The Power of Nightmares

The Power of Nightmares
Title screen
Written byAdam Curtis
Directed byAdam Curtis
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producersStephen Lambert
Peter Horrocks
ProducersAdam Curtis
Lucy Kelsall
Running time180 mins (in three parts)
Production companyBBC
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release20 October (2004-10-20) –
3 November 2004 (2004-11-03)
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear is a BBC television documentary series by Adam Curtis. It mainly consists of archive footage, with Curtis narrating. The series was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom in 2004.[1] It has subsequently been aired in multiple countries and shown at various film festivals, including the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

The film compares the rise of the neoconservative movement in the United States and the radical Islamist movement, drawing comparisons between their origins, and remarking on similarities between the two groups. More controversially, it argues that radical Islamism as a massive, sinister organisation, specifically in the form of al-Qaeda, is a myth, or noble lie, perpetrated by leaders of many countries—and particularly neoconservatives in the U.S.—in a renewed attempt to unite and inspire their people after the ultimate failure of utopian ideas.

The Power of Nightmares was praised by film critics in Britain and the United States. Its message and content have also been the subject of various critiques and criticisms from conservatives and progressives.

  1. ^ "The Power of Nightmares: 1/3: Baby It's Cold Outside". BBC Genome. BBC. 14 October 2004. Retrieved 19 October 2015.