I joined the legion!

Last week I joined the "Orden de la Legion Mariscal Caceres" (Order of the Mariscal Caceres Legion) and today was the ceremony at the Salaverry Military Center.

This legion is about promoting our nationa hero Andres Avelino Caceres.
I have already made my intention known that if my film project goes along well, I'll continue with Caceres and the Breña Campaign he did back in 1881 to repel the chilean forces out of Peru.
His life and patriotism goes along the ones that defended with honor our nation like Bolognesi and Ugarte.
Although he did not die in battle, he fought in several and even was president twice later on after the war.
General Pitot was there also and he agreed to meet with me this Friday to talk about my need for clothing machinery to make the soldiers wardrobe. He agreed but details will be talked in depth in the meeting.


It was a nice ceremony and also the Commander General was here. Just got a brief talk with him.
Im getting closer now!

The doors are opening slowly

The meeting went smooth and fine. The Secretary General loved my project!!
He went ahead and gave his opinion that the Commander General would also approve it.
I shared my uneasiness regarding nowadays situation with this "spy" incident and if it would be a threat to my idea. He didn't think so.

One step closer now....one step closer.

Meeting with the Commander General

Tomorrow, finally, I have the meeting with the Commander General.
It is exciting to know I'm getting to talk to the one deciding.

But what kills me with anxiety is the risk now, the huge risk, of having this project, a project of approximately 6 years, be put on hold or not taken because of the recent "spying/traitor" case with Chile.
New things are coming out in the open and it's all over the news nationwide and in other countries.

The situation is very delicate right now between Peru and Chile and I guess my project will have to be reviewed by not only this Commander General but also by the Secretary of Defense and maybe by the President itself. And with how the things are happening, I just hope it doesn't get banned or put on hold just because of "national security" reasons.

My approach is historical and not looking to make anyone look bad. Just showing facts as is in a very human way.

More than ever, our country and our heroes deserve to be remembered in a different light. More than ever, we Peruvians need to commit ourselves to our sense of being a nation and feel proud about it, but that's my intention and may not be taken as such by those deciding people.

I wish I wouldn't have to depend on those factors.
A dream, a project I'm in love with is in risk of being frustrated.
I pray to God these events are the push I needed to make this happen faster instead.

It all depends on God now...I just wish I knew what his plans are for me on this.

A traitor among us....!

It just came out to nationwide awareness two days ago of a delicate incident that is of every Peruvian interest: a member of the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) has been found to have been selling sensitive information to Chile since 2003 to the present year. From army codes, national defense strategies until 2021 and also the names of all agents of our counter-intelligence service on duty.

(Click here for the recent news)

It's under thorough investigation and about to be defined if it will be treated under civil or martial justice for treason against the nation and as a spy. For either case he would spend around 35 years in prison and no less than 15 at the best of cases.

Since the 1993 Peruvian Constitution, the death penalty has been abolished in cases of treason against the nation unless its during war times (which we aren't now), so his ass is saved.

What is gathered among many Peruvians -apart from their obvious dislike about this- is that he deserves the most strong of punishments for this act of treason. Many suggest death penalty (which we had it until 1979) and few less radical sanctions.

Now I'm sure, if death penalty was still constitutional, the Human Rights Organization would jump to the ceiling in his defense for this act, but my thinking is (and with all respect to human life), how far is a human being willing to go for just 3 thousand dollars per month (what he was paid by Chile) putting at risk the lives of 30 million Peruvians not only in their physical but psychological form by selling info of national security? If we don't set an example that laws need to be obeyed and respected and that it applies to everybody so they think hard before committing such an atrocity against their nation, how can we progress united as a nation? How can we instill in our countrymen the need to protect ourselves and our boundaries? How are we gonna teach the masses that no matter how hard the economy is there are simply things (like these) that just cannot be done?

Now, for just one guy's personal interest, our nation has been put at risk (and has been for the past 6 years) and up until 2021 (and now forced I guess to change our strategy of defense and do a deep investigation of how many more are involved by Internal Affairs and the Justice Department).

There are things that can;t be forgiven and this is simply one of them.
To respect the "rights" of one guy over the rights of 30 million is simply illogic...or in my opinion, unacceptable.

I just hope this present event doesn't spoil also my film project which among all countries around us, had to be with Chile (the one we had the war with in the film).

I wonder what our national heroes of that time would think of this.
I'm sure Bolognesi is turning upside down in his grave.

