The Power of Nightmares
The Power of Nightmares
| 19 October 2004 (USA)
The Power of Nightmares Trailers

A series of three documentaries about the use of fear for political gain.

Reviews
Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Portia Hilton Blistering performances.
Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
schism101 I recently watched all three episodes of 'the power of nightmares' and found it to be the most important and eye opening documentary of recent years. Like his recent documentary (the trap), Curtis has produced a series that goes beyond the one way system of daily news reporting to something that strips away what we perceive as a threat to our world and our civilization and to look at its origins and its truthful existence. 'The power...' focuses on two movements, the Islamic movement and the American Neo-conservative movement, there origins, there battles to overthrow and instill there ideology in positions of power and to eventually the confrontation between both movements, set off by the events of 9/11. Curtis inter-cuts the interviews with key figures from both sides and also analysts on the subjects, with archival footage from films and news reports, to show how both movements started off on ideology's that would eventually agree with each other particularly during the Russian Afghanistan war of the 1980's. Yet a small group of extreme Islamist funded by Bin Laden, eventually broke off, with no enemy to fight or revolution to instill, they declared a war on America, eventually leading to the attacks on New York, September 11th 2001. Curtis comes to the conclusion that the threat of Al Quieda, has become a fantasy, enforced by the Neo cons and also taken on board by the British government, to instill a purpose for there selected governments, rather than being leaders who promise a bright future, they become leaders who will lead against the rise and threat of terrorism to there people and to there way of life, even though the threat is non-existent and becomes a phantom enemy. Curtis' series is well written, researched and engaging in showing you the true and stark picture behind the disinformation regularly given in the daily news and television media. Its also good to see the BBC producing documentary's of this quality in an age where TV is slowly becoming a succession of reality TV shows, and celebrity 'dancing on ice competitions.' This documentary treats its audience with intelligence, its demanding viewing, yet is rewarding. Check out Curtis' later documentary 'THE TRAP: WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR DREAMS OF FREEDOM,' again another insightful series. Your are being lied to!
eandubh I've seen the three BBC episondes as they are available online - in rather poor quality versions, that is. And I know that the film maker condensed it into a theater-length movie, and received acclaim at Cannes over it. He proclaimed that he didn't want the "Michael Moore treatment" - too bad! A little showmanship might have brought the film to the United States, where it has been basically excluded, censored, omitted and overlooked. That more accessible movie-style version is NOT being shown in the US, nor is it, apparently, available on DVD - which of course is a shame, since the film exposes much of the thinking behind the US' current maniacal drive to empire. Not only has the documentary never been aired on American TV - the film seems to have been very thoroughly and effectively suppressed - something to think about the next time you use the phrase "free country."
hvera A most satisfying documentary. Whether one agrees or not with the main argument of the filmmakers or not, there is much to learn from the well documented facts assembled here. This is the best true documentary I have seen in a long time. I particularly enjoyed its sense of humor and the clips from feature films such as Ali Baba and the 40 thieves. The film does only ring true; if one is alive, one has been a witness to much of what the film assembles to make its points. Notwithstanding, be prepared to be surprised by the bold argument the film makes. This is a very fair-minded presentation of one key aspect of our contemporary history.
totalkhanage A wonderful piece of television. Thoughtful, focused and not afraid to lay bare a few truths with a well executed calm authority. It is such a shame that the pathetic US media is too scared to show such an informative and surprisingly informal piece of work. The government must have no way of fighting back against such candid and well researched material. I can not recommend this series enough for all Americans and fear not, even through it consists of considerably dark material there is a surprisingly optimistic ending and prediction of the future. Hopefully mankind still has enough decency and common value to stop dictators and unjust leaders from destroying the common good.