The Chilean politician Salvador Allende is one of the key figures in modern South American history, whose brief socialist rule of Chile from 1970 to 1973 still serves as possibly the greatest (and most tragic) inspiration for many political activists. Salvador Allende, the film, examines the life and times of the man behind the myth, from his youth in Valparaiso and his early political awakening to the beginnings of his presidential reign and its violent end at the hands of an American-backed right-wing military coup. The subsequent regime, led by Pinochet, then spent over twenty years erasing nearly all traces of Allende's dreams and ideals. It is against such erasure, most of all, that Salvador Allende stands, as it uncovers long-concealed documents, images, and stories (including the Nixon-led plot against Allende) and presents interviews with people whose voices had for decades been suppressed. More than a simple biography, this film is a reclamation of a time, and a person, to remember.