Peruvian Army Headquarters meetings

Had another meeting today (4th one already) at the General Headquarters today. We colloquially call it the "Pentagon" in jest as it plays the same role as the US army one.

Meetings are getting better and negotiations are reaching a high point.

Now the next one is with the peruvian army general commander to agree in writing on the needs for my film. After that, it's mostly 70% done. Still need to secure sponsors funding.

On a side note; every time I come here can't help but recall my school years when sometimes we used to come and march every June 7th with my PRG school.

Polishing my screenplay

Just me here continuing polishing and retouching the screenplay for my film.

Every time I re-read the historical facts it I can't help but wonder at how much courage and balls these people had to fight the enemy that outnumbered them by a ratio of 4-to-1. Definetly, courage and honor at best.
The possibilities of coming out alive of that encounter was slim as you can see in this famous oil painting by Lepiani done just a few years after the battle.


Lepiani was so into details and precision that he even went as far as to exhume soldier bodies to check on their uniforms and equipment. This one of Alfonso Ugarte jumping off the cliff of the morro to avoid having our flag fall on enemy hands is just simply majestic. But of course I'm keeping focused and showing things as they were and not sinning of patriotic drive or partiality.


I just close my eyes now and imagine how the scenes will look as I film them in some months....!!

Now...off to write in my fav corner place.

Securing interior locations

When I was little, maybe not more than seven years old, my grandfather used to walk all around downtown and take me with him and that's how I learned of many awesome places in the historic district of Lima downtown.

One that called my attention a lot was the Parque Universitario (University Park). Back then in the late 70's, it used to be full of street beggars, improvised street commerce, pickpockets, and senior men sitting around concrete chess tables playing for hours and the usual onlookers surrounding them.

It was the end of the military government and the city was getting back on track with thing abolished by Velasco.

Next to the park was this beautiful, old but interesting building that was the original site of the San Marcos University (hence the name of the park) called La Casona de San Marcos.


I saw in awe all the old structures and building of what Lima used to be centuries ago and that shouted in a muted cry how ancient and valuable our peruvian history is.

Years later, back in 2007, I visited the park and building again. It was under reconstruction and refurbishing. Some of the places were not open to the public so I had to wait.

Now in 2009 it's all done and the park looks so beautiful and cleaner. No filthiness and pickpockets anymore. More appealing to the public and tourists.

What I like so much about the Casona is that it keeps its looks and feel of the older times. The peruvian republican times of the 1800's. The colors used are the same that were used in the late 18'th century and early 19th. The decoration, the wood structure, etc. It all blends perfectly and lends itself to be the perfect location I was looking for the interior shots of the Prefectura where Bolognesi was sending the letters to from Arica asking for help and support.

One room inside will also be the interior of the Bolognesi headquarters in Arica that is known as the Casa de la Respuesta.

I already talked with the Director of the Casona and he is very excited about my film and ready to offer help in whatever I need.

Things can't be more appealing to me now.

Seems like all the stars are aligning in my favor.

But still....need more uniforms and budget for that.

Only got 150 promised and still lacking 200 more.

Checking locations for the battle scenes

So, I went to the Morro Solar today.
The last time I went there was to do some HD camera tests last year and before that I did it way back in 1992.
This time I went all the way up to the top where the TV antennas are located. The driving to the top is a very steep, rocky and narrow dirt road that I wasn't prepared for but even when there was a straight-down abyss on one side, it was worth it....and necessary.

In my prior visit to the Historian Institute, I got a hold of some maps and topographic charts to study the terrain and choose beforehand what areas would be suitable for the battle scenes and that mimick the Arica mountain in Chile (that used to be our territory before we lost it). Shooting there would have been awesome but difficult nowadays for obvious political and territorial reasons.
So the best alternative at hand is the Morro Solar; it's here, it's close and it's very similar in shape and in height.
To help myself even further I checked with Google Earth. Awesome tool for previewing land and altitude of any place and from anywhere in the world.

In this pic, down in the beach below, I'll be placing digitally the city of Arica when seen from up above. Although the city is on the other side, t'll have to be flipped horizontally in post to make it happen as on the other side here it's the city of Lima.

Only one thing to keep in mind is that I'll have to plan my shots right, for in the opposite side I can see the TV antennas in frame. If there was another closer similar location it would be easier but, to transport hundreds of extras to play the soldiers, plus gas expenses, equipment and logistics, etc....the budget would skyrocket.

