The Power of Nightmares (Part 1) - Baby It's Cold Outside

The Power of Nightmares (Part 1) - Baby It's Cold Outside
59 min 12 sec - 09/02/2008
Average rating: (48 ratings)

This is a movie made by Adam Curtis and it was aired on BBC in 2004.

I have not watched the whole series yet but this first episode seems rather good.
The opening is fantastic and it is full of very interesting historical facts about the origin of the Islamic war on terror.

The part that really shocked me was the role Rumsfeld played in 1976 in basically fuelling the Cold War paranoia. Interestingly him and a couple of other people were instrumental in the events of 9/11.

This seems like a very good documentary to view in full...

Added 12 April 2008

Indeed, this turned out to be a great series - with all parts being quite interesting. Granted, it does take some time to watch it, but I do believe the effort is worth it. This is particularly true of the first part of the documentary.

Not to mention the opening, which is quite extraordinary. It does a very nice job of presenting the larger picture in a concise manner.

The documentary was criticised a few times for a few inaccuracies and slight distortions of the facts. I don't have an answer to do that as I don't pretend to have the necessary knowledge to validate everything that is being said in the movie.

I am also not sure that a completely factual documentary on this topic can ever be made. Perhaps, merely trying to open a discussion on the topic is good enough.

In any case, The Power of Nightmares is a great start...

Hitler Speaks

When Adolf Hitler bought Eva Braun a movie camera, to film the people and parties which occurred at their Bavarian retreat, the technology to include synchronized sound had not yet been developed.

So when soldiers discovered Hitler's private home movies, in the Berlin bunker where the Nazi leader took his own life, the tantalizing clips they unearthed, featuring leading members of the SS in a more relaxed mode, remained silent for 60 years.

Now, leading edge lip reading software has enabled German experts to re-voice these films and provide us with a chilling insight into Hitlers private world.

My Comments:
This would have to be one of those movies that you might feel slightly bad about watching but by which you nevertheless feel utterly fascinated.

I mean Hitler represents a very powerful and violent aspect of our planet's history - with repercussions extending till our times. But there are many things we simply do not know about him. What was the sound of his voice? In the countless home movies found after the war - what was he saying to Eva? Etc.

This movie is far from glorifying or glossing over the evils of the day - in fact it answers the above questions as a means to understanding the events in light of a new perspective.



Hitler speaks – Hitler’s private movies

David Icke: The Lizards and the Jews

Broadcaster and journalist Jon Ronson encounters one of Britain’s most infamous media figures as he continues his search to uncover the truth behind who – or what – is really controlling the world.

Ronson joins David Icke on a lecture tour that takes the ex-sports broadcaster headlong into controversy as his extraordinary views dismay his detractors and inspire his audiences, providing a fascinating insight into extremists – and how the public responds to them.

My Comment:
This is a very striking video with an opening that smacks you right in the face. While I might not necessarily subscribe to all theories put forward by David, this documentary is fascinating to watch nonetheless.

The most interesting bit is probably how certain parts of society - through their own inherited set of insecurities can hijack a work of one man. I don't believe that the moral of the story is who's right and who's wrong.

I believe that this is a most fascinating treatise on the nature of man in the face of unknown.


David Icke: The Lizards and the Jews

Supermarket Secrets - Dispatches (Part 2)

How and what we eat has radically changed over the past few decades with the all-consuming rise of the supermarket. But what price are we paying for the homogenised, cheap and convenient food that supermarkets specialise in?

In a two-part programme, journalist Jane Moore investigates how supermarkets have affected the food on our plates and reveals the tell-tale signs that the food we buy may not have been grown in the way we think.

Using a combination of undercover filming and scientific analysis, Supermarket Secrets investigates whether the food on supermarket shelves is really as good as it looks, whether prices are as good as they seem and what happens behind the scenes in the production of supermarket food.

This documentary is in two parts. The first part deals with Factory Farming, chickens, and general quality of supermarket food. This second part deals with Cows milk, food standards, food waste, pesticides, food globalization, and loss of quality of our produce.

A very important watch for everyone, gives you facts about the meat and food you eat. After watching you will have more of an understanding of the rational behind Vegetarian, Vegan, Organic, and grass-root eating practices.