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The Power of Nightmares

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The Power of Nightmares
Title screen of The Power of Nightmares
Directed byAdam Curtis
StarringAdam Curtis (narrator)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes3
Production
ProducerAdam Curtis
Running time180 min. (in three parts)
Original release
NetworkBBC 2
Release20 October –
3 November 2004

The Power of Nightmares, subtitled The Rise of the Politics of Fear, is a BBC documentary film series, written and produced by Adam Curtis. The series consists of three one-hour films, consisting mostly of a montage of archive footage with Curtis's narration, which were first broadcast in the United Kingdom in late 2004 and have been subsequently aired in multiple countries and shown in several film festivals, including the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

The films compare the rise of the American Neo-Conservative movement and the radical Islamist movement, making comparisons on their origins and noting strong similarities between the two. More controversially, it argues that the threat of radical Islamism as a massive, sinister organised force of destruction, specifically in the form of al-Qaeda, is in fact a myth perpetrated by politicians in many countries—and particularly American Neo-Conservatives—in an attempt to unite and inspire their people following the failure of earlier, more utopian ideologies.

The Power of Nightmares has been praised by film critics in both 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 Islamism and Neo-Conservatism. It shows Egyptian civil servant Sayyid Qutb, depicted as the founder of modern Islamist thought, visiting America to learn about the education system, but becoming disgusted with what he saw as a corruption of morals and virtues in western society through individualism. When he returns to Egypt, he is disturbed by westernization under President Nasser and becomes convinced that in order to save society it must be completely restructured along the lines of Islamic law while still using western technology. He also becomes convinced that this can only be accomplished through the use of an elite "vanguard" to lead a revolution against the established order. Qutb becomes a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and, after being tortured in one of Nasser's jails, comes to believe that western-influenced leaders can justly be killed for the sake of removing their corruption. Qutb is executed in 1966, but he inspires the future mentor of Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, to start his own secret Islamist group. Inspired by the 1979 Iranian revolution, Zawahiri and his allies assassinate Egyptian president Anwar Al Sadat, in 1981, in hopes of starting their own revolution. The revolution does not materialise, and Zawahiri comes to believe that the majority of Muslims have been corrupted by their western-inspired leaders and thus may be legitimate targets of violence if they do not join him.

At the same time in the United States, a group of disillusioned liberals, including Irving Kristol and Paul Wolfowitz, look to the political thinking of Leo Strauss after the general failure of President Johnson's "Great Society". They come to the conclusion that the emphasis on individual liberty was the undoing of the plan. They envisioned restructuring America by uniting the American people against a common evil, and set about creating a mythical enemy. These factions, the Neo-Conservatives, come to power under the Reagan administration, with their allies Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, and work to unite the United States in fear of the Soviet Union. The Neo-Conservatives allege the Soviet Union is not following the terms of disarmament between the two countries, and, with the investigation of "Team B", they accumulate a case to prove this with dubious evidence and methods. President Reagan is convinced nonetheless.[1]

Part 2: "The Phantom Victory"

In the second episode, Islamist factions, rapidly falling under the more radical influence of Zawahiri and his rich Saudi acolyte Osama bin Laden, join the Neo-Conservative-influenced Reagan Administration to combat the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. They are successful in repulsing the Soviet armies and, when the Eastern Bloc begins to collapse in the late 1980s, both groups believe they were the primary architect of the "Evil Empire's" defeat and thus have the power to carry out their revolutions in their homelands. Curtis instead argues that the Soviets were on their last legs and were doomed to collapse without intervention.

Both factions' revolutions end in failure. The Neo-Conservatives' aspirations to use the United States Army's power for further destruction of evil are thrown off track by the ascent of George H. W. Bush to the American Presidency, followed by the 1992 election of Bill Clinton leaving them out of power. The Neo-Conservatives, with their conservative Christian allies, attempt to demonise Clinton throughout his presidency with various real and fabricated stories of corruption and immorality. To their disappointment, however, the American people do not acknowledge him as an enemy as they intended and remain indifferent to Clinton's alleged evils. The Islamist attempts at revolution end in massive bloodshed, leaving the Islamists without popular support. Zawahiri and bin Laden flee to the sufficiently safe Afghanistan and declare a new strategy; to fight Western-inspired moral decay they must deal a blow to its source: the United States.[2]

Part 3: "The Shadows in the Cave"

The Neo-Conservatives use the September 11th attacks, with al-Fadl's description of al-Qaeda, to launch the War on Terror.

