The Century of the Self

Name: The Century of the Self
Genre: Documentary, War & Politics
Released: 2002-03-17
Rating: 8.4
Cast: Adam Curtis, Anne Bernays, Martin Bergmann, Robert Reich, Edward L. Bernays

ENDED1 Season4 Episodes★ 8.4

The Century of the Self is a documentary series on BBC Two that premiered in 2002, ending after 1 season and 4 episodes.

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NetworkBBC Two

First AiredMar 17, 2002

Last AiredApr 7, 2002

GenreDocumentary, War & Politics

Runtime58 min

Created ByAdam Curtis

LanguageEnglish

CountryUnited Kingdom

ProductionRDF Media, BBC

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.

Cast

Adam Curtis

Narrator

Anne Bernays

Self

Martin Bergmann

Self

Robert Reich

Self

Edward L. Bernays

Self (archive footage)

Sigmund Freud

Self (archive footage)

Anna Freud

Self (archive footage)

Wilhelm Reich

Self (archive footage)

Tony Blair

Self (archive footage)

Margaret Thatcher

Self (archive footage)

Bill Clinton

Self (archive footage)

Ronald Reagan

Self (archive footage)

Seasons & Episodes1 season · 4 episodes

0% complete

E1Happiness Machines

Mar 17, 200258m★ 8.5

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.

E2The Engineering of Consent

Mar 24, 200258m

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.

E3There Is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads. He Must Be Destroyed

Mar 31, 200258m

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.

E4Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering

Apr 7, 200258m

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.

About The Century of the Self

The Century of the Self is a documentary, war & politics series on BBC Two. The show first aired on Mar 17, 2002 and currently has 1 season and 4 episodes. The Century of the Self has ended. It has a rating of 8.4/10 based on 125 votes. The cast includes Adam Curtis, Anne Bernays, Martin Bergmann, Robert Reich, Edward L. Bernays. Created by Adam Curtis.