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{{short description|American documentary film series}} | |||
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}} | |||
{{Distinguish|Zeitgeist Films|Zeitgeist (film company)}} | {{Distinguish|Zeitgeist Films|Zeitgeist (film company)}} | ||
{{Italic title}} | |||
{{Multiple issues| | |||
{{Lead too short|date=August 2015}} | |||
{{Update|reason=the fourth film of the series (''Requiem'') was released in 2024|date=November 2024}} | |||
}} | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}} | |||
'''''Zeitgeist''''' is a series of documentary |
'''''Zeitgeist''''' is a series of three documentary films released between 2007 and 2011 that present a number of ], as well as proposals for broad social and economic changes. The films, ''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' (2007), ''Zeitgeist: Addendum'' (2008) and ''Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'' (2011) are all directed by ]. | ||
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2012}} | |||
==Zeitgeist: The Movie== | |||
''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' is a 2007 documentary-style film by ] presenting a number of ]-based ideas. The film disputes the historicity of ] (the ]) and claims that the ] attacks in 2001 were ] by ] forces,<ref name=Constant /> and claims that bankers manipulate world events.<ref name=Tossell>{{cite web|last=Tossell|first=Ivor|title=Conspiracy theorists yelling in the echo chamber|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/conspiracy-theorists-yelling-in-the-echo-chamber/article4402442/|publisher=The Globe and Mail|accessdate=2014-01-19|date=2007-08-17}}</ref> In ''Zeitgeist'', it is claimed that the ] was behind several wars and manipulates the American public for a ] or “New World Order,” common themes in the ].<ref name=Constant /><ref name=Tossell /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gane-McCalla|first1=Casey|title=AZ Shooter Was Fan Of Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones Movies|url=http://newsone.com/974095/az-shooter-jared-loughner-was-fan-of-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-movies|accessdate=2 October 2014|publisher=News One|date=12 January 2011}}</ref> Though the film is based solely on anecdotal evidence, the Zeitgeist original movie, according to writer Paul Constant, "Based solely on anecdotal evidence, it's probably drawing more people into the Truth movement than anything else."<ref name=Constant /> | |||
==''Zeitgeist: The Movie''== | |||
{{Infobox film | {{Infobox film | ||
| name |
| name = Zeitgeist: The Movie | ||
| image |
| image = Zeitgeist-themovie.jpg | ||
| director |
| director = ] | ||
| producer |
| producer = Peter Joseph | ||
| writer |
| writer = Peter Joseph | ||
| music |
| music = Peter Joseph | ||
| editing |
| editing = Peter Joseph | ||
| distributor |
| distributor = GMP LLC | ||
| released |
| released = {{Film date|2007|06|18}} | ||
| runtime |
| runtime = 122 minutes | ||
| country |
| country = United States | ||
| language |
| language = English | ||
| budget = | |||
}} | }} | ||
''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' is a 2007 film by ] presenting a number of ].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b1MXhS71t40C&q=Zeitgeist+film+Infoglut%3A+How+Too+Much+Information+Is+Changing+the+Way+We+Think+and+Know&pg=PA111|title=Infoglut: How Too Much Information Is Changing the Way We Think and Know|last=Andrejevic|first=Mark|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1135119522|language=en|oclc=852159022}}</ref> The film assembles ], animations, and narration.<ref name=Tossell>{{cite web|last=Tossell|first=Ivor|title=Conspiracy theorists yelling in the echo chamber|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/conspiracy-theorists-yelling-in-the-echo-chamber/article4402442/|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=January 19, 2014|date=August 17, 2007}}</ref> Released online on June 18, 2007, it soon received tens of millions of views on ], ], and ].<ref name=Tablet /> According to Peter Joseph, the original ''Zeitgeist'' was not presented in a film format, but was a "performance piece consisting of a ], ] style event using recorded music, live instruments, and video".<ref name=Tablet /> | |||
''Zeitgeist'' makes a case that 'everything has always been a part of a master plan to create a New World Order, and the film's emotional climax involves a documentary filmmaker befriending a loose-lipped ] member who blurts out the events of 9/11, nearly one year before they happened!' or so the film claims.<ref name=Constant /> | |||
Released online on June 18, 2007 at zeitgeistmovie.com, it became popular among conspiracy theorists.<ref name=Constant /><ref name=Tossell /><ref name="NYT20090317" /> Some critics have questioned the accuracy of its claims and the quality of its arguments, describing it as "]" and "propaganda."<ref name=Constant /><ref name="Irish" /><ref>Frauenfelder, Mark (August 6, 2007). . ].</ref> The film assembles archival footage, animations and narration into 'a kind of primer on conspiracies'.<ref name=Tossell /> | |||
] left and Jesus right, both presented as "solar messiahs" in ''Zeitgeist: the Movie'']] | |||
The original ''Zeitgeist'' was not a film, but a performance piece, consisting of a ], multimedia style event using recorded music, live instruments, and video.<ref name=Tablet2>{{Cite news| last = Goldberg | first = Michelle | title = Brave New World. |date = February 2, 2011| url = http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/57732/brave-new-world|title=Brave New World|newspaper=]| quote = The documentary that started it all began as an art project. “The original Zeitgeist was not a film, but a performance piece, which consisted of a vaudevillian style multi-media event using recorded music, live instruments and video,” the Zeitgeist website explains.}}</ref> | |||
===Synopsis=== | |||
] ''left'' and Jesus ''right'', both presented in the film as "solar messiahs."]] | |||
The film opens with animated abstract visualizations, film and stock footage, a cartoon and audio quotes about spirituality by ], followed by clips of war, explosions, and the ]. This is followed by the film's title screen. The film's introduction ends with a portion of the late comedian ]'s monologue on religion accompanied by an animated cartoon. The rest of the film, divided into three parts, is narrated by Peter Joseph.<ref name=Constant>{{cite web|last=Constant|first=Paul|title=Beauty Is Truth|url=http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=309650|work=Features|publisher=The Stranger|accessdate=2014-01-22|date=2007-09-06}}</ref> | |||
The film's introduction features animations, footage of war, explosions, and the ] and audio quotes from ], ], and ]. | |||
Part I questions religions as being god-given stories, stating that the Christian religion specifically is mainly derived from other religions, astronomical assertions, ] myths and traditions, which in turn were derived from or shared elements with other traditions. In furtherance of the ] this part states that the ] is a literary and astrological hybrid, nurtured politically.<ref name=Constant /> | |||
Part I claims the ] is mainly derived from other religions, ] assertions, ] myths, and other traditions. The ], which disputes the ], asserts that Jesus is a literary and astrological hybrid, nurtured by political forces and opportunists. Part I was influenced by the work of ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Joseph |first1=Peter |author-link1=Peter Joseph |last2=Murdock |first2=Dorothy Milne |author-link2=Acharya S |date=August 2010 |title=The Zeitgeist Sourcebook |url=http://www.stellarhousepublishing.com/zeitgeistsourcebook.pdf |access-date=March 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728010710/http://stellarhousepublishing.com/zeitgeistsourcebook.pdf |archive-date=July 28, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
] are the subject, of part two.]] | |||
] are the subject of part II of ''Zeitgeist: the Movie''.]] | |||
Part two, using footage of several ] films, alleges that the September 11 attacks were either orchestrated or allowed to happen by elements within the United States government in order to generate mass fear, initiate and justify the ], provide a pretext for the curtailment of civil liberties, and produce economic gain. These ideas include assertions that the U.S. government had ] of the attacks, that the military ] the planes to reach their targets, and that ] buildings 1, 2, and 7 underwent a ].<ref name=Constant/> Part III states that the ] is controlled by a small cabal of international bankers who conspire to create global calamities to enrich themselves.<ref name=Tossell /> Three wars involving the United States during the twentieth century are highlighted as part of this alleged agenda. Events said to have been engineered as excuses to enter into these wars include the ], the ] and the ]. The film asserts that such wars serve to sustain conflict in general and force the U.S. government to borrow money, thereby increasing the profits of the international bankers. The film then goes on to state that the ].<ref name=Constant/> | |||
