead Ceaucescus was broadcast on the evening news. “Imagine, all these years we were afraid of an idiot,” a woman says as she drives in her car, surrounded by people galvanized in the streets. That line and the film in general are a reminder that we quite often chose our misery through lack of political conviction and action.