Shifty

Using archive material from the Thatcher years, Adam Curtis demonstrates a myth that many on the Left will be uncomfortable with; far from being an underhand experiment, Mrs. Thatcher made it clear from the start what her project was all about. The destruction of the Welfare State. The destruction of solidarity. The decimation of the right of the people to be protected from capitalism. But the Left were more interested in making speeches to each other and ideological purity. The media colluded with the Tories, and the hard earned gains of the working class were lost.

Brilliant and unsettling work from a dwindling pool of sharp and empathetic film maker.

The opening scenes are worth the license fee on their own.

I love social documentaries and Adam Curtis' are some of the most interesting and watchable ones being made this century. SHIFTY is his latest effort, which explores the legacy of Thatcherism in Britain from 1979 through to the end of the century. This one's a five-part miniseries that offers an innovative approach by not having any kind of narration. Instead, the director weaves together multiple plot strands each episode, all of them generally linked to the public mood and tackling themes of industry, finance, livelihood and society. There are plenty of terse captions which help to explain what we're seeing, while the footage chosen is extremely interesting, thought-provoking, often shocking in retrospect. Appropriate music enhances the effect in what is a thoroughly engaging documentary overall.

Hey, I don't post very often and I'm of this time that's covered in the series so I thought I'd watch. It became clear fairly quickly that this is a personal journey by the director through these times. Many important parts of uk history in the 80s/90s are ignored and some very trivial items are given weight way beyond their real significance. I'm no fan of thatcher by any means but the focus seems misplaced again concentrating on lesser evils than the more significant decisions that screwed our Youth and future. One very minor spoiler that almost seemed personal was the directors fixation on Ozzie Osbourne and his abuse at the time of his wife. It's worth a watch for nostalgia but there's no balance, just a personal dig through the archives from the director.

I found the first 3 or 4 episodes a bit confusing. The footage and music are interesting and there is a sense for Britain during that era of time but for me it didnt flow or feel cohesive and i found myself skipping a few scenes that seemed a bit vulgar or indulgent - like whats the point of this? Maybe I didnt get it. Although there are some really good bits too, especially around racial tensions and science with Stephen Hawking - a sense of reality "shifting" in more ways than one. Altogether it was mixed.

The final episode however was excellent. It brought things together and was much clearer and easier to follow. The footage felt more relevant to me and the story felt more deliberate and clear, and it carries you along in that surreal way that adam curtis does.

Shifty is great, shifty is brilliant, shifty is astounding. And then what?

I grew up in the years Shifty retraces, so how biessed am I? Everything illustrated here, i lived through. Every urgence depicted, i fought through. Every exhilaration depicted i danced through. So i accept i cannot watch this documentary/exploration without a pre-defined view. Adam Curtis either tells me we're going into thatcher years again, or we just need to mind what they were.

This is the kind of work that should be aimed at our younger generations. What do they expect of our powers? What do they believe are our goals? England chose a way should the western world follow?