The Century of the Self

The Century of the Self

2002
The Century of the Self
The Century of the Self

The Century of the Self

8.8 | en | Documentary

The legacy of famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud informs the lives of people throughout the world even to this day, though it's a phenomenon to which most are unaware. The film is an exhaustive examination of his theories on human desire, and how they're applied to platforms such as advertising, consumerism and politics.

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Seasons & Episodes

1
EP4  Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering
Apr. 07,2002
Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering

How both the Labour Party in Britain and the Democrats in America have sought to gain power through use of the focus group, invented by psychoanalysts to fulfil desires of the inner self.

EP3  There Is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads. He Must Be Destroyed
Mar. 31,2002
There Is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads. He Must Be Destroyed

In the 1960s, a radical group of psychotherapists challenged the influence of Freudian ideas in America. They were inspired by the ideas of Wilhelm Reich, a pupil of Freud's, who had turned against him and was hated by the Freud family. He believed that the inner self did not need to be repressed and controlled. It should be encouraged to express itself.

EP2  The Engineering of Consent
Mar. 24,2002
The Engineering of Consent

The programme explores how those in power in post-war America used Freud's ideas about the unconscious mind to try and control the masses.

EP1  Happiness Machines
Mar. 17,2002
Happiness Machines

The story of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his American nephew, Edward Bernays. Bernays invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud's ideas to manipulate the masses. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn't need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires.

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8.8 | en | Documentary , War & Politics | More Info
Released: 2002-03-17 | Released Producted By: BBC , RDF Media Country: United Kingdom Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ghx6g
Synopsis

The legacy of famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud informs the lives of people throughout the world even to this day, though it's a phenomenon to which most are unaware. The film is an exhaustive examination of his theories on human desire, and how they're applied to platforms such as advertising, consumerism and politics.

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The tv show is currently not available onine

Cast

Adam Curtis , Anne Bernays , Robert Reich

Director

Adam Curtis

Producted By

BBC , RDF Media

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Trailers

Reviews

dragokin The Century of the Self is one of the best documentaries i've ever seen. Using archive footage Adam Curtis told the story of how today's consumer society came into existence. Also it goes to show how we, the today's consumers, make our choices.It all began by Edward Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud, who did consulting in corporate marketing. Using Freud's ideas Bernays created demand for products people didn't consciously need.As the twentieth century progressed, these ideas grew beyond marketing and influenced contemporary politics. They remained between two poles, though. One claimed that people can't and shouldn't make their choices and needed guidance from those in the know. The other stated how we should be liberated by peeling layer after layer of consciousness until we find what we really want.Of course, the truth was probably somewhere in between, but this hadn't prevented those in power from doing what they want. The joke is that eventually even the politicians started fulfilling the needs and wants of the voters instead steering them.You might as well check Adam Curtis blog on BBC website.
youngerthanbuck this is the best documentary i have ever seen, considering i have seen quite a lot of it. don't miss out on watching something that will change your life.I'll try not to spoil anything, but you must swear to watch this documentary. it'll change you to change the world!!!I mean, it tells you why you buy stuff, it tells you what is really going on with the government, it even has topless girls (artistic) and lesbian nuns (nice). plus all of the knowledge of yourself, its a win win situation. seriously don't hesitate, watch it now!! now!!Oh also, it explains a lot about life.
blkm1nyc I am going to buy this movie on DVD as soon as I can get it.It tells of the battle of good and evil not in abstract terms but in concrete facts.It tells of one group of people who see human beings as basically weak and must be controlled.Another group of people see human beings as basically good and that society must work to bring out the best in humanity.Then there is the group (the DEVIL - male and female) - the greedy, power hungry, slime balls that coop the good nature of the human being for profit and power.
hlyen Caught this fantastic documentary at Cinema Village in NY. In short, it traces the tremendous influence of Freudian ideas and the family Freud - Siggie, Anna, and nephew Edward Bernays - on the development contemporary capitalist societies.Using chilling footage and lucid voice over, it traces the methods by which Freud's discoveries about the sub/unconscious mind were systematically implemented by corporate America in the 1920's and later the U.S. government to increase their wealth/power while at the same time giving people the impression of greater personal freedom. It was Bernays who founded the 1st public relations firm and coined the term "engineering consent".Its thesis spans everything from the invention of public relations, modern advertising techniques, Nazi Germany, CIA brainwashing, the self-help movement, consumer culture and current U.S./British electoral politics. All of which have direct antecedents in the ideas of Freud.Apparently, due to lack of copyright clearances, it is not available on DVD or tape. But hopefully it will make the art house circuit. His follow-up, The Power of Nightmares, is supposedly even better. It deals with 9-11.More comprehensive and persuasive than "The Corporation" and more objective and grounded that Michael Moore's work, "Century of the Self" is essential viewing. If you think corporate and government collusion in controlling the masses is tin hat stuff, well, start measuring your head...