War uniforms

Been a while since I posted any progress. Was trying to rest and get better on some physical stuff.
I finally went today to the other place where this ORG keeps the uniforms found on site. They scanned the whole terrain of the war zone with archeologists and metal detectors. Set a parameter and digged carefully and found not only the props and equipment from soldiers, but also their bodies and uniforms.

Shown here are some of the most known typical uniforms of the war. It's known that usually the colors chosen reflect the ones of each country's flag. Same thing here but the similitude I'm sure created some confusion that during the battle must have caused quite a stir and fatal errors in the craziness and adrenaline of the moment. Peruvian officers used the Prussian style of the era like this which I'm glad to have now at my disposal for the film. Here they are displayed on manequins so they can be appreciated at full:















Now, the peruvian soldiers mostly used creamy white uniforms with black shoes as you can see here (it is heavily dirty with soil and dried blood from the soldier):

















Now this is the chilean soldier's uniform. Notice the similar colors with the peruvian officers (deep blue jacket and red pants). They didn't use high black boots though but khaki/brown colored ones.

















The hats (kepis) will use the same shape of the Civil War soldiers; a flat foward-inclined top.

Now my next step is to do a walk-thru of the location I chose for the battle scenes: the Morro Solar by Chorrillos. Taking pics and studying maps to check the terrain and altitude beforehand.

Canons and rifles and guns...oh my!

Went today early morning to the Cuartel Barbones (Fort Barbones) which is an old fort near downtown which is mostly run by the army logistics office and is the place where most of the old weaponry and obsolete equipment goes for archiving and saving.

Asked for the ranking officer and was nice enought to attend me after the order from the General came in my name (usually it runs like that. Not leverage and you get nowhere) and told him about my plans for the film. I was hoping to find they had old rifles liek Chassepots and Comblain models there but they only had Mauser 98K series (which wasn't used in our war for that model was made around the 1920's). Asked him if he would be nice enough to show me one.

He did.

As much and as hard that I've looked around all forts, not enough quatity of the older models are to be found. The fort had around 60 Mausers at my disposal including the bayonets. Some were a bit faulty but, who cares? It can be fixed...although it adds up to the budget needed for it.

More sponsors would have to enter the game to reach the amount.
Also I was lucky enought o find three more canons of the late 1800's that work!
That adds more possibilites to the film.

Im smiling.

At least I got somewhere.

Meeting with historian

So I went today in the morning to another meeting with a war historian called Luis Guzmán at the Legión Cáceres Institute.

Met with two army generals and the historian. We shared some info I happened to gathered and cross-checked for any errors I might have slipped in my research.

Very interesting chat. Valuable hours of important info.

Tomorrow: my visit to the Barbones Fort where old and obsolete weaponry is kept. I have to check the number of rifles and bayonets they have there that could look the part (if not actually belong) to that 1880's era.

A travel through time...

Here is my visit to my fellow Pacific War forum member.
His house is a plethora of war paraphernalia. Things he got thru the years of having a profound attachment to this era like I do.
Oscar Ferreyra not only keeps original stuff for the war times he has collected with his non-profit organization for almost 20 years, but also is a great source for knowledge about the topic.
It was like going back in time in a way. Gave me a broader notion of the war.
I felt like a kid in a candy store!

Thursday going to check the uniform gallery he keeps in his office/museum.

Found the location to shoot the famous Bolognesi response

Found a location to shoot the famous response Francisco Bolognesi gave to the Chilean enemy in 1880, two days prior to losing his life...and it's right here in Lima!! As any Peruvian and knowledgeable person about the war should know, he said to the enemy officer: "Sir, tell your commanding officer that Arica will not surrender. I have sacred duties to fulfill and I will do so 'till we shoot our last cartridge".
An example to every Peruvian or others who loves his country and has a healthy sense of patriotism.

The first time I went there (Arica) was back in 1982 and visited it again in 2005.
Now, I know that a real life replica is here and I'm able to use it!!

The real one is in Arica (picture below) and used to be later the Peruvian consulate in that city until 2000. Now it's a museum.

Inside, there is a reproduction of a picture taken the same day that the famous answer was given by Bolognesi.