Part II alleges that the September 11 attacks were either orchestrated or allowed to happen by elements within the ] to generate mass fear, justify the ], provide a pretext for the curtaillment of ], and produce economic gain. It asserts that the U.S. government had ] of the attacks, that the military ] the planes to reach their targets, and that ] buildings 1, 2, and 7 underwent a ]. | |||
]'s income tax is unconstitutional.]] | |||
This section also says the existence of a secret agreement to merge the United States, Canada and Mexico into a ]. The creation of this North American Union is then alleged to be a step towards the creation of ]. The film speculates that under such a government every human could be implanted with an ] to monitor individuals and suppress dissent. | |||
Part III states that the ] is controlled by a small ] of ] who conspire to create global calamities to enrich themselves.<ref name="Tossell" /> Three wars involving the United States during the twentieth century are highlighted as part of this alleged agenda, started by specifically engineered events, including the ], the ], and the ]. The film asserts that such wars serve to sustain conflict in general and force the U.S. government to borrow money, thereby increasing the profits of the international bankers. The film also claims that the ]. | |||
The third part of ''Zeitgeist'', according to Paul Constant from '']'', is about "how everything has always been a part of a master plan to create a New World Order, and the film’s emotional climax involves a documentary filmmaker befriending a loose-lipped Rockefeller family member who blurts out the events of 9/11 ... nearly one year before they happened!"<ref name=Constant /> | |||
] | |||
Part III also alleges a secret agreement to merge the United States, Canada and Mexico into a ] as a step toward the creation of ]. The film speculates that under such a government, every human could be implanted with an ] to monitor individual activity and suppress dissent. | |||
===Reception=== | ===Reception=== | ||
The first film received almost universal condemnation from the media, though it also "attracted massive interest" from the public.<ref name=Tablet /><ref name="Irish" /> | |||
The film was screened on November 10, 2007, at the ] in Hollywood as part of the 4th Annual ], where it won the 'best feature' award in the Artivist Spirit category for feature-length documentaries.<ref name="MW20071105">{{cite web|title=4th Annual Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Awards Announce the Winning Films of This Year's Festival|date=November 5, 2007|publisher=Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Award press release|url=http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=788818|accessdate=February 10, 2009}}</ref> | |||
The newspaper '']'' described ''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' as "a bramble of conspiracy theories involving Sept. 11, the international monetary system, and Christianity" saying also that the movie trailer states that |
The newspaper '']'' described ''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' as "a bramble of conspiracy theories involving Sept. 11, the international monetary system, and Christianity" saying also that the movie trailer states that "there are people guiding your life and you don't even know it".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Faherty|first1=John|title=Gabrielle Giffords shooter suspect: Moments from a life in spiral|url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/01/16/20110116gabrielle-giffords-jared-loughner-profile.html|access-date=October 1, 2014|work=]|date=January 16, 2011}}</ref> | ||
A review in '']'' |
A review in '']'' wrote that "these are surreal perversions of genuine issues and debates, and they tarnish all criticism of faith, the ], and ]—there are more than enough factual injustices in this world to be going around without having to invent fictional ones".<ref name="Irish">{{Cite news|last=O'Dwyer|first=Davin|title=Zeitgeist: the nonsense|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2007/0825/1187332519087.html|access-date=September 16, 2010|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=August 8, 2007|archive-date=November 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121100703/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2007/0825/1187332519087.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
Ivor Tossell in '']'' cited it as an example of how modern ] are promulgated, though he praised its effectiveness: | |||
Other reviews have characterized the film as "conspiracy crap,"<ref name="vvoice">{{Cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-09-10/film/able-danger/|publisher=]|last=Orange|first=Michelle|title=Able Danger|date=September 10, 2008}}</ref> "based solely on anecdotal evidence," and "fiction couched in a few facts,"<ref name=Constant /> or they have made disparaging reference to its part in the ].<ref name="NYT20090317" /> | |||
<blockquote>The film is an interesting object lesson on how conspiracy theories get to be so popular ... It's a driven, if uneven, piece of propaganda, a marvel of tight editing and fuzzy thinking. Its on-camera sources are mostly conspiracy theorists, co-mingled with selective eyewitness accounts, drawn from ] and often taken out of context. It derides the media as a pawn of the International Bankers, but produces media reports for credibility when convenient. The film ignores expert opinion, except the handful of experts who agree with it. And yet, it's compelling. It shamelessly ploughs forward, ] with an earnest certainty that makes you want to give it an A for effort.<ref name=Tossell /></blockquote> | |||
Some journalists have focused on it as an example of how conspiracy theories are promulgated in the Internet age. For example, Ivor Tossell in the '']'' argued that contradictions in the film are overwhelmed by passion and effective use of video editing: | |||
Filipe Feio, reflecting upon the film's Internet popularity in '']'', stated that "iction or not, ''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' threatens to become the champion of conspiracy theories of today".<ref name="Diario1">{{Cite news|last=Feio|first=Felipe|title=Teoria da conspiração no 'top' do Google Video (Conspiracy theory is the 'top' Google Video)|url=https://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/interior.aspx?content_id=1002811|access-date=September 16, 2010|newspaper=]|date=February 18, 2008|language=pt|archive-date=May 23, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523105733/http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/interior.aspx?content_id=1002811|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
<blockquote>The film is an interesting object lesson on how conspiracy theories get to be so popular.... It's a driven, if uneven, piece of propaganda, a marvel of tight editing and fuzzy thinking. Its on-camera sources are mostly conspiracy theorists, co-mingled with selective eyewitness accounts, drawn from archival footage and often taken out of context. It derides the media as a pawn of the International Bankers, but produces media reports for credibility when convenient. The film ignores expert opinion, except the handful of experts who agree with it. And yet, it's compelling. It shamelessly ploughs forward, connecting dots with an earnest certainty that makes you want to give it an A for effort.<ref name=Tossell /></blockquote> | |||
], founder of the ], mentioned ''Zeitgeist'' in an article in '']'' on skepticism in the age of mass media and the ] belief in the ] of truth. He argues that this belief, coupled with a "clicker culture of mass media," results in a multitude of various truth claims packaged in "] units", in the form of films such as ''Zeitgeist'' and '']''.<ref name="SciAm">{{Cite journal|title=What Skepticism Reveals about Science|last=Shermer|first=Michael|journal=Scientific American|date=July 2009|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-skepticism-reveals}}</ref> | |||
Filipe Feio, reflecting upon the film's Internet popularity in '']'', stated that "Fiction or not, ''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' threatens to become the champion of conspiracy theories of today."<ref name="Diario1">{{Cite news|last=Feio|first=Felipe|title=Teoria da conspiração no 'top' do Google Video (Conspiracy theory is the 'top' Google Video)|url=http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/interior.aspx?content_id=1002811|accessdate=September 16, 2010|newspaper=]|date=February 18, 2008|language=Portuguese}}</ref> | |||
], a film producer and reader in ] at the ], called ''Zeitgeist'' "a fast-paced assemblage of ]," an example of "unethical film-making".<ref name="chapman">{{Cite book|title= Issues in Contemporary Documentary|publisher=Polity Press|last=Chapman|first=Jane|pages=171–173|year=2009|isbn= 978-0745640099}}</ref> Chapman accused Peter Joseph of "implicit deception" through the use of standard film-making propaganda techniques. While parts of the film are, she says, "comically" self-defeating, the nature of "twisted evidence" and use of ] footage to imply it is of the ] amount to "ethical abuse in sourcing". She finishes her analysis with the comment: "Thus, legitimate questions about what happened on 9/11, and about corruption in religious and financial organizations, are all undermined by the film's determined effort to maximize an ] at the expense of reasoned argument." | |||
