Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear (2004)
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86% of critics liked it
(7 reviews) -
96% of users liked it
(1,166 ratings)
Political proverb states that a population in fear is a population that is easily controlled. In this documentary exploring the climate of fear that existed in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, filmmaker Adam Curtis explores the possibility that Western… More Political proverb states that a population in fear is a population that is easily controlled. In this documentary exploring the climate of fear that existed in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, filmmaker Adam Curtis explores the possibility that Western neoconservatives used anxiety as a tool to manipulate the masses into behaving in a predictable and controllable manner. By claiming that contemporary Western Democracy relies more on propagating the myth of an all-powerful al-Qaeda just waiting for the right time to strike rather than focusing on domestic issues and the bettering of the people, as previous generations of politicians had done, Curtis suggests that Washington is intentionally manipulating the population into a defensive stance that gives those in charge more power than necessary. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Adam Curtis
- Genres
- Documentary, Television, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Oct 20, 2004 Wide
- On DVD
- Aug 5, 2008
Critic Reviews
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Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
Adam Curtis has become the most exciting documentary filmmaker of our time. He's at once a psychologist, a historian, a journalist, a wizard of images, and a fearlessly incisive cultural detective who delves beneath the hidden myths of the modern world.
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Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Though his bias is obvious, Curtis does his homework, getting the most damning evidence from interviews with the neocons themselves.
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A.O. Scott, New York Times
A sprawling, intellectually ambitious documentary about the political phenomenon usually referred to in journalistic shorthand as the war on terror.
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John Anderson, Newsday
Curtis' The Power of Nightmares finds that the basis of 21st century political power is fear. And for nearly three hours he makes it very hard to argue it's not.
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J. Hoberman, Village Voice
As partisan filmmaking it is often brilliant and sometimes hilarious.
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