User reviews

He is a genius and explains our situation with big business, banks and the wealthy that control the politics. His explanation shows how Trump is fooling the ones who voted for him. By reducing taxes for the corporations the Wealthy will get bigger, There will be another stock market crash and the taxpayers will bail them out. Getting rid of the EPA powers, and school funding he will keep the poor in their place. (slaves for the Corporations. The corporation will still be in control with the lobby and no cap on what corporations can give to each party. He goes into detail and backs up his views with video history. It is a must see video.

Forget the bad review found here from the person from London. This is the real reason for the downfall of America and it has everything to do with the moneyed class wresting control of our government from the hands of the average citizen. Noam Chomsky is a world renowned American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, logician, social critic, and political activist who details the collapse of a once great country step by step. He makes it easy to understand and provides very specific examples of his elucidation of the hijacking of our economy and country. I find the perspective of a professor emeritus at MIT much more edifying than the simple minded who dismiss him as an extreme leftist.

The definitive discourse with Noam Chomsky, widely regarded as the most important intellectual alive, on the defining characteristic of our time - the deliberate concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a select few.

This film is being touted as the "final" film of Noam Chomsky. I don't buy that. He's not dead, for one thing. But also, the amount of footage out there is pretty daunting... people could be making films of Chomsky's speeches for years to come.

There isn't all that much here that you won't hear elsewhere if you're familiar with Chomsky's work. It's a standard denouncement of various systems and how Americans interact with their government. For those who aren't fans, it may also be really, really dry. Chomsky packs a lot of information into his words and is not the most exciting speaker. It is more accessible, though, than some of his broader work... unlike his views on foreign policy, he does not dig into decades of obscure history to support his theories.

This eerily prescient documentary (2015) narrated by Noam Chomsky was in development before the official announcement of Donald Trump's candidacy. Yet, in the "Ten Principles of the Concentration of Wealth and Power" the viewer sees the redesigning of the US economy."Requiem for the American Dream" is indeed sobering. Chomsky, known for his activism during both the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War,bemoans the state of "an uninformed electorate making irrational choices often against their own self-interest." This is a documentary that is a must-see for all of us trying to make sense of the election of Trump. The historical perspective is an eye- opener!

Marketed as a definitive statement of Chomsky's view of contemporary America, REQUIEM FOR THE American DREAM offers an eight-part deconstruction of a country where rampant capitalism and unrestricted practices have led to a society even more unequal than it has ever been in its two hundred-plus year history.

Through a series of interviews Chomsky traces this development back to the time when America was established, when the Constitution allowed for the freedom of individuals to practice anything they wished, including unrestrained capitalism. He argues that until the Seventies there were a series of checks and balances in places so as to ensure that all the people were well looked after; but things started to change, as successive presidents decided that the country had gone too far in the direction of freedom in the past decades, and needed to be reined in.

Gains obtained in the Sixties and early Seventies, such as the acquisition of civil rights, women's liberation and a relaxing of sexual mores were followed by a tightening of the political structure, a deliberate manipulation of public opinion by capitalist interests and a concession to the moneymakers to pursue whatever policies they wished. Now it is commonplace for governments to bail them out whenever they over-spend; if they didn't, then the governments would not be elected.

Chomsky paints an overwhelmingly negative picture of contemporary America, while suggesting that the only solution is for individuals to band together and create resistance movements similar to those formulated during the Sixties. Some of his historical claims are just plain bunkum: while middle-class white Americans enjoyed unrivaled prosperity in the Fifties, this was certainly not the case for most African Americans deprived of civil rights. Likewise the troops returning from World War II did have the chance to benefit from a university education, but little was done to alleviate the trauma of the previous six years. Hence America was hardly that edenic world as Chomsky claims - before the capitalists had their way.

Nonetheless, we should understand that this documentary does not pretend to be objective. It is the views of an aging leftist with a passionate concern for his country's future; on those terms REQUIEM FOR THE American DREAM is a compelling watch.

Everyone should see this. Confused, concerned, and frustrated by what is happening in America? Watch this and you'll begin to understand.

I would also recommend watching Adam Curtis' excellent documentary "The Century of the Self" as a companion documentary to help understand how we got here.

Noam Chomsky preaches doom and gloom over the current (and potential future) of the US economy. Vicious cycles, corporate tyranny, too big to fail, Goldman Sachs, Wall Street, blah blah blah all amount to this movie being just another standard diatribe about how "the rich have all the $$$ money $$$ and the poor are suffering :(

If your god is money, and C-notes make you sweat, this movie can be difficult for you to watch. If you're one of us who realize wealth can be measured in ways that don't require dollar signs, and experienced in a color other than green, you'll find it as entertaining and humorous as I did.

Movie misses the point. Talks about consequence not cause. As my father would say, "Who told you live is fair?" Democracy is about majority rule. Over 40% of the voting public makes a conscious choice not to vote. Not voting is a choice to support the status quo. We have only ourselves to blame. The American public loves to point to someone else as the problem. Movie should be a real hit. This looks like the typical propaganda to misdirect the public from the true nature and solution of the problem. The public has the right to change any part of the Constitution to make our Republic fairer but again chooses not to act. It has been changed 27 times in the past. We could change it to Supreme court judges to be elected by the people.

most of people that I know are aware the the rich gain more that politicians are corrupt that bankers only want money for themselves etc.. but we know it because we hear it here and there.

this movie actually shows you how this is all engineered and does it in a way that slowly builds up and makes you even angry to see how much truth is in it.

But I am posting here mainly for one reason, I am neither American nor live in the US but in Spain and I can tell that over here (Europe) we have got exactly the same structure that this movie shows. It is an actual copy but in Europe, that tells that this is not US on their own with their economy and social classes etc... it is Global or at least common to the so-called 1st world.

