The makers of THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO CINEMA return with THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY. Philosopher Slavoj Zizek and filmmaker Sophie Fiennes use their interpretation of moving pictures to present a compelling cinematic journey into the heart of ideology – the dreams that shape our collective beliefs and practices.
Director’s Statement: Sophie Fiennes
Almost immediately after the release of The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema, Slavoj suggested we make The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology – and here it is. Ideology is a major theme in Zizek’s body of work. His roots in psychoanalytic thinking produce a new understanding of how our world is structured. It feels like now, 2012, is absolutely the right time to make this film. It has been thrilling and demanding for me to bring these ideas together in a film. Through the examples we use, which range between movies, music, history and current events, ideology emerges as an ever-shifting fantasy-frame shaping all societies. I am grateful to Slavoj for his generosity, trust and of course his phenomenal sense of humour!
Summary
Cultural theorist superstar Slavoj Zizek re-teams with director Sophie Fiennes (The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema) for another wildly entertaining romp through the crossroads of cinema and philosophy. With infectious zeal and a voracious appetite for popular culture, Zizek literally goes inside some truly epochal movies, all the better to explore and expose how they reinforce prevailing ideologies. As the ideology that undergirds our cinematic fantasies is revealed, striking associations emerge: What hidden Catholic teachings lurk at the heart of The Sound of Music? What are the fascist political dimensions of Jaws? Taxi Driver, Zabriskie Point, The Searchers, The Dark Knight, John Carpenter’s They Live (“one of the forgotten masterpieces of the Hollywood Left”), Titanic, Kinder Eggs, verité news footage, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” and propaganda epics from Nazi Germany and Sovi