], founder of the ], mentioned ''Zeitgeist'' in an article in '']'' on skepticism in the age of mass media and the postmodern belief in the relativism of truth. He argues that this belief, coupled with a "clicker culture of mass media," results in a multitude of various truth claims packaged in "infotainment units", in the form of films such as ''Zeitgeist'' and '']''.<ref name="SciAm">{{Cite journal|title=What Skepticism Reveals about Science|last=Shermer|first=Michael|journal=Scientific American|date=July 2009|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-skepticism-reveals}}</ref> | |||
], American radio host, conspiracy theorist and executive producer of ''Loose Change'', stated that film segments of ''Zeitgeist'' are taken directly from his documentary '']'', and that he supports "90 percent" of the film.<ref name=goldberg>{{cite web|last=Goldberg|first=Michelle|title=The Cult Web Film that Inspired Loughner|publisher=The Daily Beast Company, LLC|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/01/13/zeitgeist-the-documentary-that-may-have-shaped-jared-loughners-worldview.html#|access-date=August 17, 2014|date=January 13, 2011}}</ref> | |||
Jane Chapman, a film producer and reader in ] at the ], called ''Zeitgeist'' "a fast-paced assemblage of ]," an example of unethical film-making.<ref name="chapman">{{Cite book|title= Issues in Contemporary Documentary|publisher=Polity Press|last=Chapman|first=Jane|pages=171–173|year=2009|isbn= 978-0-7456-4009-9}}</ref> She accuses Peter Joseph of "implicit deception" through the use of standard film-making propaganda techniques. While parts of the film are, she says, "comically" self-defeating, the nature of "twisted evidence" and use of Madrid bomb footage to imply it is of the London bombings amount to ethical abuse in sourcing. In later versions of the movie a subtitle is added to this footage identifying it as from the Madrid bombings. She finishes her analysis with the comment: "Thus legitimate questions about what happened on 9/11, and about corruption in religious and financial organizations, are all undermined by the film's determined effort to maximize an emotional response at the expense of reasoned argument." | |||
'']'' magazine's Tim Callahan, criticizing the parts of the film on the origins of Christianity, wrote that "some of what it asserts is true. Unfortunately, this material is liberally—and sloppily—mixed with material that is only partially true and much that is plainly and simply bogus."<ref name="callahan">{{Cite news|title= The Greatest Story Ever Garbled|last= Callahan|first= Tim|magazine= Skeptic|volume= 28| issue= 1|year= 2009|url= http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/09-02-25#feature}}</ref> | |||
On March 17, 2009, in a '']'' article, Alan Feuer noted that ''Zeitgeist The Movie'' may be most famous for alleging that the attacks of Sept. 11 were an “inside job” 'perpetrated by a power-hungry government on its witless population', a point of view Mr. Joseph said he "moved away from" (as of 2009 in an interview).<ref name="NYT20090317">{{Cite news|title=They’ve Seen the Future and Dislike the Present|author=Alan Feuer|date=March 17, 2009<!--"A version of this article appeared in print on March 17, 2009, on page A24 of the New York edition." -->|work=The New York Times|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/nyregion/17zeitgeist.html|accessdate=March 17, 2009}}</ref> | |||
Chris Forbes, Senior lecturer in ] of ] and member of the ] of the Diocese of Sydney, severely criticized Part I of the film, stating that it has no basis in serious scholarship or ancient sources, and that it relies on amateur sources that recycle frivolous ideas from one another, commenting that "t is extraordinary how many claims it makes which are simply not true".<ref name=forbes>{{Cite web|url=https://publicchristianity.org/search/edf06f5712adcabf75147cca7fda1cfa/|title=Zeitgeist: Time to discard the Christian story?|date=September 22, 2024 |publisher=Interview at the Centre for Public Christianity, Sydney, Australia}}</ref> Similar conclusions were reached by Dr. Mark Foreman of ].<ref name=foreman>{{Cite web|url=http://www.epsociety.org/library/authors.asp?mode=profile&pid=75|title=Challenging the Zeitgeist Movie: Alleged Parallels between Jesus and Ancient Pagan Religions|year=2011|publisher=Evangelical Philosophical Society|access-date=November 1, 2014|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803231252/http://www.epsociety.org/library/authors.asp?mode=profile&pid=75|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
], American radio host, prominent conspiracy theorist and executive producer of '']'', stated that film segments of ''Zeitgeist'' are taken directly from his documentary '']'', and that he supports "90 percent" of the film.<ref name=goldberg>{{cite web|last=Goldberg|first=Michelle|title=The Cult Web Film that Inspired Loughner|publisher=The Daily Beast Company, LLC|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/01/13/zeitgeist-the-documentary-that-may-have-shaped-jared-loughners-worldview.html#|accessdate=August 17, 2014|date=January 13, 2011}}</ref> | |||
In '']'' magazine, journalist ] criticized ''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' as being "steeped in far-right, isolationist, and covertly ] conspiracy theories," writing that the film borrowed from the work of ], ], and radio host Alex Jones, and that it portrays a ] of international bankers purportedly ruling the world.<ref name=Tablet>{{Cite news| last = Goldberg | first = Michelle |date = February 2, 2011| url = http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/57732/brave-new-world|title=Brave New World|newspaper=]}}</ref> In an interview with ], Joseph said that while the film does mention bankers it does not seek to blame any individual or group of individuals. He argued they are merely a product of a ] system in need of change.<ref name=TheMarkerTV>{{YouTube|GbN86J-ihHE|Discussion of The Zeitgeist Movement with Peter Joseph}}, ]TV (Israel), January 19, 2012. Interview conducted in English, following a brief introduction to Joseph and the Movement in Hebrew.</ref> | |||
] Tim Callahan, criticizing the first part of the film (on the origins of Christianity), wrote that "some of what it asserts is true. Unfortunately, this material is liberally—and sloppily—mixed with material that is only partially true and much that is plainly and simply bogus."<ref name="callahan">{{Cite news|title= The Greatest Story Ever Garbled|last= Callahan|first= Tim|magazine= Skeptic|volume= 28| issue= 1|year= 2009|url= http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/09-02-25#feature}}</ref> | |||
] wrote that the 9/11 conspiracy theories "are bait used to attract viewers from the ] and others who embrace conspiracist thinking to the ] ] views of the ] and the world of right-wing ] theories of a global banking conspiracy".<ref>{{Cite web | title = Loughner, "Zeitgeist – The Movie," and Right-Wing Antisemitic Conspiracism | access-date = June 3, 2012 | url = http://www.talk2action.org/story/2011/1/14/92946/9451 }}</ref> | |||
Chris Forbes, Senior lecturer in ] of ] and member of the ] of the Diocese of Sydney, severely criticized Part I of the movie, stating that it has no basis in serious scholarship or ancient sources, and that it relies on amateur sources that recycle frivolous ideas from one another, rather than serious academic sources, commenting, "It is extraordinary how many claims it makes which are simply not true."<ref name=forbes>{{Cite web|url=https://publicchristianity.org/search/edf06f5712adcabf75147cca7fda1cfa/|title=Zeitgeist: Time to discard the Christian story?|publisher=Interview at the Centre for Public Christianity, Sydney, Australia}}</ref> Similar conclusions were reached by Dr. Mark Foreman of ].<ref name=foreman>{{Cite web|url=http://www.epsociety.org/library/authors.asp?mode=profile&pid=75|title=Challenging the Zeitgeist Movie: Alleged Parallels between Jesus and Ancient Pagan Religions|year=2011|publisher=Evangelical Philosophical Society}}</ref> | |||
] questioned the accuracy of its claims and the quality of its arguments, describing it as agitprop and propaganda.<ref name="Kinney" /> At times, according to Kinney, "Zeitgeist engages in willful confusion by showing TV screen shots of network or cable news with voice-overs from unidentified people not associated with the news programs. If one weren't paying close attention, the effect would be to confer the status and authority of TV news upon the words being spoken. Even when quotes or sound bites are attributed to a source, there's no way to tell if they are quoted correctly or in context."<ref name="Kinney">{{cite web | url=http://boingboing.net/2007/08/06/jay-kinney-reviews-z.html | title=Jay Kinney reviews Zeitgeist, the Movie | publisher=] | date=August 6, 2007 | access-date=June 25, 2015 |author1=Frauenfelder, Mark |author2=Kinney, Jay |name-list-style=amp }}</ref> | |||