The final episode addresses the actual rise of al-Qaeda. Curtis argues that, after their failed revolutions, bin Laden and Zawahiri had little or no popular support, let alone a serious complex organisation of terrorists, and were dependent upon independent operatives to carry out their new call for jihad. The film instead shows the United States government wanting to prosecute bin Laden in absentia for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings, and needing to prove him to be the head of a criminal organisation to do so. They find a former associate of bin Laden, Jamal al-Fadl, and pay him to testify that bin Laden was the head of a massive terrorist organisation called "al-Qaeda". With the September 11th attacks, Neo-Conservatives in the new Republican government of George W. Bush use this created concept of an organisation to justify another crusade against a new evil enemy, leading to the launch of the War on Terrorism.

After the American invasion of Afghanistan fails to uproot the alleged terrorist network, the Neo-Conservatives focus inwards, searching unsuccessfully for terrorist sleeper cells in America. They then extend the war on "terror" to a war against general perceived evils with the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The ideas and tactics also spread to the United Kingdom where Tony Blair uses the threat of terrorism to give him a new moral authority. The repercussions of the Neo-Conservative strategy are also explored with an investigation of indefinitely-detained terrorist suspects in Guantanamo Bay, many allegedly taken on the word of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance without actual investigation on the part of the United States military, and other forms of "preemption" against non-existent and unlikely threats made simply on the grounds that the parties involved could later become a threat. Curtis also makes a specific attempt to defuse fears of a dirty bomb attack, and concludes by reassuring viewers that politicians will eventually have to concede that some threats are exaggerated and others altogether devoid of reality.[3]

Content

Adam Curtis originally intended to create a film about conflict within the conservative movement between the ideologies of Neo-Conservative "elitism" and more individualist libertarian factions. During his research into the conservative movement, however, Curtis first saw similarities in the origins of the Neo-Conservative and Islamist ideologies. The topic of the planned documentary shifted to these latter two ideologies while the libertarian element was eventually phased out.[4] Curtis first pitched the idea of a documentary on conservative ideology in 2003 and spent six months compiling the films.[5][6] The final recordings for the three parts were made on October 10, October 19 and November 1 2004.[7][8][9]

The film uses a montage of various stock footage from the BBC archives, often used for ironic or humorous effect, over which Curtis narrates.[4][5] Curtis has credited James Mossman as the inspiration for his montage technique, which he first employed for the 1992 series Pandora's Box,[10] while his use of humor has been credited to his first work with television as a talent scout for That's Life![5] He has also compared the entertainment format of his films to the American Fox News channel, claiming the network has been successful because "[their viewers] really enjoying what they’re doing."[4]

To help drive his points, Curtis includes interviews with various political and intellectual figures. Former Arms Control and Disarmament Agency member Anne Cahn and former American Spectator writer David Brock accuse the Neo-Conservatives of using shoddy research when seeking evidence of wrongdoing by the Soviet Union and Bill Clinton respectively in the first two films.[1][2] Jason Burke, author of Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror, comments in The Shadows in the Cave on the failure to expose a massive terrorist network in Afghanistan.[3] Additional interviews with major figures are added to drive the film's narrative. Neo-Conservatives William and Irving Kristol, Richard Pipes and Richard Perle all appear to chronicle the Neo-Conservative perspective of the film's subject.[1][3] The history of Islamism is discussed by the Institute of Islamic Political Thought's Azzam Tamimi, political scientist Roxanne Euben and Islamist Abdulla Anas.[1][2]

