Settling In 131you know. Chilean telenovelas have started to explore such
modern topics as unwed mothers and AIDS.
Sábado Gigante
The Chilean television programme that has become an
institution throughout the Americas is called Sábado Gigante,
or Giant Saturday. As the name implies, it is long, and airs
from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm every Saturday on Univision.
A live audience participates in contests and watches skits,
interviews, song and dance numbers and news reports. Don
Francisco is the popular host of the show and has been on
Sábado Gigante since its premier in Chile in 1962. His real
name is Mario Kreutzberger, but everyone calls him by his
stage name. Don Francisco hosts the version of the show
that is taped in Miami, seen in practically every country in
North and South America. His daughter Vivi hosts the Chilean
version. Chileans are very proud of the fact that Sábado Gigante
originated in Chile and is now the most widely watched show
in all of Latin America. As Don Francisco says every week,
“Latinos are Separados por la distancia, unidos por el idioma.
(Separated by distance, united by language.)” One feels the
sense of Latin American unity watching his programme.
Incidentally, Don Francisco is the force behind the annual
Chilean Teletón, which every year collects millions of dollars
for the rehabilitation of handicapped children. With massive
corporate, media and people’s support, Teletón genuinely
brings the country together every December and is a source
of strong national pride.
Cinema
Movies are popular in Chile, although the great majority
are imported. Brand new theatres, complete with popcorn
and multiple screens, make going to the movies a pleasant
experience, even though Saturday nights can get very
crowded. Movies are not dubbed (to the unending thanks of
the expatriates), but subtitled, except for children’s animated
movies. It is hard to find them in their original language. In
Santiago you can find other original language films in Italian,
German and French.