Paul Constant writing in Seattle newspaper '']'' reviewed the religious critique in the film by saying: "First the film destroys the idea of God, and then, through the lens of ], it introduces a sort of new Bizarro God. Instead of an omnipotent, omniscient being who loves you and has inspired a variety of organized religions, there is an omnipotent, omniscient organization of ruthless beings who hate you and want to take your rights away, if not throw you in a work camp forever."<ref name=Constant /> | |||
===Use in other media=== | |||
In ''Tablet Magazine'', journalist ] criticized ''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' as being "steeped in far-right, isolationist, and covertly anti-Semitic conspiracy theories," and she went on to write that the film borrows from the work of ], ], and radio host ], saying that ''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' portrays a ] of international bankers purportedly ruling the world.<ref name=Tablet>{{Cite news| last = Goldberg | first = Michelle | title = Brave New World. |date = February 2, 2011| url = http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/57732/brave-new-world|title=Brave New World|newspaper=]| quote = The first ''Zeitgeist'' documentary borrowed from the work of Eustace Mullins, Lyndon LaRouche, and Alex Jones to rail against the cabal of international bankers that purportedly rules the world.}}</ref> In an interview with ], Joseph stated that while the film does mention bankers it does not seek to place blame on any individual or group of individuals. He argues they are merely a product of a socioeconomic system in need of change.<ref name=TheMarkerTV>{{YouTube|GbN86J-ihHE|Discussion of The Zeitgeist Movement with Peter Joseph}}, ] (Israel), Jan. 19, 2012. Interview conducted in English, following a brief introduction to Joseph and the Movement in Hebrew.</ref> | |||
In June 2013, Peter Joseph directed the music video for "]" by ], using extensive imagery from ''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' and its sequels.<ref>{{cite web|title=Black Sabbath Taps Controversial Filmmaker Peter Joseph For God Is Dead? Video|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbath-taps-controversial-filmmaker-peter-joseph-for-god-is-dead-video|publisher=BlabberMouth|date=June 8, 2013}}</ref> | |||
==''Zeitgeist: Addendum''== | |||
] writes that the 9/11 conspiracy theories "are bait used to attract viewers from the 9/11 truth movement and others who embrace conspiracist thinking to the idiosyncratic anti-religion views of the videographer and the world of right-wing antisemitic theories of a global banking conspiracy."<ref>{{Cite web | title = Loughner, "Zeitgeist - The Movie," and Right-Wing Antisemitic Conspiracism | accessdate = 2012-06-03 | url = http://www.talk2action.org/story/2011/1/14/92946/9451 }}</ref> | |||
] was described in news accounts as "obsessed" with ''Zeitgeist''. Loughner was convicted of the ]s in which six people died and ] ] was permanently injured.<ref name=goldberg /><ref>{{cite web|last=Herreras |first=Mari |url=http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2011/10/14/occupy-tucson-starts-saturday-9-am-armory-park |title=Occupy Tucson Starts Saturday, 9 a.m., Armory Park | The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch |publisher=Tucsonweekly.com |date=October 14, 2011 |accessdate=January 25, 2012}}</ref> Joseph criticized the media for making this association, accusing them of using Zeitgeist as a scapegoat to avoid discussing the deeper social issues behind spree shootings.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Joseph|first1=Peter|title=Public statement from the creator of the "Zeitgeist film series", Peter Joseph: Re: The mainstream media association created between "Zeitgeist" and the Tucson murders.|url=http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/tucson.html|website=zeitgeistmovie.com|accessdate=1 October 2014}}</ref> | |||
===Excerpts used in video=== | |||
In June 2013, the band ] used extensive imagery from ''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' and the ''Zeitgeist'' film sequels in their music video "]"<ref>{{cite web|title=BLACK SABBATH Taps Controversial Filmmaker PETER JOSEPH For 'God Is Dead?'' Video|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbath-taps-controversial-filmmaker-peter-joseph-for-god-is-dead-video|publisher=BlabberMouth|date=June 8, 2013}}</ref> | |||
==Zeitgeist: Addendum and movement announced by Peter Joseph== | |||
{{Infobox film | {{Infobox film | ||
| name |
| name = Zeitgeist: Addendum | ||
| image |
| image = Zeitgeist-addendum-poster.jpg | ||
| director |
| director = ] | ||
| producer |
| producer = Peter Joseph | ||
| music |
| music = Peter Joseph | ||
| editing |
| editing = Peter Joseph | ||
| distributor |
| distributor = GMP LLC | ||
| released |
| released = {{Film date|2008|10}} | ||
| runtime |
| runtime = 123 min | ||
| country |
| country = United States | ||
| language |
| language = English | ||
}} | }} | ||
''Zeitgeist: Addendum |
''Zeitgeist: Addendum'' is a 2008 film produced and directed by ], and is a sequel to the 2007 film, ''Zeitgeist: The Movie''. It premiered at the 5th Annual ] in Los Angeles, California on October 2, 2008.{{Citation needed|date=September 2016}} | ||
===Synopsis=== | |||
The film begins and ends with excerpts from a speech by ]. The remainder of the film is narrated by Peter Joseph and divided into four parts.<ref> at the Sarasota – Manatee Hebraic Roots Forum, accessed January 31, 2011</ref> Part One discusses the monetary system in the ] through the ] system as illustrated in the book, "Modern Money Mechanics". Part Two shares an interview with ], author of '']''. | |||
The film begins and ends with excerpts from a speech by ]. The remainder of the film is narrated by Peter Joseph and divided into four parts, which are prefaced by on-screen quotations from Krishnamurti, ], ], and ], respectively. | |||
Part Three introduces ] and ], and it asserts a need to move away from current socioeconomic paradigms. | |||
''Part I'' covers the process of ] as illustrated in ], by the ]. The film suggests that society is manipulated into economic slavery through ] by requiring individuals to submit for employment to pay off their debt. | |||
The final statement of the film is a call to boycott the most powerful banks in the Federal Reserve System. | |||
''Part II'' includes an interview with ], author of '']'', who says he was involved in the subjugation of Latin American economies by multinational corporations and the United States government, including involvement in the overthrow of Latin American heads of state. Perkins sees the US as a ] in which maximization of profits is the first priority. | |||
''Part III'' introduces futurist ] and ] and asserts a need to move away from current socioeconomic paradigms. Fresco states that capitalism perpetuates the conditions it claims to address, as problems are only solved if there is money to be made. The film looks at Fresco's proposal of a resource-based economy, which puts environmental friendliness, sustainability and abundance as fundamental societal goals. He goes on to discuss technology which he sees as the primary driver of human advancement, and he describes politics as being unable to solve any problems. | |||
''Part IV'' suggests that the primary reason for what the film sees as society's social values ("warfare, corruption, oppressive laws, social stratification, irrelevant superstitions, environmental destruction, and a despotic, socially indifferent, profit oriented ruling class") is a collective ignorance of "the emergent and ] aspects of natural law". The film advocates the following actions for achieving social change: boycotting of the most powerful banks in the Federal Reserve System, the major news networks, the military, energy corporations, all political systems; and joining, and supporting The Zeitgeist Movement. | |||
===Reception=== | ===Reception=== | ||
''Zeitgeist: Addendum'' won the 2008 ]'s award for ''best feature'' ("Artivist Spirit" category).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Artivist Awards|url=http://artivist.com/the-artivist-awards-3/|publisher=Artivist Film Festival| |
''Zeitgeist: Addendum'' won the 2008 ]'s award for ''best feature'' ("Artivist Spirit" category).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Artivist Awards|url=http://artivist.com/the-artivist-awards-3/|publisher=Artivist Film Festival|access-date=January 18, 2014|year=2008|quote=Best Feature – Artivist Spirit: "Zeitgeist: Addendum" directed by Peter Joseph|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628105142/http://artivist.com/the-artivist-awards-3/|archive-date=June 28, 2014}}</ref> | ||
Originally, the film was uploaded-released on ]. The current video posting on |
Originally, the film was uploaded-released on ]. The current video posting on YouTube surpassed 5 million views by late 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Zeitgeist: Addendum|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EewGMBOB4Gg|via=YouTube|access-date=January 19, 2014|author=TZMOfficialChannel| date=February 25, 2010 }}</ref> | ||
Alan Feuer of '']'' noted that while the |