The film's soundtrack includes at least two pieces from the films of John Carpenter, whom Curtis credited as inspiration for his soundtrack arrangement techniques,[10] 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" samples in the films.[11]

Airings and distribution

The Power of Nightmares was first aired over a period of three weeks on BBC 2 in 2004 in the United Kingdom, beginning with Baby it's Cold Outside on October 20, The Phantom Victory on October 27 and The Shadows in the Cave on November 3, although the death of Kenneth Bigley lead the BBC to curtail their advertising prior to its airing.[7][8][9][12] It was rebroadcast, in January 2005, over three days, with the third film updated to take note of the Law Lords ruling from the previous December that detaining foreign terrorist suspects without trial was illegal.[13]

In May 2005, the film was screened in a 2½ hour edit at the Cannes Film Festival out of competition.[14] Pathé has purchased distribution rights for this cut of the film.[6]

As of August 2007, the film has yet to be aired in the United States. Curtis has commented 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.[6]

Although the series has not been shown on U.S. television, its three episodes were shown in succession, on 26 February 2005, as part of the True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri, with a personal appearance by Curtis.[15][16] It has also been featured at the 2006 Seattle International Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival, with the latter awarding Curtis their Persistence of Vision Award.[17][18][19] The film was also screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, and had a brief theatrical run in New York City during the Summer of 2005.

The films were first aired by CBC in Canada in April 2005, and again in July 2006.[20] The Australian channel SBS had originally scheduled to air the series in July 2005, but it was canceled, reportedly in light of the London bombings.[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 an official DVD release due to a significant demand by viewers, but noted that his usual montage technique created serious legal problems with getting such a release secured.[24] An unofficial DVD release was made in the quarterly DVD magazine Wholphin over a period of three issues.[25][26][27]

Reaction

Critical reaction

Of reviews aggregated by Rotten Tomatoes, 86% were positive; the average rating among those aggregated by MetaCritic was a "generally favorable" 78 of 100.[28][29] In May 2005, Adam Curtis was quoted as saying that 94% of e-mails to the BBC in response to the film were supportive.[6] Entertainment Weekly described the film as "a fluid cinematic essay, rooted in painstakingly assembled evidence, that heightens and cleanses your perceptions" while Variety called it "a superb, eye-opening and often absurdly funny deconstruction of the myths and realities of global terrorism."[30][31] The San Francisco Chronicle had an equally enthusiastic view of the film and likened it to "a brilliant piece in the Atlantic Monthly that's (thankfully) come to cinematic life."[32] The New York Times had a more skeptical review, unimpressed by efforts to compare attacks on Bill Clinton by American conservatives with Islamist revolutionary activities and claiming "its understanding of politics, geo- and national, can seem curiously thin."[33]

Progressive observers were particularly pleased with the film. Common Dreams had a highly positive response to the film and compared it to the "red pill" of the Matrix series, a comparison Curtis has apparently appreciated.[24][34] Commentary in the Village Voice was also mostly favorable, noting "As partisan filmmaking it is often brilliant and sometimes hilarious—a superior version of Syriana."[35] The Nation, while offering a detailed critique on the film's content, said of the film itself "[it] is arguably the most important film about the "war on terrorism" since the events of September 11."[36]

The film was awarded a BAFTA in the category of "Best Factual Series" in 2005.[37] Additional awards were given by the Director's Guild of Great Britain and the Royal Television Society.[38][39]

Criticisms

Several critics in the United States slammed The Power of Nightmares as anti-American. David Asman noted on the film on FoxNews.com that "We wish we didn't have to keep presenting examples of how the European media have become obsessively anti-American. But they keep pushing the barrier, now to the point of absurdity."[40] His views were shared by Clive Davis, concluding his commentary on the film for conservative bi-weekly magazine The National Review with "British producers, hooked on Chomskyite visions of 'Amerika' as the fount of all evil, are clearly not interested in even beginning to dig for the truth."[41] An article on CBN.com linked the film to an alleged Islamist-liberal alliance formed by "hatred of America, capitalism, and Israel."[42]

