There is, of course, nothing new about using documentary films as a means of political persuasion.
But the documentary phenomenon is catching on again. I first wrote about it in the context of the contentious race for mayor of Newark, New Jersey. And just the other day I followed up with a piece on the broader trend, mentioning Giuliani Time, American Blackout, and An Inconvenient Truth.
In the meantime, pundits have begun to pick up on the themes of Giuliani Time (i.e., Rudy as Benito) and are sharpening their anti-Rudy talking points—evidence, for those who need it, of the effectiveness of long-form video: it allows you to get your message out into the “culture.” (Or at least into the noise. Transmitting a signal is more difficult.)
These documentaries are a double-edged sword, however. Their deadly potential as effective agit-prop was showcased in Holland last week in a 40-minute TV documentary meant to bring down Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Which succeeded.
the accusations now being leveled against MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali have long been known to the public, because she herself has been open about her history on many occasions.
The question remains as to why the matter took so long to become so explosive. The answer is as banal as it is surprising: because VARA, a television station with social democratic leanings, aired a 40-minute documentary last Thursday called “The Holy Ayaan.” VARA’s reporters had traveled all the way to Mogadishu in Somalia to obtain information they could just as easily have found on recordings of their own station’s programs: that Ayaan Hirsi Ali had long since admitted that she lied when she applied for Dutch asylum.
That Hirsi Ali may yet escape revocation of her Dutch citizenship does nothing to remove the dangers lurking in this new-old tool of propaganda.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Beware.
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[...] Documentaries are definitely being used as a political weapon (I’ve talked about this phenomenon here and here). From today’s New York Times: At first glance, it would be hard to imagine a movie more immediately topical than “The Caiman,” Nanni Moretti’s new film about Silvio Berlusconi, the media tycoon turned politician who has dominated Italian public life for at least a decade. Indeed, “The Caiman,” which was released in Italy a few weeks before the recent Italian elections and which screened for the press here Monday morning, may risk pushing timeliness to the point of obsolescence, given Mr. Berlusconi’s narrowly achieved and grudgingly conceded defeat last month by a center-left coalition led by Romano Prodi. [...]
[...] (I wrote about the power of documentaries—another form of art—here.) [...]
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