The Century of the Self

The Century of the Self was an acclaimed documentary by an outstanding filmmaker, Adam Curtis.

Overview

"We live today in a society dominated by the self and its feelings.

To 'be oneself', to 'express yourself' is no longer considered selfish but healthy and virtuous. Both business and politics devote their time to reading and gratifying our inner desires through focus groups and lifestyle marketing.

The Century Of The Self shows how this revolution in how we see ourselves happened over the past 100 years. It asks has this really been a liberation of the self or has it just made us more vulnerable to being manipulated and controlled by those in power? It tells the story through the extraordinary role members of the Freud family have played in fostering and encouraging this irresistible rise of the self.

To many in both politics and business this triumph of the self is the ultimate expression of democracy – power has finally moved to the people. But this series challenges that idea. The people may feel they are in charge, but are they really? "[1]

To quote the BBC site: "To many in both politics and business, the triumph of the self is the ultimate expression of democracy, where power has finally moved to the people. Certainly the people may feel they are in charge, but are they really? The Century of the Self tells the untold and sometimes controversial story of the growth of the mass-consumer society in Britain and the United States. How was the all-consuming self created, by whom, and in whose interests?"

Paul Shepherd describes it thus: "The first programme outlined the career of Edward Bernays Freud's American nephew. Bernays was a press officer for Woodrow Wilson at the peace conferences in Europe following World War I, his job being to present Wilson in the most favourable light possible in order to boost his popularity with the American public. By this time the word propaganda was already gaining a sinister implication in the West due to its association with communism, and Bernays coined the term Public Relations as a positive alternative. Back in America Bernays set to work for major corporations, with one of his most spectacular successes being to help break the taboo against women smoking. He paraded a group of attractive young ladies through New York smoking and bearing the slogan 'March for Freedom'. Anyone criticising the idea of women smoking would now appear to be against freedom, and the numbers of women taking up the habit shot through the roof. "

Reviews

'Fascinating new series.' Peter Paterson, Daily Mail

'This was a fascinating guide to the life of a man, now more or less forgotten, who discovered the dark arts that to this day politicians and businesses use to dupe us. A dizzying array of period film meant that the programme was as satisfying visually as it was intellectually: proof that the BBC hasn't completely given up on intelligent, quality TV, after all.' Simon Hinde, Express

'This grown-up, accomplished series.' Gareth McLean, Guardian

'A revealing and unfamiliar perspective on the forces that have shaped our lives.' Paul Hoggart, Times

Links

Official BBC Site : [2]

Episode guide:

One: Happiness Machines [3]

Two: The Engineering of Consent[4]

Three: There is a Policeman Inside All Our Head: He Must Be Destroyed[5]

Four: Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering[6]

Awards

Best Documentary Series, Broadcast Awards Historical Film Of The Year, Longman-History Today Awards

Nominated for Best Documentary Series, Royal Television Society Best Documentary, Indie Awards Best Documentary Series, Grierson Documentary Awards