Alan Feuer of '']'' noted that while the first film was famous for alleging that the attacks of September 11 were an inside job, the second, "was all but empty of such conspiratorial notions, directing its rhetoric and high production values toward posing a replacement for the evils of the banking system and a perilous economy of scarcity and debt".<ref name="NYT20090317">{{Cite news|title=They've Seen the Future and Dislike the Present|author=Alan Feuer|date=March 17, 2009<!--"A version of this article appeared in print on March 17, 2009, on page A24 of the New York edition." -->|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/nyregion/17zeitgeist.html|access-date=March 17, 2009}}</ref> | ||
==''Zeitgeist: Moving Forward''== | |||
Film critic Bill Stamets for the '']'' characterized Joseph's source materials as "disparate," writing: "At times, Peter Joseph skirts with esoterica. Never as kooky as 'visionaries' ] and ], he nonetheless partakes in science worship, sci-fi mind-slavery metaphors, and a global banking obsessions ."<ref name="Bill Stamets">{{cite news | url=http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/3245249-421/hogancamp-marwencol-zeitgeist-dolls-films.html?print=true | title=Art-house films: ‘Marwencol,’ ‘Zeitgeist’ | accessdate=March 7, 2011 | author=Bill Stamets | date=February 15, 2011 | publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
''Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'' is the third installment in ]'s ''Zeitgeist'' film series. The film premiered at the JACC Theater in Los Angeles on January 15, 2011, at the ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2011/01/17/artspublish/2348909739.html|title=Global Premiere of "Zeitgeist: Moving Forward". Q&A with Filmmaker Peter Joseph! |work=absolutearts.com}}</ref> was released in theaters and online. As of November 2014, the film had over 23 million views on YouTube. The film is arranged in four parts, each containing interviews, narration and animated sequences.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w|title=Zeitgeist: Moving Forward – official release – 2011|date=January 25, 2011|via=YouTube}}</ref> | |||
===The Zeitgeist Movement=== | |||
{{Infobox film | |||
The Zeitgeist movement advocates transition from a global ]-based ] to their theoretical version of a ]-based economy.<ref name=VCreporter>, Shane Cohn, VC Reporter (California), May 12, 2011</ref> The informal group was founded by<ref name=VCreporter/> and all the related movies were directed by ] who leads the group.<ref name=Tablet /> | |||
| name = Zeitgeist: Moving Forward | |||
| image = Zeitgeist Moving Forward.jpg | |||
| director = ] | |||
| producer = Peter Joseph | |||
| music = Peter Joseph, ] and Yes | |||
| editing = Peter Joseph | |||
| distributor = GMP LLC | |||
| released = {{Film date|2011|01|15}} | |||
| runtime = 161 minutes | |||
| country = United States | |||
| language = English | |||
}} | |||
===Synopsis=== | |||
Joseph's films form the basis of the Zeitgeist movement's ideas. The films are critical of ] and the ] method in general. Joseph created a ] that, according to '']'', dismisses historic religious concepts as misleading and embraces a version of sustainable ] concepts and scientific administration of society.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/netherlands/9337209/Forest-boy-inspired-by-Zeitgeist-movement.html Retrieved April-29-2014</ref> | |||
The film begins with an animated sequence narrated by ]. He describes his adolescent life and his discontinuation of ] at the age of 14 and describes his early life influences. | |||
===History=== | |||
'']'' (2007) started the chain of events leading to the introduction of the movement.<ref name=Tablet /> At the end of the subsequent film, '']'' (2008), Joseph introduced the Zeitgeist movement.<ref name="Bill Stamets">{{cite news |url= http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/3245249-421/hogancamp-marwencol-zeitgeist-dolls-films.html?print=true | title=Art-house films: ‘Marwencol,’ ‘Zeitgeist’ | accessdate=March 7, 2011 | author=Bill Stamets | date=February 15, 2011 | publisher=]}}</ref> The group described itself as the activist arm of ], featured in ''Zeitgeist: Addendum'' and '']'' (2011). In April 2011 the two groups ended their association with one reporter describing their contentions as an "apparent power struggle".<ref name="Bill Stamets">{{cite news |url= http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/3245249-421/hogancamp-marwencol-zeitgeist-dolls-films.html?print=true | title=Art-house films: ‘Marwencol,’ ‘Zeitgeist’ | accessdate=March 7, 2011 | author=Bill Stamets | date=February 15, 2011 | publisher=]}}</ref><ref>http://orlandoweekly.com/news/the-view-from-venus-1.1217175?pgno=6 Retrieved May-18-2014</ref> | |||
'''Part I: Human Nature''' | |||
===Views=== | |||
The group describes the current ] as structurally corrupt and inefficient in the use of resources.<ref name="NYT20090317" /> The Zeitgeist movement advocates transition from a global ]-based ] to a ]-based style economy of the type advocated by the Venus Project's ].<ref name=VCreporter>, Shane Cohn, VC Reporter (California), May 12, 2011</ref> | |||
] and the ] is discussed, which ] refers to as a "]." Disease, ], and ] are also discussed. The overall conclusion of Part I is that ] and ] play a large part in shaping human behavior. | |||
===Currently=== | |||
The Zeitgeist movement's ideas are presented through local and national chapters and online release of media.<ref name="VCreporter"/> Zeitgeist holds an annual event, Z-Day, in March. Z-Day 2014 was held in Toronto, Ontario. | |||
'''Part II: Social Pathology''' | |||
===Critical views on the movie and group=== | |||
] and ] are discussed in regard to ]. The film critically questions the ] need for ], money, and the inherent inequality between agents in the system. Also seen critically is the need for ] consumption to maintain ], resulting in wasted resources and ]. According to the movie, the current ] will result in ] or ] at some future time. | |||
Before the introduction of the group by Peter Joseph, in the book 'Issues in Contemporary Documentary' Jane Chapman wrote in 2007 that the "conspiracy documentary" Zeitgeist had key weaknesses: "the “legitimate questions about what happened on 9/11, and about corruption in financial and religious organizations, are all undermined by the film’s determined effort to maximize an emotional response at the expense of reasoned argument” (173).<ref>http://ejas.revues.org/7817 Retrieved December-25-2014</ref> | |||
'''Part III: Project Earth''' | |||
According to a film critic for the ] (Bill Stamets) Peter Joseph’s movie ''Zeitgeist Moving Forward'' takes an imaginative leap at the end of the movie when a dramatized scenario for peaceful revolt occurs: 'citizens of Earth see the light and toss all their cash into fires outside banks'. The review goes on to say that 'the first two “Zeitgeist” films spawned a grass-roots movement'.<ref>Bill Stamets: . Chicago Sun Times, Feb 12, 2011.</ref> | |||
As with ''Zeitgeist: Addendum'', the film presents a "resource-based economy" as advocated by Jacque Fresco discussing how human civilization could start from a new beginning in relation to resource types, locations, quantities, to satisfy human demands; track the consumption and depletion of resources to regulate human demands and maintain the condition of the environment. | |||
An article in the '']'' describes the movement as an example of a "conspirituality", a synthesis of ] spirituality and ].<ref name=jcr109>{{cite journal |last1=Ward |first1=Charlotte |last2=Voas |first2=David |year=2011 |title=The Emergence of Conspirituality |journal=Journal of Contemporary Religion |volume=26 |issue=1 |page=109 |doi= 10.1080/13537903.2011.539846|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13537903.2011.539846 |accessdate=June 16, 2012}}</ref> | |||
'''Part IV: Rise''' | |||
In '']'', journalist ] criticized the Zeitgeist movement, saying it "seems like the world's first Internet-based cult, with members who parrot the party line with cheerful, rote fidelity."<ref name=Tablet>{{Cite news| last = Goldberg | first = Michelle | title = Brave New World. |date = February 2, 2011| url = http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/57732/brave-new-world|title=Brave New World|newspaper=]| quote = The first ''Zeitgeist'' documentary borrowed from the work of Eustace Mullins, Lyndon LaRouche, and Alex Jones to rail against the cabal of international bankers that purportedly rules the world.}}</ref> | |||
The current worldwide situation is described as disastrous. A case is presented that pollution, ], ], ], and ] are all created and perpetuated by the socioeconomic system. Various poverty statistics are shown that suggest a progressive worsening of ]. | |||
==Zeitgeist: Moving Forward== | |||
''Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'' is the third installment in ]'s ''Zeitgeist'' film trilogy. The film premiered at the JACC Theater in Los Angeles on January 15, 2011 at the Artivist Film Festival,<ref>http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2011/01/17/artspublish/2348909739.html</ref> was released in theaters and online. As of November 2014, the film has over 22 million views on YouTube.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w</ref> The film is arranged into four parts. Each part contains interviews, narration and animated sequences.<ref> Retrieved: 31 May 2014.</ref> | |||
