3 ms·

I'd like to comment on the form. The content is fantastic, but the way he manages to make these individual stories into a single, coherent narrative is extremel

I'd like to comment on the form. The content is fantastic, but the way he manages to make these individual stories into a single, coherent narrative is extremely impressive.

Angostura 13y ago
I love Adam Curtis' documentary, however the form always makes me slightly uneasy, I always feel like there's some sleighth of hand going on. I used to feel the same way watching James Burke's Connections where the connections were sometimes rather tenuous ... 'someone else who wore shoes was...'.
- dredmorbius 13y ago
  Having been on a bit of a Burke kick for the past few months (re-watching Connections, hitting The Day the Universe Changed (excellent) and Connections2 (a bit too commercial and rushed) for the first time, I agree that some of his connections ... are a bit tenuous. But he's making a point (forget now if this was in Connections or TDTUC) that progress isn't linear and doesn't happen within given categories. Things draw from all over the place, some people make it huge, many don't (the number of people in Burke's stories who either toil on in obscurity or die penniless is ... sobering). I'd say that while he occasionally does reach a bit far, most of his junctures are at least defensible. C2 is where this starts to run a bit thin. The episodes are 22 minutes long, rather than 54, much of the material is covered in his earlier programs (and feels a bit like a go-over / phoning-it-in), and it feels a bit more commercial overall (not nearly as bad as the crap that shows up on most modern TV, but decidedly moreso than the first series and TDTUC). I'll see how C3 turned out, at least it returns to the 52 minute format. As for Curtis: I found his opening a bit weak and vague, but it built a bit like a Neal Stephenson novel: there's foundation being laid and an atmosphere being created which pulls together if you stick with it. No, not a fast read, but a damned good one.

I'd like to comment on the form. The content is fantastic, but the way he manages to make these individual stories into a single, coherent narrative is extremely impressive.

Angostura 13y ago

I love Adam Curtis' documentary, however the form always makes me slightly uneasy, I always feel like there's some sleighth of hand going on. I used to feel the same way watching James Burke's Connections where the connections were sometimes rather tenuous ... 'someone else who wore shoes was...'.

dredmorbius 13y ago
Having been on a bit of a Burke kick for the past few months (re-watching Connections, hitting The Day the Universe Changed (excellent) and Connections2 (a bit too commercial and rushed) for the first time, I agree that some of his connections ... are a bit tenuous. But he's making a point (forget now if this was in Connections or TDTUC) that progress isn't linear and doesn't happen within given categories. Things draw from all over the place, some people make it huge, many don't (the number of people in Burke's stories who either toil on in obscurity or die penniless is ... sobering). I'd say that while he occasionally does reach a bit far, most of his junctures are at least defensible. C2 is where this starts to run a bit thin. The episodes are 22 minutes long, rather than 54, much of the material is covered in his earlier programs (and feels a bit like a go-over / phoning-it-in), and it feels a bit more commercial overall (not nearly as bad as the crap that shows up on most modern TV, but decidedly moreso than the first series and TDTUC). I'll see how C3 turned out, at least it returns to the 52 minute format. As for Curtis: I found his opening a bit weak and vague, but it built a bit like a Neal Stephenson novel: there's foundation being laid and an atmosphere being created which pulls together if you stick with it. No, not a fast read, but a damned good one.