Hypernormalisation

[BlueArmy 86]

Anyone watched the new Adam Curtis documentary on bbc Iplayer?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04b183c

Love everything he puts produces. Well worth a watch..if you have 2 hours 40 mins spare!!

[Gabalphaville]

Watched it last night - thought it was excellent. An interesting visual essay from Curtis with some brilliant archive footage. The 2 hours 40 mins didn't drag at all.

[Blue in the Face]

Anyone watched the new Adam Curtis documentary on bbc Iplayer?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04b183c

Love everything he puts produces. Well worth a watch..if you have 2 hours 40 mins spare!!

Don't agree with a lot of the factoids in this film, but much of this is for the sake of constructing a digestible narrative. I watch a shit load of movies/docs and it's been a while since anything contemporary has really stirred me. But this is an extraordinary piece of filmmaking. The label "masterpiece" is overused. It's apt here.

Thanks for sharing. Five stars for your thread.

[BlueArmy 86]

I agree about the factoids, but I think if you have a good understanding you can sift through and identify what he's using for effect and what's real. Its very clever how he makes these programmes.

His last documentary Bitter Lake is also on iplayer and well worth a watch too. It has a similar theme to this one, but instead of Syria it focuses a lot on Afghanistan. Gave me a better understanding of the recent conflict we've seen in that country.

[Gabalphaville]

Using Suicide's Dream Baby Dream over the pre-9/11 catastrophe film montage was pretty cool. As was soundtracking the execution of Ceausescu and his wife with Eno's On Some Faraway Beach. I suppose Curtis could be accused of perception management himself.

[Mrs Steve R]

Watching someone on the BBC talking about perception management is messing with my mind.

[Blue in the Face]

I agree about the factoids, but I think if you have a good understanding you can sift through and identify what he's using for effect and what's real. Its very clever how he makes these programmes.

His last documentary Bitter Lake is also on iplayer and well worth a watch too. It has a similar theme to this one, but instead of Syria it focuses a lot on Afghanistan. Gave me a better understanding of the recent conflict we've seen in that country.

Yes Bitter Lake is excellent, but not quite as entoxicating and cinematic as this film. The factoids in Bitter Lake are even more questionable, than here, but the intention of these films is to give a clear philosophical thesis and explain why opposing forces are in conflict and why they evolve like they have. The philosophy gives all the geo-politics a new perspective.

"The Trap" docs are on youtube if you haven't seen them. Covers the RAND corperation who are behind MK Ultra. Which was originally callled "Project Bluebird"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y97Ywl7RtUw

Using Suicide's Dream Baby Dream over the pre-9/11 catastrophe film montage was pretty cool. As was soundtracking the execution of Ceausescu and his wife with Eno's On Some Faraway Beach. I suppose Curtis could be accused of perception management himself.

The "Suicide" moment was perverse in it's execution but then this is the point Curtis is trying to make surely?

I had a search online for a list of tunes on the sound track. You've named the only two I knew for sure! Think there's some "Burial" and "Four Tet" in there too. (The same Eno track opens the doc link above)

Watching someone on the BBC talking about perception management is messing with my mind.

So true. The proofs are in line with the British government/BBC narrative, but I think there's still a fascinating film there even if you don't buy the who-dun-wat. A brainwashing film about intellectualising brainwashing. Brilliant.

[LordKenwyne]

It is a bit of a mish mash of random topics they've drawn a link between isn't it?.

Interesting though.

[Blue in the Face]

It is a bit of a mish mash of random topics they've drawn a link between isn't it?.

Interesting though.

The threads are valid to me, but it's a pretty bold and expansive set of subjects to merge together. Everything seems to be about social engeneering and the philosphical quagmires from the different power blocs which are forever in conflict.

[LordKenwyne]

The threads are valid to me, but it's a pretty bold and expansive set of subjects to merge together. Everything seems to be about social engeneering and the philosphical quagmires from the different power blocs which are forever in conflict.

They did the same with the last one.

He talked about the media dumbing down content. The mish mash of news stories to mind boggle the viewer.

Then they themselves drew so many correlations between different world events, they were doing exactly the same. I am unsure if that was the actual point mind!.

Not many documentaries around have this type of analysis though. It is great viewing.

[Mrs Steve R]

So true. The proofs are in line with the British government/BBC narrative, but I think there's still a fascinating film there even if you don't buy the who-dun-wat. A brainwashing film about intellectualising brainwashing. Brilliant.

Agreed, too many things that Yuri Bezmenov said about the four stages of ideological subversion came to mind for my liking.

[Colonel Cærdiffi]

[Mrs Steve R]

We were looking out for you after seeing that

[Colonel Cærdiffi]

We were looking out for you after seeing that

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH STEVE

[Vimana.]

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH STEVE

MFFFGGH ... FFFMMGGHH... MMMMMMMGHFF ... MMMMMMMMMMMMMMGHFFFF!
I suspect.

[Mrs Steve R]

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH STEVE

i noked im out, u wuld of!

[Blue in the Face]

I saw this in Curtis' film "Fowl Play" about how GM chickens could lead to a zombie apocalypse. There's a theme here.

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[the other bob wilson]

Truly fascinating stuff - not sure I know how I feel after watching it, but it's not optimistic.

Mind you, the premise behind part of it's message is as old as the hills, bread and circuses the Romans used to call it.