The final scene of the film shows a partial view of Earth from space, followed by a sequence of superimposed statements; "This is your world", "This is our world", and "The revolution is now". | |||
{{Infobox film | |||
| name = Zeitgeist: Moving Forward | |||
| image = Zeitgeist Moving Forward.jpg | |||
| director = ] | |||
| producer = Peter Joseph | |||
| music = Peter Joseph, ] and Yes | |||
| editing = Peter Joseph | |||
| distributor = GMP LLC | |||
| released = {{Film date|2011|1|15}} | |||
| runtime = 161 minutes | |||
| country = United States | |||
| language = English | |||
}} | |||
'''List of Interviewees''' | |||
The film begins with an animated sequence narrated by ]. He describes his adolescent life and his discontinuation of public education at the age of 14 and describes his early life influences. | |||
{{Div col|colwidth=18em}} | |||
Human behavior and the nature vs. nurture debate is discussed. ] sums up his opinion of the ] in which he refers to it as a "false dichotomy." Disease, criminal activity and addictions are also discussed. In part two | |||
* ] | |||
] and ] are discussed in regard to modern economics. In '']'', John Locke lays out the fundamental principles of private ownership of land, labor and capital. In '']'', Adam Smith uses the term ] as a means to explain how an individual's self-interest benefits society as a whole.<ref>Smith, A., 1976, ''The Glasgow edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith'', vol. 2a, p. 456, edited by R.H. Cambell and A.S. Skinner, Oxford: Claredon Press.</ref> Private property, money and the view that inherent inequality exists in a system of private enterprise (]) is discussed. In part three as with Zeitgeist: Addendum, the film presents a "resource-based economy" as an alternative. In part four the world situation is described as disastrous. The film surmises that pollution, deforestation, climate change, overpopulation, and warfare are all created and perpetuated by the mainstream socioeconomic system. | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* Jeremy J. Gilbert | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
{{Div col end}} | |||
===Reception=== | ===Reception=== | ||
Zeitgeist: Moving Forward received "Best Political Documentary" in 2011 from the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=2011 |
''Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'' received "Best Political Documentary" in 2011 from the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=2011 Action on Film Official Film and Video Award Nominees |url=http://media.wix.com/ugd/28ac82_bcae7973f1624374a492bb081e35a815.pdf|publisher=Action on Film|pages=7}}</ref> | ||
A |
A '']'' review said the film's use of animation and humor gave it a "well rounded feel", though it criticized the "shaky economic analysis" in the second part of the film, saying "] had already undertaken a more scientific analysis", adding, "the analysis is at least on the right track". Regarding transition to the new system proposed in the film, the reviewer noted "there is no mention of how to get from here to there".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/mar11/film_review.html |title=Film Review | The Socialist Party of Great Britain |publisher=Worldsocialism.org |access-date=June 11, 2012}}</ref> | ||
In an article, in ''Tablet'' magazine, Michelle Goldberg described the film as "silly enough that at times suspected it was sly satire about new-age techno-] instead of an example of it".<ref name=Tablet /> She describes the 3 Zeitgeist movies as "a series of 3 apocalyptic cult documentaries.<ref name=Tablet /> | |||
Fouad Al-Noor in '']'' said that the film was more focused on solutions than the previous film, and commented that while there are controversial elements, he challenged those using labels to describe the film to watch the films.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.wessexscene.co.uk/politics/2011/02/06/zeitgeist-moving-forward-review/ |title=Zeitgeist: Moving Forward Review |first= Fouad | last= Al-Noor|date=6 February 2011 |newspaper=] |accessdate=31 August 2011}}</ref> | |||
==Zeitgeist movement== | |||
In her article, published in '']'', ] described the film as "silly enough that at times suspected it was satire about new-age techno-utopianism instead of an example of it."<ref name=Tablet /> | |||
{{main|The Zeitgeist Movement}} | |||
''Zeitgeist: The Movie'' (2007) started the chain of events leading to the formation of the Zeitgeist movement.<ref name=Tablet /> The group advocates transition from the global money-based ] to a ] or ]-based economy. ''VC Reporter's'' Shane Cohn summarized the movement's charter as: "Our greatest social problems are the direct results of our economic system".<ref name=VCreporter> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006110044/http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/new_world_re_order/8838/ |date=October 6, 2014 }}, Shane Cohn, VC Reporter (California), May 12, 2011</ref> Joseph created a ] that, according to '']'', dismisses historic religious concepts as misleading and embraces a version of sustainable ecological concepts and scientific administration of society.<ref>McElroy, Danien. June 17, 2012. . ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved April 29, 2014.</ref> The group describes the current ] as structurally corrupt and inefficient in the use of resources.<ref name="NYT20090317" /><ref name=ws /> Michelle Goldberg described the Zeitgeist movement as "the first Internet-based apocalyptic cult".<ref name=Tablet /> | |||
== See also == | |||
{{Portal|Sustainable development|Social movements|Ecology}} | |||
==See also== | |||
{{Portal|Society|Ecology}} | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
{{clear}} | |||
== |
==References== | ||
{{Reflist| |
{{Reflist|refs= | ||
<ref name=ws>{{cite news |url=http://www.wessexscene.co.uk/features/2011/02/21/the-cult-of-zeitgeist/ |title=The Cult of Zeitgeist |first=Samuel |last=Gilonis |date=February 21, 2011 |newspaper=] |access-date=February 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303173358/http://www.wessexscene.co.uk/features/2011/02/21/the-cult-of-zeitgeist/ |archive-date=March 3, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
<!-- unused reference | |||
<ref name=media>{{cite web|title=Zeitgeist Media Festival 2012: A celebration to be shared with the entire Earth|url=http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/2012/08/14/zeitgeist-media-festival-2012-a-celebration-to-be-shared-with-the-entire-earth/|access-date=April 29, 2015}}</ref> | |||
--> | |||
}} | |||
==External links== | |||
{{VODO}} | |||
* {{Official website|http://zeitgeistmovie.com/}} | |||
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q186014|id=tt1166827}} | |||
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q185976|id=tt1332128|title=Addendum}} | |||
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q185977|id=tt1781069|title=Moving Forward}} | |||
{{navboxes|list= | {{navboxes|list= | ||
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Latest revision as of 22:41, 3 December 2024
American documentary film seriesNot to be confused with Zeitgeist Films or Zeitgeist (film company).
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Zeitgeist is a series of three documentary films released between 2007 and 2011 that present a number of conspiracy theories, as well as proposals for broad social and economic changes. The films, Zeitgeist: The Movie (2007), Zeitgeist: Addendum (2008) and Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011) are all directed by Peter Joseph.
Zeitgeist: The Movie
Zeitgeist: The Movie | |
---|---|
Directed by | Peter Joseph |
Written by | Peter Joseph |
Produced by | Peter Joseph |
Edited by | Peter Joseph |
Music by | Peter Joseph |
Distributed by | GMP LLC |
Release date |
|
Running time | 122 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Zeitgeist: The Movie is a 2007 film by Peter Joseph presenting a number of conspiracy theories. The film assembles archival footage, animations, and narration. Released online on June 18, 2007, it soon received tens of millions of views on Google Video, YouTube, and Vimeo. According to Peter Joseph, the original Zeitgeist was not presented in a film format, but was a "performance piece consisting of a vaudevillian, multimedia style event using recorded music, live instruments, and video".
Synopsis
The film's introduction features animations, footage of war, explosions, and the September 11 attacks and audio quotes from Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Jordan Maxwell, and George Carlin.
Part I claims the Christian religion is mainly derived from other religions, astronomical assertions, astrological myths, and other traditions. The Christ myth theory, which disputes the historicity of Jesus, asserts that Jesus is a literary and astrological hybrid, nurtured by political forces and opportunists. Part I was influenced by the work of Acharya S.
