1967 · satire · dystopia · watkins
Privilege
Directed by Peter Watkins1h 43m1967
Britain's biggest pop singer, Steven Shorter, receives unwavering adulation and possesses total control over his rabid fans, which includes nearly the entire population. Yet Shorter is not an autonomous performer -- he is little more than a puppet for the government, promoting whatever agenda they see fit. When a beautiful artist, Vanessa Ritchie, is commissioned to paint his portrait, she pushes Shorter to question his obedience to his manipulative handlers.
Our read: Privilege (1967) reads as a sombre, kinetic, inventive satire · dystopia · watkins entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, cold in temperature, nihilistic in outlook, with a strong directorial signature.
Sombre, kinetic, measured satire / dystopia, inventive in texture. Nihilistic, mid-stakes, cold.
- sombre
- brisk
- intense
- inventive
- bleak
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“You want a chilling 60s British satire on pop fame, media control, and mob power.”
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