French and French-language Films
Orpheus: visually lovely meditation on triumph of love over death, the role of the artist and life in Vichy France
Jean Cocteau, “Orpheus / Orphée” (1950) Intriguing re-telling of the famous ancient Greek legend set
Satan Rides the Media: how media sensationalism helped create a legend and a cult
Torstein Grude, “Satan Rides the Media” / “Satan rir media” (1998) Focussing on the sensational
Ghostwatch: very funny hoax documentary that blurs reality and fiction, and raises issues about authenticity
Lesley Manning, “Ghostwatch” (1992) Subject of a post on Adam Curtis’s BBC blog, this BBC
Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land: excellent and well-presented documentary on the role of news media in abetting oppression
Sut Jhally and Bathsheba Ratzkoff, “Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land” (2003) This is a
It Felt like a Kiss: coming across as a self-indulgent and unremarkable trip into 1960s US pop culture nostalgia
Adam Curtis, “It Felt Like A Kiss” (2009) A quirky visual montage of old newsreels
Review of films seen in 2011: the good, the bad and the totally out-there
Dear USE visitors, It’s 2012 already! Those of you who followed the films I saw in
The Age of Transitions: film makes a plea for greater awareness of insidious forces threatening freedom and democracy
Aaron Franz, “The Age of Transitions” (2008) Interesting documentaries about power and control of human
The Trap … (Episode 3: We will Force You to be Free): picking apart arguments over nature of freedom
Adam Curtis, “The Trap – What Happened to Our Dream of Freedom? (Episode 3: We will
The Living Dead (Episode 3: The Attic): how a romantic fantasy of a glorious past disguised a thirst for power at any cost
Adam Curtis, “The Living Dead (Episode 3: The Attic)” (1995) Having seen the mishmash that
The Iron Lady: biopic ignores dark and unsavoury aspects of Margaret Thatcher’s life and career
Phyllida Lloyd, “The Iron Lady” (2011) I steeled myself to watch this film; I had