Part II alleges that the September 11 attacks were either orchestrated or allowed to happen by elements within the United States government to generate mass fear, justify the War on Terror, provide a pretext for the curtaillment of civil liberties, and produce economic gain. It asserts that the U.S. government had advance knowledge of the attacks, that the military deliberately allowed the planes to reach their targets, and that World Trade Center buildings 1, 2, and 7 underwent a controlled demolition.
Part III states that the Federal Reserve System is controlled by a small cabal of international bankers who conspire to create global calamities to enrich themselves. Three wars involving the United States during the twentieth century are highlighted as part of this alleged agenda, started by specifically engineered events, including the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. The film asserts that such wars serve to sustain conflict in general and force the U.S. government to borrow money, thereby increasing the profits of the international bankers. The film also claims that the Federal Income Tax is illegal.
Part III also alleges a secret agreement to merge the United States, Canada and Mexico into a North American Union as a step toward the creation of a single world government. The film speculates that under such a government, every human could be implanted with an RFID chip to monitor individual activity and suppress dissent.
Reception
The first film received almost universal condemnation from the media, though it also "attracted massive interest" from the public.
The newspaper The Arizona Republic described Zeitgeist: The Movie as "a bramble of conspiracy theories involving Sept. 11, the international monetary system, and Christianity" saying also that the movie trailer states that "there are people guiding your life and you don't even know it".
A review in The Irish Times wrote that "these are surreal perversions of genuine issues and debates, and they tarnish all criticism of faith, the Bush administration, and globalization—there are more than enough factual injustices in this world to be going around without having to invent fictional ones".
Ivor Tossell in The Globe and Mail cited it as an example of how modern conspiracy theories are promulgated, though he praised its effectiveness:
The film is an interesting object lesson on how conspiracy theories get to be so popular ... It's a driven, if uneven, piece of propaganda, a marvel of tight editing and fuzzy thinking. Its on-camera sources are mostly conspiracy theorists, co-mingled with selective eyewitness accounts, drawn from archival footage and often taken out of context. It derides the media as a pawn of the International Bankers, but produces media reports for credibility when convenient. The film ignores expert opinion, except the handful of experts who agree with it. And yet, it's compelling. It shamelessly ploughs forward, connecting dots with an earnest certainty that makes you want to give it an A for effort.
Filipe Feio, reflecting upon the film's Internet popularity in Diário de Notícias, stated that "iction or not, Zeitgeist: The Movie threatens to become the champion of conspiracy theories of today".
Michael Shermer, founder of the Skeptics Society, mentioned Zeitgeist in an article in Scientific American on skepticism in the age of mass media and the postmodern belief in the relativism of truth. He argues that this belief, coupled with a "clicker culture of mass media," results in a multitude of various truth claims packaged in "infotainment units", in the form of films such as Zeitgeist and Loose Change.
Jane Chapman, a film producer and reader in media studies at the University of Lincoln, called Zeitgeist "a fast-paced assemblage of agitprop," an example of "unethical film-making". Chapman accused Peter Joseph of "implicit deception" through the use of standard film-making propaganda techniques. While parts of the film are, she says, "comically" self-defeating, the nature of "twisted evidence" and use of Madrid bomb footage to imply it is of the London bombings amount to "ethical abuse in sourcing". She finishes her analysis with the comment: "Thus, legitimate questions about what happened on 9/11, and about corruption in religious and financial organizations, are all undermined by the film's determined effort to maximize an emotional response at the expense of reasoned argument."
Alex Jones, American radio host, conspiracy theorist and executive producer of Loose Change, stated that film segments of Zeitgeist are taken directly from his documentary Terrorstorm, and that he supports "90 percent" of the film.
Skeptic magazine's Tim Callahan, criticizing the parts of the film on the origins of Christianity, wrote that "some of what it asserts is true. Unfortunately, this material is liberally—and sloppily—mixed with material that is only partially true and much that is plainly and simply bogus."
Chris Forbes, Senior lecturer in Ancient History of Macquarie University and member of the Synod of the Diocese of Sydney, severely criticized Part I of the film, stating that it has no basis in serious scholarship or ancient sources, and that it relies on amateur sources that recycle frivolous ideas from one another, commenting that "t is extraordinary how many claims it makes which are simply not true". Similar conclusions were reached by Dr. Mark Foreman of Liberty University.
In Tablet magazine, journalist Michelle Goldberg criticized Zeitgeist: The Movie as being "steeped in far-right, isolationist, and covertly anti-Semitic conspiracy theories," writing that the film borrowed from the work of Eustace Mullins, Lyndon LaRouche, and radio host Alex Jones, and that it portrays a cabal of international bankers purportedly ruling the world. In an interview with TheMarker, Joseph said that while the film does mention bankers it does not seek to blame any individual or group of individuals. He argued they are merely a product of a socioeconomic system in need of change.
Chip Berlet wrote that the 9/11 conspiracy theories "are bait used to attract viewers from the 9/11 Truth movement and others who embrace conspiracist thinking to the idiosyncratic antireligion views of the videographer and the world of right-wing antisemitic theories of a global banking conspiracy".
Jay Kinney questioned the accuracy of its claims and the quality of its arguments, describing it as agitprop and propaganda. At times, according to Kinney, "Zeitgeist engages in willful confusion by showing TV screen shots of network or cable news with voice-overs from unidentified people not associated with the news programs. If one weren't paying close attention, the effect would be to confer the status and authority of TV news upon the words being spoken. Even when quotes or sound bites are attributed to a source, there's no way to tell if they are quoted correctly or in context."
Use in other media
In June 2013, Peter Joseph directed the music video for "God Is Dead?" by Black Sabbath, using extensive imagery from Zeitgeist: The Movie and its sequels.
Zeitgeist: Addendum
Zeitgeist: Addendum | |
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Directed by | Peter Joseph |
Produced by | Peter Joseph |
Edited by | Peter Joseph |
Music by | Peter Joseph |
Distributed by | GMP LLC |
Release date |
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Running time | 123 min |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Zeitgeist: Addendum is a 2008 film produced and directed by Peter Joseph, and is a sequel to the 2007 film, Zeitgeist: The Movie. It premiered at the 5th Annual Artivist Film Festival in Los Angeles, California on October 2, 2008.
Synopsis
The film begins and ends with excerpts from a speech by Jiddu Krishnamurti. The remainder of the film is narrated by Peter Joseph and divided into four parts, which are prefaced by on-screen quotations from Krishnamurti, John Adams, Bernard Lietaer, and Thomas Paine, respectively.
Part I covers the process of fractional-reserve banking as illustrated in Modern Money Mechanics, by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The film suggests that society is manipulated into economic slavery through debt-based monetary policies by requiring individuals to submit for employment to pay off their debt.
Part II includes an interview with John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman, who says he was involved in the subjugation of Latin American economies by multinational corporations and the United States government, including involvement in the overthrow of Latin American heads of state. Perkins sees the US as a corporatocracy in which maximization of profits is the first priority.
Part III introduces futurist Jacque Fresco and The Venus Project and asserts a need to move away from current socioeconomic paradigms. Fresco states that capitalism perpetuates the conditions it claims to address, as problems are only solved if there is money to be made. The film looks at Fresco's proposal of a resource-based economy, which puts environmental friendliness, sustainability and abundance as fundamental societal goals. He goes on to discuss technology which he sees as the primary driver of human advancement, and he describes politics as being unable to solve any problems.
Part IV suggests that the primary reason for what the film sees as society's social values ("warfare, corruption, oppressive laws, social stratification, irrelevant superstitions, environmental destruction, and a despotic, socially indifferent, profit oriented ruling class") is a collective ignorance of "the emergent and symbiotic aspects of natural law". The film advocates the following actions for achieving social change: boycotting of the most powerful banks in the Federal Reserve System, the major news networks, the military, energy corporations, all political systems; and joining, and supporting The Zeitgeist Movement.
Reception
Zeitgeist: Addendum won the 2008 Artivist Film Festival's award for best feature ("Artivist Spirit" category).
Originally, the film was uploaded-released on Google Video. The current video posting on YouTube surpassed 5 million views by late 2013.
