Videogram of a Revolution

In the fall of 1989, history took place before our very eyes. The Romanian revolution was the first televised revolution. From December 21^st—the day of Ceaucescu’s last speech—to December 26^th—the day of his death—, the cameras recorded events at the most important locations in Bucharest, almost without exception. Farocki and Ujica’s 1992 documentary film is a compilation of over 125 hours of amateur footage, news footage, and excerpts from the 120 hours of continuous broadcast by demonstrators, who had taken over the Bucharest television station. The careful compilation of different shots and angles, hence of contradictory data, provides insights concerning the operation of the modern media in general and their political implications. Dozens of people were present with their video cameras, so there are multiple records of what the official media didn’t want to see.