Other observers variously described the films as pushing a conspiracy theory or being generally out of touch with reality. Davis and British commentator David Aaronovitch both explicitly labeled the film's message as a conspiracy theory, with the latter saying of Curtis "his argument is as subtle as a house-brick."[41][43] Attacks in this vein continued after the 7 July 2005 London bombings, with CBN referencing the film as a source for claims by the "British left" that "the U.S. War on Terror was a fraud" and the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council calling it "the loopiest, most extreme antiwar documentary series ever sponsored by the BBC."[22][42] In The Shadows in the Cave, Curtis took the time to stress that he did not completely discount the possibility of any terrorist activity taking place.[3] He responded to accusations of creating a conspiracy theory that he believes that the alleged use of fear as a force in politics is not the result of a conspiracy but rather the subjects of the film "have stumbled on it".[24]

Peter Bergen, writing for the left wing magazine The Nation, offered a detailed critique of the film. Bergen wrote that even if al-Qaeda is not as organised as the Bush Administration stresses, it is still a very dangerous force due to the fanaticism of its followers and the resources available to bin Laden. His own comment on Curtis's claim that al-Qaeda was legally invented by the Americans is "This is nonsense. There is substantial evidence that Al Qaeda was founded in 1988 by bin Laden and a small group of like-minded militants, and that the group would mushroom into the secretive, disciplined organisation that implemented the 9/11 attacks."[44] Bergen further claimed that, in fact, Curtis's arguments serve as a defence of Bush's failure to capture bin Laden in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and his ignoring warnings of a terror attack prior to September 11th.[45]

Additional issues have been raised over Curtis's depiction of the Neo-Conservatives. Davis's article in the National Review showed him displeased with Curtis's depiction of Leo Strauss, claiming "In Curtis's world, it is Strauss, not Osama bin Laden, who is the real evil genius."[41] Peter Bergen claimed the film exaggerated the influence of Strauss over Neo-Conservatism, crediting the political philosophy more to Albert Wohlstetter.[46] A 2005 review on Christopher Null's Filmcritic.com took issue with The Phantom Victory 's retelling of the attacks on Bill Clinton, crediting these more to the American Religious Right than the "bookish university types" of the Neo-Conservative movement.[47]

There are also allegations of omissions in the history described by the film. The absence of discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was noticed by observers.[33][35] Davis claimed that Leo Strauss's ideas had been formed by experiences Germany during the Weimer Republic and alleged the film's failure to mention this was motivated by a wish to display Strauss as concerned with American suburban culture, like Qutb.[41] MediaLens criticised the film for failing to explore the role of big business in the situation it described.[48]

Comparisons to Fahrenheit 9/11

After its release, The Power of Nightmares received multiple comparisons to Fahrenheit 9/11, American filmmaker Michael Moore's 2004 critique on the first four years of George W. Bush's presidency of the United States. The Village Voice directly named The Power of Nightmares as "the most widely discussed docu agitprop since Fahrenheit 9/11."[35] The Nation and Variety both gave comments ranking Curtis's film superior to Fahrenheit and other political documentaries in various fields; the former cited Curtis's work being more "intellectually engaging" and "historically probing" while the latter cited "balance, broadmindedness and sense of historical perspective."[31][36] Moore's work has also been used as a point of comparison by conservative critics of Curtis.[41]

