The Power of Nightmares
The Power of Nightmares | |
---|---|
Written by | Adam Curtis |
Directed by | Adam Curtis |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 3 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Stephen Lambert Peter Horrocks |
Producers | Adam Curtis Lucy Kelsall |
Running time | 180 mins (in three parts) |
Production company | BBC |
Original release | |
Network | BBC Two |
Release | 20 October 3 November 2004 | –
Related | |
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The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear is a
The film compares the rise of the
The Power of Nightmares was praised by film critics in Britain and the United States. Its message and content have also been the subject of various critiques and criticisms from conservatives and progressives.
Synopsis
Part 1. "Baby It's Cold Outside"
The first part of the series explains the origins of
At the same time in the
Part 2. "The Phantom Victory"
In the second part, Islamist factions, rapidly falling under the more radical influence of Zawahiri and his rich Saudi acolyte Osama bin Laden, join the neoconservative-influenced Reagan administration to combat the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. When the Soviets eventually pull out of Afghanistan, and when the Eastern Bloc begins to collapse in 1989, both the Islamists and the neoconservatives believe they are the primary architects of the Soviet Union's demise. Curtis argues that the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapsing anyway. However, the Islamists see it quite differently. In their triumph, they believe they have the power to create 'pure' Islamic states in Egypt and Algeria. Attempts to create such Islamic states are blocked by force. The Islamists then try to foment revolutions in Egypt and Algeria by using terrorism to scare the people into rising up against their leaders. But the people are terrified by the violence, and the Algerian government exploits that fear as a way to hang on to power. In the end, the Islamists declare the entire populations of the countries to be thoroughly contaminated by western values. Finally, in Algeria, they begin to turn on each other, each believing that members of other terrorist groups are not true Muslims.
In America, neoconservative aspirations to use the United States' military power to further destroy evildoers are thrown off track by the election of George H. W. Bush to the presidency, followed by the election in 1992 of Bill Clinton which left them totally out of power. The neoconservatives, along with their conservative Christian allies, attempt to demonize Clinton throughout his presidency with various real and fabricated stories of corruption and immorality. To their disappointment, the American people do not turn against Clinton. Meanwhile, Islamist attempts at revolution end in massive bloodshed, leaving the Islamists without popular support. Zawahiri and bin Laden flee to the relative safety of Afghanistan and declare a new strategy. To fight Western-inspired moral decay, they must deal a blow to its source: the United States.
Part 3. "The Shadows in the Cave"
The final part addresses the actual rise of
After the
Contributors
- John Calvert, historian of Islamism
- Prof. Harvey Mansfield, Straussian philosopher, Harvard University
- Prof. Stanley Rosen, pupil of Leo Strauss, 1949
- Dr Azzam Tamimi, Institute of Islamic Political Thought
- General Fouad Allam, interrogator, Interior Ministry 1958–87
- Roxanne Euben, political scientist
- Irving Kristol, American journalist
- William Kristol, Chief of Staff to the Vice President 1988–92
- Prof. Stephen Holmes, political philosopher
- Henry Kissinger (interviewed 1975)
- Melvin Goodman, Head of Office, Soviet Affairs, CIA 1976–87
- Prof. Richard Pipes, adviser to President Reagan 1980–83
- Dr Anne Cahn, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency 1977–80
- Omar Azzam, cousin of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Egyptian al-Qaeda leader
- Dr Kamal Habib, founder member of Islamic Jihad
- Gilles Kepel, historian of Islamist Movement
- Paul Weyrich, religious activist; member of Republican Party
- Michael Ledeen, Special Adviser to the US Secretary of State 1981–82
- Jack Wheeler, Adviser to the Reagan administration 1981–84
- Richard Perle, Assistant Secretary of Defense 1981–87; Chairman of Pentagon Defense Policy Board 2001–03
- Milton Bearden, CIA Field Officer, Afghanistan 1985–89
- Abdullah Anas, General Commander, Afghan Arabs, Northern Afghanistan 1984–89
- Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary, Soviet Communist Party (archive)
- Saif Al Banna, senior member of Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt (archive)
- Ali Haroun, Algerian Minister for Human Rights 1991–92 (archive)
- Essam el-Erian, senior member of Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt
- Brent Scowcroft, National Security Adviser to President George Bush Snr (interviewed 1996)
- Michael Lind, journalist and former neoconservative
- David Brock, author, Blinded by the Right
- Judge Robert Bork, senior member, Federalist Society