Alan Feuer of The New York Times noted that while the first film was famous for alleging that the attacks of September 11 were an inside job, the second, "was all but empty of such conspiratorial notions, directing its rhetoric and high production values toward posing a replacement for the evils of the banking system and a perilous economy of scarcity and debt".
Zeitgeist: Moving Forward
Zeitgeist: Moving Forward is the third installment in Peter Joseph's Zeitgeist film series. The film premiered at the JACC Theater in Los Angeles on January 15, 2011, at the Artivist Film Festival, was released in theaters and online. As of November 2014, the film had over 23 million views on YouTube. The film is arranged in four parts, each containing interviews, narration and animated sequences.
Zeitgeist: Moving Forward | |
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Directed by | Peter Joseph |
Produced by | Peter Joseph |
Edited by | Peter Joseph |
Music by | Peter Joseph, Lili Haydn and Yes |
Distributed by | GMP LLC |
Release date |
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Running time | 161 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Synopsis
The film begins with an animated sequence narrated by Jacque Fresco. He describes his adolescent life and his discontinuation of public education at the age of 14 and describes his early life influences.
Part I: Human Nature
Human behavior and the nature vs. nurture debate is discussed, which Robert Sapolsky refers to as a "false dichotomy." Disease, criminal activity, and addictions are also discussed. The overall conclusion of Part I is that social environment and cultural conditioning play a large part in shaping human behavior.
Part II: Social Pathology
John Locke and Adam Smith are discussed in regard to modern economics. The film critically questions the economic need for private property, money, and the inherent inequality between agents in the system. Also seen critically is the need for cyclical consumption to maintain market share, resulting in wasted resources and planned obsolescence. According to the movie, the current monetary system will result in default or hyperinflation at some future time.
Part III: Project Earth
As with Zeitgeist: Addendum, the film presents a "resource-based economy" as advocated by Jacque Fresco discussing how human civilization could start from a new beginning in relation to resource types, locations, quantities, to satisfy human demands; track the consumption and depletion of resources to regulate human demands and maintain the condition of the environment.
Part IV: Rise
The current worldwide situation is described as disastrous. A case is presented that pollution, deforestation, climate change, overpopulation, and warfare are all created and perpetuated by the socioeconomic system. Various poverty statistics are shown that suggest a progressive worsening of world culture.
The final scene of the film shows a partial view of Earth from space, followed by a sequence of superimposed statements; "This is your world", "This is our world", and "The revolution is now".
List of Interviewees
- Adrian Bowyer
- Colin J. Campbell
- Jacque Fresco
- Jeremy J. Gilbert
- James Gilligan
- Max Keiser
- Behrokh Khoshnevis
- Gabor Maté
- John McMurtry
- Roxanne Meadows
- Michael Ruppert
- Robert Sapolsky
- Richard Wilkinson
Reception
Zeitgeist: Moving Forward received "Best Political Documentary" in 2011 from the Action on Film International Film Festival.
A The Socialist Standard review said the film's use of animation and humor gave it a "well rounded feel", though it criticized the "shaky economic analysis" in the second part of the film, saying "Karl Marx had already undertaken a more scientific analysis", adding, "the analysis is at least on the right track". Regarding transition to the new system proposed in the film, the reviewer noted "there is no mention of how to get from here to there".
In an article, in Tablet magazine, Michelle Goldberg described the film as "silly enough that at times suspected it was sly satire about new-age techno-utopianism instead of an example of it". She describes the 3 Zeitgeist movies as "a series of 3 apocalyptic cult documentaries.
Zeitgeist movement
Main article: The Zeitgeist MovementZeitgeist: The Movie (2007) started the chain of events leading to the formation of the Zeitgeist movement. The group advocates transition from the global money-based economic system to a post-scarcity economy or resource-based economy. VC Reporter's Shane Cohn summarized the movement's charter as: "Our greatest social problems are the direct results of our economic system". Joseph created a political movement that, according to The Daily Telegraph, dismisses historic religious concepts as misleading and embraces a version of sustainable ecological concepts and scientific administration of society. The group describes the current socioeconomic system as structurally corrupt and inefficient in the use of resources. Michelle Goldberg described the Zeitgeist movement as "the first Internet-based apocalyptic cult".
See also
References
- Andrejevic, Mark (2013). Infoglut: How Too Much Information Is Changing the Way We Think and Know. Routledge. ISBN 978-1135119522. OCLC 852159022.
- ^ Tossell, Ivor (August 17, 2007). "Conspiracy theorists yelling in the echo chamber". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ Goldberg, Michelle (February 2, 2011). "Brave New World". Tablet.
- Joseph, Peter; Murdock, Dorothy Milne (August 2010). The Zeitgeist Sourcebook (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 28, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ O'Dwyer, Davin (August 8, 2007). "Zeitgeist: the nonsense". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- Faherty, John (January 16, 2011). "Gabrielle Giffords shooter suspect: Moments from a life in spiral". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
- Feio, Felipe (February 18, 2008). "Teoria da conspiração no 'top' do Google Video (Conspiracy theory is the 'top' Google Video)". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- Shermer, Michael (July 2009). "What Skepticism Reveals about Science". Scientific American.
- Chapman, Jane (2009). Issues in Contemporary Documentary. Polity Press. pp. 171–173. ISBN 978-0745640099.
- Goldberg, Michelle (January 13, 2011). "The Cult Web Film that Inspired Loughner". The Daily Beast Company, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
- Callahan, Tim (2009). "The Greatest Story Ever Garbled". Skeptic. Vol. 28, no. 1.
- "Zeitgeist: Time to discard the Christian story?". Interview at the Centre for Public Christianity, Sydney, Australia. September 22, 2024.
- "Challenging the Zeitgeist Movie: Alleged Parallels between Jesus and Ancient Pagan Religions". Evangelical Philosophical Society. 2011. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
- Discussion of The Zeitgeist Movement with Peter Joseph on YouTube, TheMarkerTV (Israel), January 19, 2012. Interview conducted in English, following a brief introduction to Joseph and the Movement in Hebrew.
- "Loughner, "Zeitgeist – The Movie," and Right-Wing Antisemitic Conspiracism". Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- ^ Frauenfelder, Mark & Kinney, Jay (August 6, 2007). "Jay Kinney reviews Zeitgeist, the Movie". Boing Boing. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- "Black Sabbath Taps Controversial Filmmaker Peter Joseph For God Is Dead? Video". BlabberMouth. June 8, 2013.
- "The Artivist Awards". Artivist Film Festival. 2008. Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
Best Feature – Artivist Spirit: "Zeitgeist: Addendum" directed by Peter Joseph
- TZMOfficialChannel (February 25, 2010). "Zeitgeist: Addendum". Retrieved January 19, 2014 – via YouTube.
- ^ Alan Feuer (March 17, 2009). "They've Seen the Future and Dislike the Present". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
- "Global Premiere of "Zeitgeist: Moving Forward". Q&A with Filmmaker Peter Joseph!". absolutearts.com.
- Zeitgeist: Moving Forward – official release – 2011. January 25, 2011 – via YouTube.
- "2011 Action on Film Official Film and Video Award Nominees" (PDF). Action on Film. p. 7.
- "Film Review | The Socialist Party of Great Britain". Worldsocialism.org. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
- New world re-order: The Zeitgeist Movement spreads to Ventura County Archived October 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Shane Cohn, VC Reporter (California), May 12, 2011
- McElroy, Danien. June 17, 2012. Forest boy 'inspired by Zeitgeist movement'. The Telegraph. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
- Gilonis, Samuel (February 21, 2011). "The Cult of Zeitgeist". Wessex Scene. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
External links
- Official website
- Zeitgeist at IMDb
- Addendum at IMDb
- Moving Forward at IMDb
- 2007 films
- 2008 films
- 2011 films
- 9/11 conspiracy theories
- American documentary films
- American films with live action and animation
- American independent films
- Bible conspiracy theories
- Documentary film series
- Documentary films about conspiracy theories
- Documentary films about environmental issues
- Film series introduced in 2007
- Films directed by Peter Joseph
- Fringe theory
- Pseudohistory
- Works about automation
- Works about the Christ myth theory