Curtis has attempted to distinguish his work from Moore's film and has dismissed the latter as "a political agitprop film-maker"[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Transcript: The Power of Nightmares—Part 1". DaanSpeak.com. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  2. ^ a b c "Transcript: The Power of Nightmares—Part 2". DaanSpeak.com. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  3. ^ a b c d "Transcript: The Power of Nightmares—Part 3". DaanSpeak.com. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  4. ^ a b c Koehler, Robert. Neo-Fantasies and Ancient Myths: Adam Curtis on The Power of Nightmares. Cinema Scope Issue 23.
  5. ^ a b c Adams, Tim (2004-10-24). "The Exorcist". The Observer. The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-06-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e "The film US TV networks dare not show". Cannes 2005. The Guardian. 2005-05-12. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b "The Power of Nightmares: Baby it's Cold Outside". BBC Programme Catalogue. BBC. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  8. ^ a b "The Power of Nightmares: The Phantom Victory". BBC Programme Catalogue. BBC. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  9. ^ a b "The Power of Nightmares: The Shadows in the Cave". BBC Programme Catalogue. BBC. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  10. ^ a b "Adam Curtis: "I'm a modern journalist."". GreenCine. 2005-05-29. Retrieved 2007-08-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Curtis, Adam (2005-01-24). "Power of Nightmares music". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-06-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Beckett, Andy (2004-10-15). "The making of the terror myth". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "The Power of Nightmares: The Shadows In The Cave". BBC News. 2005-01-14. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "All the Films—Festival 2005". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  15. ^ "Films 2005". True/False Film Festival. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  16. ^ Bland, Pete (2005-03-01). "So True". Inside the Slash. Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Films/The Power of Nightmares; The Rise of the Politics of Fear". Seattle International Film Festival. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  18. ^ "Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear, The". San Francisco Film Society. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  19. ^ Thomson, David. "Secret Histories". San Francisco Film Society. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  20. ^ "The Power of Nightmares". The Passionate Eye. CBC News. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  21. ^ "What's On—Documentary Series: The Power of Nightmares". SBS Television. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  22. ^ a b Fleischer, Tzvi (August 2005). "Scribblings: Conspiracy Theories". The Review. AIJAC. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  23. ^ "What's On—Cutting Edge Terrorism Special". SBS Television. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  24. ^ a b c Curtis, Adam (2005-04-26). "Power of Nightmares re-awakened". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Issue 2: Spring 2006". Wholphindvd.com. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  26. ^ "Issue 3: Fall 2006". Wholphindvd.com. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  27. ^ "Issue 4: Spring 2007". Wholphindvd.com. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  28. ^ "The Power of Nightmares". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  29. ^ "Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear, The". MetaCritic. Retrieved 2007-06-12.
  30. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (2005-12-14). "The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear (2005)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ a b Foundas, Scott (2005-04-13). "The Power Of Nightmares: The Rise Of The Politics Of Fear". Variety. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ Curiel (2005-06-10). "Film Clips". SFGate.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-07-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ a b Scott, A. O. (2005-12-09). "Deconstructing the Realities of Politics and Terrorism" (registration required). Movies. The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ Hartman, Thom (2004-12-07). "Hyping Terror For Fun, Profit—And Power". Common Dreams. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ a b c Hoberman, J. (2005-12-06). "The Phantom Menace". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ a b Bergen, Peter (2005-06-02). "Beware the Holy War". The Nation. p. 1. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2005: The winners". BBC News. 2005-04-17. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ "Top UK directors award for Kinsey". BBC News. 2005-03-20. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ "RTS Programme Awards 2004". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  40. ^ Asman, David (2004-10-20). "Anti-American Europeans". FoxNews.com. Fox News. Retrieved 2007-06-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ a b c d e Davis, Clive (2004-10-21). "The Power of Bad Television". National Review Online. The National Review. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ a b Hurd, Dale. "How Leftists Aid Radical Islam". CBN.com. CBN News. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
  43. ^ Aaronovitch, David (2004-10-19). "Al-Qaida is no dark illusion". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ Bergen, Peter (2005-06-02). "Beware the Holy War". The Nation. p. 3. Retrieved 2007-06-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  45. ^ Bergen, Peter (2005-06-02). "Beware the Holy War". The Nation. p. 5. Retrieved 2007-06-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ Bergen, Peter (2005-06-02). "Beware the Holy War". The Nation. p. 2. Retrieved 2007-06-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  47. ^ Barsanti, Chris (2005). "The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear". FilmCirtic.com. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  48. ^ "The Power of Nightmares—Adam Curtis Responds". MediaLens. 2004-12-07. Retrieved 2007-06-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

See Also

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