UPDATE: It's has now been questioned to not be a picture of the actual "response" moment but a theater play just a few years later depicting the battle. It was in the posession of an old man living in Tacna and was bought by Genaro Parker (owner of Panamericana Television) in the early 90's while making a documentary about this topic. The theater play is assumed to be from the early 20th century, just about twenty years after the war. This is the digitally retouched version as the orginal was in poor condition and if you can see closely, some beards and faces look altered. Also there are give-aways of its fake authenticity as the light in the room doesn't resemble the actual lighting of the Bolognesi headquarter. It was only lit by candlelight and from windows but here it is well illuminated. Another fact is the Commander's uniform which doesn't match the original one (deep blue and red like the rest of the officers). In here it looks if it was of a clearer shade.

Here are the top officers uniforms that I'd be able to use so far. Just a matter of being given the green light by the peruvian army.

And this is the replica here in Lima. I'm so excited about it. The only problem is that the surroundings are scattered with modern buildings and stuff. Seems that computer effects and digital replacement will have to be used to erase them out for the shot.

Retaking an old project

I wrote in a prior post (don't recall which one) how into history I'm in.
Peru is rich in it and so it's the world but, being a Peruvian myself, I cannot stop being in awe about how many things shaped the place I live in and how many things a lot of people don't know about it. Maybe simply because of not being of their interest or because of being focused on something else.

Well, I may think of myself as a "romantic" about heroic stuff. Maybe because it inspires or becuase it serves me as a purpose to love life and appreciate it more.

One of the topics I'm very fond of is the Pacific War years (Guerra ddel Pacifico 1879-1883) and some particular events in it like the Battle of Alto del Alianza (Tacna) and the Battle of Arica.

Many years ago, 5 years I think, I wrote a script for a feature lenght film about it. I did a long research since the late 90's for I wanted to take it to the screen but shelved it for funding reasons.

Back in 2007, after coming back from the US in sept. for personal reasons I wanted to bring the project back to the front as to uplift my spirit a bit and do what I worked for for so long. This time I wanted to do make it just a short film among friends. I wrote another script to just focus on the emotional and personal side of our heroes and people around the matter. I visited a couple of possible locations also but things looked a bit difficult and after a strong event a month later, I shelved it again to focus on my healing.

Now, 2 years later, for same personal reasons I decided to recapture the project again and bring it to life. This time Im gonna try harder and put my best efforts in it. I already secured the wardrobe for civilians of the period (1880), I talked with fellow actor-friends of mine here and so far they are jumping in my "dream", I talked with some tech people and they are willing to help and the hardest part is to get the battle scenes a reality.

30 years ago there was a mini-series about the war and although the production was impressive (wardrobe, locations, props, uniforms, etc.), the acting and the directing/editing left a lot to be desired...but I wondered where those uniforms were now. The series was made by the Ministry of Education and I pulled some strings here and there for I have worked closely with them years ago and asked them about those TV series of three decades ago. They got rid of them already as it was old and getting eaten by moth and humidity. No wonder....so many years ago and knwoing how the government works doesn't come as a surprise to me. So I just have one options left: the Army.

I already had a meeting with one high rank colonel and he is in charge of a battalion that is able to perform the "soldiers extras" that I need, but getting as many uniforms of the period is gonna be a hard task. Having them made is out of the question now for it would cost a lot of money and I need hundreds.

I have seen on TV years back some performances done by the army when it's the anniversary of a battle and there were hundreds of them so Im sure the uniforms are somewhere. Just a matter to finding where. I have a meeeting next week with a general that is charge of the corresponding office and I'm sure he will be of great help.

So far, I'm here polishing the script, I have read countless books from army history, about Bolognesi (our national hero), about the weapons used in those times and the uniforms and colors they used (taking on what I researched years back to write the feature lenght film). So now, it's just a matter of finding the uniforms.

On Saturday I went to visit a member of the Pacific War forum I belong to. He happens to have a huge collection of real props and weapons of the war. He has more stuff u can see for real in a museum. What a dream!! It was really a pleasure to visit him and spend hours sharing info about the war and telling him what I plan to do.

I'm sure this film, if coming to the light, will get a lot of attention. I just wish it happens this time.
Not only for my liking of history or that period of time, but also to show fellow peruvians how the war was and what emotions were involved in it.

This is very important for me. I guess it's after all, what gives me a bit of light in thess times of hurdles. I guess that whatever happens after, If I get to do this the way I envision it, I can say for sure I'd be able to die in peace.

I just hope the stars get alligned for me this time.
I really need it.

Closing my eyes...partially.

Coronary crap...
Never thought it would happen.