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In this brief, 72-minute documentary, linguistics professor and controversial political activist Noam Chomsky shares his beliefs not only on post-September 11 politics but also on terrorism throughout history. Alternating between an intimate interview and various lectures and appearances, the film is mainly Chomsky echoing the points made in his bestselling book 9-11, which derides the goals and motivations of official U.S. foreign policy. He addresses the prevalence of terrorism and its relationship to political power in the U.S. and around the globe, maintaining that a move away from hypocrisy is the only way to wage a true war on terror. In addition to the normal Chomsky spiel presented in other videos, such as Distorted Morality, the 73-year-old pundit also touches upon issues relating to Saddam Hussein. The latest footage in the film was shot in May 2002 and makes the topic's mere mention a grim sort of prophecy for the war in Iraq that would happen less than a year later. The New York Times has called Chomsky "the most important intellectual alive," although the paper also finds his beliefs "maddeningly simple-minded." But such simplicity is part of the appeal for his fans, some of whom appear here, both in discussion with the professor and in full adulation of him. (Those looking for an introduction to both the man and his ideology should see Manufacturing Consent.) Originally made for Japanese television by American director John Junkerman, Power and Terror's most disarming moments -- Chomsky's opinions notwithstanding -- are spurts of Japanese rock and pop music on the soundtrack. Despite these incongruous sounds, the film resonates as a fine record of current events as seen by one of the world's leading intellectuals. Tony Nigro

All Movie Guide

Noam Chomsky is arguably the most important and best-respected dissident political analyst in the United States. While his outspoken opinions on American foreign policy have hardly endeared him to the mainstream media (or the leading lights of either the Republican or Democratic parties), his sharp but well-considered opinions have made him a mainstay of leftist political journals and a tireless opponent of misdirected military violence and political bullying. Power and Terror: Noam Chomsky in Our Times is a documentary which explores Chomsky's lectures and writings on the Bush administration's responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Chomsky discusses foreign policy decisions which helped to create the climate in which the 9/11 attacks could happen, as well as military and political decisions against Afghanistan and Iraq which have taken their toll largely upon civilians -- which, by Chomsky's estimation, makes the United States as much a terrorist agency as our opponents. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 720229910576
• Source: FIRST RUN FEATURES
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1)
• Language: English
• Time: 1:12:00
• Sales Rank: 47,123

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