LAS 499 WEEK 5 ASSIGNMENT 2009-02-06 Movie Review {draw:a} The Century of the Self is a documentary about psychoanalysis, big business, human desires, and ultimately human iniquities The film begins at quite a slow pace, focusing on Sigmund Freud, his theories about man’s hidden inner self, and his innovative, yet opportunistic nephew, Edward Bernays; who is considered to be the Father of Public Relations. Sigmund Freud believed that there are dangerous forces hidden within man’s psyche In his Viennese society, especially amongst the royalty, these thoughts were embarrassing and very unpopular. The royal family especially found these revelations to be unacceptable because to be questioned as a leader is a death sentence. In that time period, royals believed themselves to be divinity incarnate or appointed to office by the Deity Arrogance and ignorance among the upper crust Viennese society cause Freud to be ostracized, but not for long. We follow the journey of Sigmund Freud, his unpopular theories, and his American nephew, Edward Bernays . Edward Bernays perverted his uncles’ theories to control peoples sense of desires for particular products. For example, in those days it was very distasteful for a woman to smoke but he used the suffragists and young women to deceive women in to thinking that by smoking it was a personal protest for women’s rights. He called the cigarettes “Freedom Torches”, because his uncle figured women wanted the same rights as men and a cigarette was a phallic symbol which was a metaphor for freedom. The cinematography delivers a startlingly realistic and utterly “1984”ish portrayal of the beginnings of human conditioning by mass media. The aged footage enhances the summary showing the suffering and a great deal of emotional and physical torment during the Jews incarceration in the Nazi concentration camps. The part showing dead bodies of emaciated children being thrown away will scare you senseless. I particularly liked the way...