"The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear" (2004)TV series

Director:

Adam Curtis

Writer:

Adam Curtis (writer)

Release Date:

20 October 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A series of three documentaries about the use of fear for political gain.

Plot Keywords:

Gulf War | Post WWII | War On Terrorism

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Adam Curtis	...	Narrator (voice)
Sayyid Qutb	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Calvert	...	Himself - Islamist Historian
Leo Strauss	...	Himself (archive footage)
Harvey Mansfield	...	Himself - Straussian Philosopher - Harvard University (as Professor Harvey Mansfield)
Stanley Rosen	...	Himself - Pupil of Leo Strauss 1949 (as Professor Stanley Rosen)
Azzam Tamimi	...	Himself - Institute of Islamic Political Thought (as Dr Azzam Tamimi)
Gamal Abdel Nasser	...	Himself (archive footage)
Fouad Allam	...	Himself - Interrogator Interior Ministry 1958-87 (as General Fouad Allam)
Roxanne Euben	...	Herself - Political Scientist
Lyndon Johnson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Irving Kristol	...	Himself - Founder of Neoconservative Movement
Paul Wolfowitz	...	Himself (archive footage)
William Kristol	...	Himself
Stephen Holmes	...	Himself - Political Philosopher (as Professor Stephen Holmes)

Also Known As:

The Power of Nightmares (UK) (short title)

Runtime:

Hong Kong:157 min | 180 min (3 parts) | 157 min (theatrical version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: In the past, politicians promised to create a better world. They had different ways of achieving this, but their power and authority came from the optimistic visions they offered their people. Those dreams failed and today people have lost faith in ideologies...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 50 Greatest Documentaries (2005) (TV)

Great documentary on contemporary history

A most satisfying documentary. Whether one agrees or not with the main argument of the filmmakers or not, there is much to learn from the well documented facts assembled here. This is the best true documentary I have seen in a long time. I particularly enjoyed its sense of humor and the clips from feature films such as Ali Baba and the 40 thieves. The film does only ring true; if one is alive, one has been a witness to much of what the film assembles to make its points. Notwithstanding, be prepared to be surprised by the bold argument the film makes. This is a very fair-minded presentation of one key aspect of our contemporary history.