- Joe Conason, writer, The Hunting of the President
- Jason Burke, author, Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror
- Sam Schmidt, defence lawyer at US Embassy Bombings trial
- Vincent Cannistraro, Head of Counter-terrorism, CIA 1988–90
- Paul Wolfowitz, US Deputy Secretary of Defense
- Prof. David Cole, law professor, Georgetown University
- Ron Hansen, reporter, The Detroit News
- William Swor, defence lawyer at Detroit Sleeper Cell trail
- John Molloy, defence lawyer at Lackawanna Cell trial
- Bill Durodié, Director, International Centre for Security Analysis, Kings College
- Dr John Prados, National Security Archive, Washington
- Dr Theodore Rockwell, nuclear scientist
- Lewis Z. Koch, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- David Johnston, Intelligence Specialist, New York Times
Content
Adam Curtis originally intended to make a film about conflict within the
As with many of Curtis's films, The Power of Nightmares uses a montage of stock footage taken from the BBC archives which Curtis narrates.[2][3] Curtis has credited James Mossman as the inspiration for his montage technique, which he first employed for the 1992 series Pandora's Box,[8] while his use of humour has been credited to his first work with television as a talent-scout for the magazine programme That's Life![3] Curtis has also compared the entertainment aspect of his films to the Fox News channel in America, claiming that the network is successful because of "[their viewers] really enjoying what they're doing."[2]
To help drive his points, Curtis uses interviews with various political and intellectual figures. In the first two parts, former
The film's soundtrack includes at least two pieces of music from the films of John Carpenter, who Curtis credited as inspiration for his soundtrack arrangement techniques,[8] as well as tracks from Brian Eno's Another Green World. There is also music by composers Charles Ives and Ennio Morricone, while Curtis has credited the industrial band Skinny Puppy for the "best" music in the films.[9]
Airings and distribution
The Power of Nightmares was first broadcast in three parts on
In May 2005, the film was screened in a 2½ hour edit at the Cannes Film Festival.[12] Pathé purchased distribution rights for this cut of the film.[4]
By 2008, the film had yet to be aired in the United States. Curtis has remarked on this failure,
Something extraordinary has happened to American TV since September 11. A head of the leading networks who had better remain nameless said to me that there was no way they could show it. He said, 'Who are you to say this?' and then he added, 'We would get slaughtered if we put this out.' When I was in New York, I took a DVD to the head of documentaries at HBO. I still haven't heard from him.[4]
Although the series has never been shown on U.S. television, its three parts were shown on 26 February 2005 as part of the True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri, with a personal appearance made by Curtis.[13][14] It has also been featured at the 2006 Seattle International Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival, the latter awarding Curtis their Persistence of Vision Award.[15][16][17] The film was also screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, and there was a brief theatrical run in New York City in 2005.[18][19]
The film was first aired by CBC in Canada in April 2005, and again in July 2006.[20] The Australian channel SBS had originally planned to air the series in July 2005, but it was cancelled, reportedly in light of the London bombings of 7 July.[21][22] It was ultimately aired in December, followed by Peter Taylor's The New Al-Qaeda under the billing of a counter-argument to Curtis.[23]
In April 2005, Curtis expressed interest in releasing an official DVD because of popular demand, but noted that his montage technique created serious legal problems with getting such a release approved.[24] An unofficial DVD release was made in the quarterly DVD magazine Wholphin over three issues.[25][26][27]
Reaction
Critical reaction
The Power of Nightmares received generally favourable reviews from critics.
The film won a
Political reaction
Progressive observers were particularly pleased with the film.
Among
Additional issues have been raised over Curtis's depiction of the
Allegations have been made of omissions in the history described by the film. The absence of discussion of the
Comparisons to Fahrenheit 9/11
After its release, The Power of Nightmares received multiple comparisons to
Curtis has attempted to distinguish his work from Moore's film, describing Moore as "a political agitprop film-maker," arguing that, "you'd be hard pushed to tell my politics from watching [The Power of Nightmares]."[4]
See also
- Culture of fear
- Bitter Lake (2015)
- The Century of the Self (2002)
- The Living Dead (1995)
- The Mayfair Set (1999)
- Pandora's Box (1992)
- The Trap (2007)
References
- BBC Genome. BBC. 14 October 2004. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ a b c Koehler, Robert. "Neo-Fantasies and Ancient Myths: Adam Curtis on The Power of Nightmares". Cinema Scope. Archived from the original on 11 August 2005.
