Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992)

A film about the noted American linguist/political dissident and his warning about corporate media's role in modern propaganda.

Directors:

Mark Achbar, Peter Wintonick

Stars:

Noam Chomsky, Mark Achbar, Karin Aguilar-San Juan

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mark Achbar	...	Himself - Interviewer
Karin Aguilar-San Juan	...	Herself - South End Collective
Paul Andrews	...	Himself - The Seattle Times
William F. Buckley	...	Himself (archive footage) (as William F. Buckley Jr.)
Noam Chomsky	...	Himself
Robert Faurisson	...	Himself
Jeff Greenfield	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Jeff Hansen	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Loie Hayes	...	Herself - South End Collective
Edward S. Herman	...	Himself
Arnold Kohen	...	Himself - Journalist
Robert MacNeil	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Bill Moyers	...	Himself (archive footage)
Yossi Olmert	...	Himself - Tel Aviv University (archive footage)
Lydia Sargent	...	Herself - Z Magazine

Storyline

This film showcases Noam Chomsky, one of America's leading linguists and political dissidents. It also illustrates his message of how government and big media businesses cooperate to produce an effective propaganda machine in order to manipulate the opinions of their populations. The key examples featured for this analysis are the simultaneous events of the massive coverage of the communist atrocities of Khmer Rouge regime of Cambodia and the suppression of news of the US supported Indonesian invasion and subjugation of East Timor.

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Plot Keywords:

media | east timor | manufacturing consent | media criticism | critical thinking | 

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Taglines:

A Primer In Intellectual Self-Defense

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Necessary Illusions [Canada] Zeitgeist Films [United States]

Country:

Canada Netherlands Finland Norway Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 1992 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Chomsky, les médias et les illusions nécessaires

Filming Locations:

American University - 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Necessary Illusions Productions Inc., National Film Board of Canada (NFB), Téléfilm Canada

Technical Specs

Runtime:

167 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "Non-Corporate News" sequence where Chomsky speaks in "real time" while the other TVs are accelerated, was shot by an animator. The forty-second sequence took six weeks of prep and was done in one fifteen-hour take.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[title card: They who have put out the peoples eyes reproach them of their blindness. - John Milton, 1642. ]
EMTV video host: Three, two, one, take two. Good morning!... My name is Kevin Flook, and I'm your video host all day here at EMTV.

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Crazy Credits

Canadian and U.S. copyright laws allow "fair dealing" and "fair use" of a copyrighted work for purposes such as comment, criticism, reporting, teaching, scholarship, research, review and quotation.

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Connections

Features The Journal (1986)

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Soundtracks

The Music of Cambodia
Recordings (1967-68)
by Jacques Brunet
With permission of The International Music Council
Editors of the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music
Éditeur Générale - Alain Daniélou

User Reviews

Put on your thinking caps

Chomsky is one of my heroes, so I am a little biased. I consider myself a moderate, and I see Chomsky as a transcendent of politics. He spouts the truth, and tries to decipher incredibly complex institutional interactions. This doc will make you think about the world you live in like you've never thought about it before, being led by one of the premier thinkers of our time. Chomsky will be remembered far beyond the present, a true maverick and one of the few people intelligent enough to address societal and institutional ills and be right close to 100% of the time.

Do NOT dismiss Chomsky because you think he's a lefty nut. He's not a pre-Bowling for Columbine Michael Moore. Noam Chomsky is a distinguished intellectual in the truest sense with a near 100% accuracy in placing his words properly in sentences. When you hear him speak, try to focus on how clearly and concisely his ideas are discussed. Then look into his eyes and take note of his demeanor. A human body does not suit a mind like his. This documentary is a must for truth seekers and lefties. It is long, but you can watch it in parts. If you wanna have a great discussion, watch it with one or two other people. Its inevitable. 10/10