Adam Curtis

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tehthomas
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 1:45 pm

Re: Adam Curtis

#51 Post by tehthomas » Mon Mar 28, 2022 11:07 pm

I really wish there was a readily available Blu Ray box of the man's work. They always seem to be accessible via North American YouTube, but still.

How BFI or Criterion has not put this out is beyond me.

Also, as much as I loved 'Summer of Soul' - 'Can't Get Your Out of My Head' was my favorite documentary of the year, if not film, from 2021. Curtis is likely too subversive for mainstream/the Academy. Perhaps this is why his films haven't been released in a proper format. Although I'm sure music licensing is also at play as well.

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JSC
Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 9:17 am

Re: Adam Curtis

#52 Post by JSC » Tue Mar 29, 2022 8:34 am

The real obstacle to releasing his work is the rights clearances since his films are largely comprised of
pre-existing television news footage (which can be notoriously expensive, at least in the US). Not to
mention all of the music copyrights. An example of this is something like Clive James' series
Fame in the 20th Century, which hasn't seen the light of day since it's original broadcast in
1993 largely due to the majority of the footage being news material.

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furbicide
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 4:52 am

Re: Adam Curtis

#53 Post by furbicide » Thu Oct 13, 2022 10:00 pm

I'm greatly looking forward to watching his new documentary series on Russia, TraumaZone, which I think has just appeared on BBC iPlayer today. Apparently it's mostly comprised of video footage from Glasnost to the end of the twentieth century (and rise of Putin), and, in a departure from his usual work, features no voiceover. There's a short trailer here:

https://twitter.com/jonronson/status/15 ... 5730195456

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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: Adam Curtis

#54 Post by colinr0380 » Fri Oct 14, 2022 12:47 am

I like the idea that we might be getting a soundtrack of Russian synth-pop to this!

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Gregor Samsa
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:41 am

Re: Adam Curtis

#55 Post by Gregor Samsa » Fri Feb 10, 2023 4:25 am


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reaky
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:53 am
Location: Cambridge, England

Re: Adam Curtis

#56 Post by reaky » Fri Feb 10, 2023 4:44 am

That’s in the “Danger: contains flashing images” category.

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Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

Re: Adam Curtis

#57 Post by Matt » Sat Oct 21, 2023 5:58 pm

The proper video for the song as directed by Curtis. Really essential viewing for anyone who likes images and music together.

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swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: Adam Curtis

#58 Post by swo17 » Sat Oct 21, 2023 7:14 pm

I'm admittedly biased toward music and images, but that was very good!

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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: Adam Curtis

#59 Post by colinr0380 » Sat Oct 21, 2023 8:33 pm

The new 'stock footage' element that stood out in that video appears to be of the Fentanyl and Xylazine addicts collapsed on the streets, which I think may be the first evidence showing that Curtis is aware of the existence of that issue. Since seeing videos of some of those shocking 'zombie' street videos I had been wondering about whether this would be something that would make it into an Adam Curtis piece, particularly given that All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace had tackled earlier societal approaches to self-medication becoming normalised into a cultural phenomenon.

(The big question though is whether he is aware of China's key role in the situation as the source of all of the product)

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furbicide
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 4:52 am

Re: Adam Curtis

#60 Post by furbicide » Mon Oct 23, 2023 9:49 am

Not just a great video but a brilliant song, too. I'm a huge fan of Weyes Blood, and her film taste is pretty impressive too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy_9YxJI1Yc

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