- ^ a b c Adams, Tim (24 October 2004). "The Exorcist". The Observer. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Jeffries, Stuart (12 May 2005). "The film US TV networks dare not show". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ a b "The Power of Nightmares: Baby it's Cold Outside". BBC Programme Catalogue. BBC. Retrieved 18 July 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "The Power of Nightmares: The Phantom Victory". BBC Programme Catalogue. BBC. Retrieved 18 July 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "The Power of Nightmares: The Shadows in the Cave". BBC Programme Catalogue. BBC. Retrieved 18 July 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Eaves, Hannah; Marlow, Jonathan (29 May 2005). "Adam Curtis: "I'm a modern journalist."". GreenCine Daily. GreenCine. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
- ^ Curtis, Adam (24 January 2005). "Power of Nightmares music". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
- ^ Beckett, Andy (15 October 2004). "The making of the terror myth". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "The Power of Nightmares: The Shadows in the Cave". BBC News. BBC. 14 January 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "Feature Films Out of Competition". Cannes Film Festival. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "Films". True/False Film Festival. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ Bland, Pete (1 March 2005). "So True". Columbia Daily Tribune. GateHouse Media. Archived from the original on 9 April 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "Films/The Power of Nightmares; The Rise of the Politics of Fear". Seattle International Film Festival. Cinema Seattle. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
- San Francisco Film Society. Archived from the originalon 11 August 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
- San Francisco Film Society. Archived from the originalon 28 September 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
- Tribeca Film Festival. Archived from the originalon 3 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ a b c Scott, A. O. (9 December 2005). "Deconstructing the Realities of Politics and Terrorism". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
- ^ "The Power of Nightmares". The Passionate Eye. CBC. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "Documentary Series: The Power of Nightmares". TV What's On. Special Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on 13 June 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ a b Fleischer, Tzvi (1 August 2005). "Scribblings: Conspiracy Theories". AIJAC. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ "Cutting Edge Terrorism Special". TV What's On. Special Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ a b c Curtis, Adam (26 April 2005). "Power of Nightmares re-awakened". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "Issue 2: Spring 2006". Wholphin. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "Issue 3: Fall 2006". Wholphin. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "Issue 4: Spring 2007". Wholphin. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ a b "The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
- ^ "The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. 20 October 2004. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (14 December 2005). "The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
- ^ Penske Business Media. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
- ^ LaSalle, Mick; Stein, Ruthe; McMurtrie, John; Curiel, Jonathan (10 June 2005). "Film Clips". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
- ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2005: The winners". BBC News. BBC. 17 April 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "Top UK directors award for Kinsey". BBC News. BBC. 20 March 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "Programme Award Winners 2004". Royal Television Society. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ Hartman, Thom (7 December 2004). "Hyping Terror For Fun, Profit—And Power". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on 19 April 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ a b c Hoberman, J. (6 December 2005). "The Phantom Menace". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 29 March 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ a b Bergen, Peter (2 June 2005). "Beware the Holy War". The Nation. p. 1. Archived from the original on 30 September 2005. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
- ^ Asman, David (20 October 2004). "Anti-American Europeans". Fox News. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Davis, Clive (21 October 2004). "The Power of Bad Television". National Review. Archived from the original on 10 June 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ Aaronovitch, David (19 October 2004). "Al-Qaida is no dark illusion". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- CBN News. Christian Broadcasting Network. Archived from the originalon 18 June 2007. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
- ^ a b c Bergen, Peter (2 June 2005). "Beware the Holy War". The Nation. pp. 2–5. Archived from the original on 29 September 2005. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
- ^ Barsanti, Chris (2005). "The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear". FilmCritic.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
- ^ Pipes, Daniel (15 October 2004). "The BBC Announces: There Is No Terrorist Threat". Daniel Pipes: Middle East Forum. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
External links
- The Power of Nightmares (Part 1) – official site at BBC iPlayer
- The Power of Nightmares (Part 2) – official site at BBC iPlayer
- The Power of Nightmares (Part 3) – official site at BBC iPlayer
- The Power of Nightmares at IMDb
- Power of Nightmares re-awakened – BBC viewers questions answered by Curtis
- Power of Nightmares background – suggested further reading by Curtis
- Adam Curtis interview at Cinema Scope (archive)
- Adam Curtis interview at GreenCine, 12 May 2005 (archived 2013)
- Adam Curtis interview with Errol Morris at errolmorris.com