In Spain and other southern European countries like Italy, Portugal or Greece it is not enough nowadays with having a full time job for not to be poor. Many salaries are around the 1K EUR mark those that earn 1.5K consider themselves somehow with a good salary but that is totally wrong with current earnings people can barely pay the rent, bills,schools, insurances etc...

Today's poor is not a street begger but also someone who does have a full time job but cannot afford a decent live.

If you're a Trump supporter, you probably won't watch this. Too bad. It's about YOUR beliefs. Everyone's beliefs.

A great deal of Noam Chomsky's attention over his long career has been about how consciousness is shaped by------as well as shapes---- language. Language consequently becomes power to control others......as Eric Blair pointed out so brilliantly in 1984 with his totalitarian NewSpeak. Language, words, grammar, inflections . . .the stuff of thoughts and ideas.

In this lovely synopsis of his book by the same title the filmmakers managed to encapsulate the leading points one of America's greatest intellectuals makes by paring the content down to ten overarching themes ---all of which point to seizure of power by the most manipulative for their own purposes.

We learn how the money and power are consolidated, controlled by the wealthiest. How free markets aren't free. How the concept of democracy was always feared by the leaders in the US....even though their rhetoric is full of token adoration of it. How minds are controlled-- brainwashed by repetitive messaging. How power, and wealth in the hands of a few renders everything else unstable. How the entire system is imploding because it is no longer sustainable. How the damage to the ecosystem, to societal harmony is ruinous......and what must be done to alter the current flow.

If you haven't seen this short documentary, watch it. Especially if you're one of the people not given to thinking about deeper social causes and effects. You know, Trump supporter types.

A must see to understand why most U.S. citizens are trapped and cannot pursue the "American Dream"

This remarkable documentary is taken and ispired from the last long interview to the activist, thinker, historian, linguist Noam Chomsky in which he describes the socioeconomic landscape of the USA.

The ideas that Chomsky systematically addressed in the documentary were compiled in the book "Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power".

This text, examinates the 10 principles of wealth and power concentration and reveals the elite and powerful minority, who thinks of their own interests.

An unprecedented inequality in history.

Tracing half a century of policies aimed at favoring the richest at the expense of the majority, the elimination of the American worker, the disappearance of the living wage, the collapse of the dream of owning a home, the skyrocketing costs of higher education that they make possible advancement unattainable or cause students to be chained to suffocating debts, and the loss of solidarity.

This movie will not change the minds of most people, you either like him or don't, so this feels a bit like preaching to the choir. Nevertheless he is a fascinating character and it's always a delight to hear him speak, even if I don't agree with everything being said.

This documentary is so great! I've actually never written a review on IMDb and normally use it for fictional films but especially the "uninformed" ,how one other user put it before, should definitely watch this. Noam Chomsky is one to listen to! He really puts the finger on the wounds of society and capitalism. Especially in times of Trump and other right forces it is important to not just post memes on Facebook but rather talk about why it happened. And this film perfectly summarizes why people are fed up with society and how people as Trump can get their votes with the cheapest "solutions", get their votes with just finding a guilty one instead of dealing with the unjust economy (& society) of capitalism.

There's a lot of interesting information in there, but nothing truly new if you are familiar with Chomsky. If you are not, and are inclined to listen to his viewpoint, you will get some pretty good tidbits to think about. However if you fall on the opposite side of the spectrum there is not much in there you might find of interest. And that is why I am not giving a higher score here. While I am 100% in line with his views, objectively this documentary only offers Chomsky's one-sided analysis and commentary on how we got here and why things are the way they are without any kind of proposal on how we could fix the situation. Still a recommended watch.

This is a very important documentary with a lot of information - especially for the uninformed about society and what mechanisms there are that's "controlling" us and how we then behave, like puppets.

But what I miss here is discussions about solutions, and that's why I can't give this documentary a 10 out of 10. I would like this documentary to be more educational and have more discussions about alternative solutions - like the "Zeitgeist Moving Forward"-documentary did!

But Requiem for the American Dream is, of course, very much worth seeing! This informative educational documentary should be viewed in schools! Why isn't it?

A self-proclaimed Anarchist supporting FED; a socialist remembering the difference between East and West Germany; critic of modern corporationism suggesting solutions which will even make the situation worst;

Intellectual Noam Chomsky gave interviews for over four years to explain his views on capitalism and economic inequality. U.S. politics are dominated by wealth, which furthers the corporate agenda. He had relatives involved in the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union that exposed him to many tragic, political truths.

In this documentary, Noam explains how in America, people have been directed to superficial things as a way to "keep the rabble in line." Rather than encouraging people to make rational choices, consumerism creates uninformed consumers who will make irrational choices.

I leaned in to soak in Noam's Ten Principles of corporate wealth and power that explain the history of the corrupt American socio-economic-political systems. It's not new information, but it's clearly presented.

I planned to rewatch and take notes since there is much of importance to digest during this election cycle, but I don't have time right now. I recommend this excellent movie.

*Noam's Ten Principles*

1) Reduce Democracy 2) Shape Ideology 3) Redesign the Economy 4) Shift the Burden 5) Attack Solidarity 6) Run the Regulators 7) Engineer Elections 8) Keep the Rabble in Line 9) Manufacture Consent 10) Marginalize the Population

The lawyer Alan Dershowitz called Chomsky a "false prophet of the left." Chomsky called Alan Dershowitz a complete liar" who is on "a crazed jihad, dedicating much of his life to trying to destroy my reputation.

Through this documentary i learned so much about a lot from economy to politics , and the way the professor Noam Chomsky explains it ,it just great!