Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear poster & wallpaper
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Adam Curtis, Aiman Al-Zawaheri, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton ...( see more  see more... ) , John Ashcroft , John Kerry , Monica Lewinsky , Osama Bin Laden , Richard Nixon , Robert Bork , Ronald Reagan , Saddam Hussein , Tony Blair

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97% liked it

959 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

7 critics

Unrated, 180

Directed by: Adam Curtis

Release Date: October 20, 2004

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DVD Release Date: August 5, 2008

Stats: 127 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (127)

  • harrycaul
    July 28, 2009
    harrycaul
    This is an excellent three-part BBC documentary which traces the origins of radical Islamism and American Neo-Conservatism to a mutual hatred of post-WWII US liberalism. To the Neo-Conservatives, liberalism was to blame for an epidemic of selfish individualism that threatened to ...( read more)tear American society apart, while the Islamists were equally alarmed about the corruptive influence of this perceived 'moral decay' on the Muslim world. The Neo-Conservatives' solution: to create a unifying, mythical Nightmare that would bind society together. Initially they did this by exaggerating the threat posed to the United States by the moribund Soviet Union. The radical Islamists solution: a campaign of violence that would shock the Muslim masses back to the Qur'an. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 provided the Neo-Conservatives with just what they had been looking for since the collapse of the Soviet Union left them with an 'Evil Incarnate' vacuum to fill: a 'global terror network' of jihadists called Al-Qaeda.

    Although the final episode perhaps smacks a little too much of conspiracy theory, on the whole the The Power of Nightmares is beautifully put together and very persuasive. If I can nitpick, the use of music is effective to begin with but I was sick to death of those couple of bits of Eno, Ennio and John Carpenter after three whole hours! Adam Curtis has struggled to get his film seen in the US but at present it is available on the Internet Archive. Essential viewing for anybody trying to make sense of the times we live in; see it while you can.
  • kenstachnik
    April 7, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Everyone should see this
  • mikep15
    August 2, 2009
    mikep15
    ...and nobody listened.

    :(
  • kmansell1
    June 5, 2009
    kmansell1
    a very interesting series covering alot of the history behind the war on terror
  • TheTaskmaster
    January 22, 2008
    TheTaskmaster
    Extraordinary and crucial to watch in order to understand today's world and the cooperative effort of terrorism between Al-Qaida and the US Conservative party and how all of it began
  • cgyford
    January 17, 2008
    cgyford
    Curtis explains who's lying to you and why in the most important film of our era. If you don't watch this you will die!
  • imranali7777
    July 6, 2007
    imranali7777
    One of the BEST documentaries I have ever seen. Reveals much about terrorism and shatters many ideas and myths on the subject. Chock full of information.
  • ZadkielM
    March 24, 2007
    ZadkielM
    The Trap is the continuation of this 3 part series....

View All Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear Reviews

Critic Reviews

December 8, 2005
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

A sprawling, intellectually ambitious documentary about the political phenomenon usually referred to in journalistic shorthand as the war on terror. full review

View more Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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