In this documentary series Adam Curtis explores ideas of freedom and control. He sets out a thesis that our contemporary notion of the self as a free, unique individual has been exploited (and, to a considerable extent, created) by corporate business and politicians, using the psychological theories and methods of Sigmund Freud and his heirs, like nephew Edward Bernays, founder of public relations in America. It has been believed that people are primarily motivated by unconscious desires and fears, rather than rational thought, and that it is possible, using psychoanalytical methods, to discover and pander to these irrational forces in order to achieve power and profit. Curtis goes on to examine the anti-authoritarian ideas of the nineteen sixties which led people to rebel against being told what to do (or buy) and how our modern consumer culture was then created to satisfy this perceived wish to identify ourselves as unique, self-directed individuals. Curtis uses interviews and a montage of historical footage to tell an entertaining story whilst also raising important questions about how we see ourselves and our society. The other episodes of this 4 part series, first broadcast on the BBC in 2002, can be found here:
two: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7014561065732629565&ei=OdLFSpr7DNCA-AaSzuTJBg&q=curtis+century+self+2#
three: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7014561065732629565&ei=OdLFSpr7DNCA-AaSzuTJBg&q=curtis+century+self+2#docid=-4059451562019895635
four: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1122532358497501036&ei=p9LFSuWZOZXS-Abk8cjvBg&q=curtis+century+self+4#