Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media

The theme of this documentary is an important one - social control in Western democracy and, in particular, in the United States of America. Noam Chomsky, Professor of Linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one of the world's most prominent analysts of this and other ills of the American Empire.

A collage of excerpts from interviews and lectures that Chomsky has given over his long, politically-combative career, interspersed with illustrative footage and a small component of biographical information, Manufacturing Consent gives us an extensive overview of Chomsky's ideas. Whether we needed 167 minutes to appreciate these is another matter. It is unfortunate that the film-makers did not simply have Chomsky, who evidently is not media shy, talking direct to the camera, rather than cutting and pasting already existing footage. Well done as that is, the tendency is to overload the viewer with information.

With such a broad range of topics covered, it will be very much up to the individual on what aspects to focus. For me, from an Australian perspective, the most interesting aspect was the comparison Chomsky draws between Pol Pot in Cambodia and the Indonesians in East Timor and the different media responses to these atrocities. Chomsky's ultimate message, that the price of true democracy is eternal vigilance, is one to which he has dedicated himself with indefatigable energy. Iy wouldn't hurt anyone to take a leaf out of his book.

DVD Extras: Extended excerpts from the 1969 debate between Chomsky and the ghastly right-winger,William F. Buckley Jr; footage of a 1971 discussion between Chomsky and Michel Foucault; an interview with Chomsky 10 years after the publication of his book Manufacturing Consent; and a list of web links related to Chomsky.

 

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