Civilization Noir
Folklore Confronting the Failures of the Enlightenment & Industrial Revolution
This was a project Kortina and I worked on together as a part of our yearly seminar for MIT's IAP. It's a fun time for us, hosting these, and we've had a lot of good conversations within them centered somewhere around computation, AI, work, dignity, and sociology. This year's was particularly fun for us since we're both into film, and had wanted to try to make a film essay related to things we've been thinking about.
About
The accelerating pace of technological change and global connectivity has enabled a great deal of progress, but has required increasingly complex systems for organizing modern civilization.
Neither technology itself nor the twentieth century institutions of media, finance, and government seem to offer much hope for making sense of the inscrutable structures that dictate much of our lives, so we’re left searching for a modern folklore that can provide some form of understanding and meaning.
Perhaps noir can offer us some clues as we face these dilemmas of modernity.
Credits
civilization noir
CONFRONTING
THE FAILURES OF THE
ENLIGHTENMENT & INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
written & edited by
ROBERT CHEUNG & ANDREW KORTINA
part i.
LA JETEE (1962)
THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
ALPHAVILLE (1965)
VIVRE SA VIE (1962)
HER (2013)
THE GREAT BEAUTY (2013)
INHERENT VICE (2014)
part ii.
THE BIG SLEEP (1946)
BLOW OUT (1981)
TOUCH OF EVIL (1958)
REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR COMMUTE youtu.be/XB2g7-HgE_g
WARTIME NUTRITION (1943) youtu.be/yQ8Wq7VNHHg
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)
WOMAN IN THE DUNES (1946)
COULD INDOOR FARMING HELP ADDRESS FOOD
SHORTAGES? youtu.be/7J9f59usLfI
TRIPLE E CONTAINER SHIP MADISON MAERSK FULLY LOADED INBOUND
INTO FELIXSTOWE, UK (JUNE 26, 2015) youtu.be/BfMJqjoOIug
EXTREMME [SIC] ENGINEERING: SHANGHAI
TOWER - DOCUMENTARY [HD] youtu.be/vMkHvLnhJxc
CRISPR IN CONTEXT: THE NEW WORLD OF HUMAN
GENETIC ENGINEERING youtu.be/RNRZchHaKgw
POWER OF THE MARKET - THE PENCIL youtu.be/R5Gppi-O3a8
OVERLORD (1975)
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (2008)
ABRAHAM'S SACRIFICE - HOLY TALES BIBLE STORIES -
ABRAHAM AND THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC youtu.be/uof6QNKfooA
BLACK FRIDAY STAMPEDE youtu.be/aeSgBL7gpAk
part iii.
THE MATRIX (1999)
THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007)
PRESIDENT REAGAN'S ADDRESS TO THE NATION ON IRAN-CONTRA AFFAIR
FROM THE OVAL OFFICE, AUGUST 12, 1987 youtu.be/DJ_7ZhpLS80
CITIZEN KANE (1941)
PORCO ROSSO (1992)
THE GREAT BEAUTY (2013)
ALPHAVILLE (1965)
VIVRE SA VIE (1962)
GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995)
CITIZEN KANE (1941)
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984)
25% OFF BLACK FRIDAY (FOR THE HOUSE) |
BED BATH & BEYOND youtu.be/61MyaCwjarM
14 BIG PLANE LANDINGS - AIRBUS A380,
BOEING 767, B787 (4K) youtu.be/dt8KuKe1bfk
PRESIDENT TRUMP: RUSSIA REPORTS ARE 'FAKE NEWS' youtu.be/J-Q_KjyShxU
SEATTLE 3 YEAR TIME-LAPSE VIDEO FROM THE
SPACE NEEDLE youtu.be/-2MTiUGvqyE
EXCLUSIVE: PAYING CASH, LIVING WITHOUT FEAR,
EDWARD SNOWDEN ON DAILY LIFE IN RUSSIAN EXILE youtu.be/IrJtaWsNffY
THE NIGHTMARE VIDEOS OF CHILDRENS' YOUTUBE — AND WHAT'S WRONG
WITH THE INTERNET TODAY | JAMES BRIDLE youtu.be/v9EKV2nSU8w
STYLEGAN2 INTERPOLATION LOOP youtu.be/6E1_dgYlifc
GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995)
TAXI DRIVER (1976)
part iv.
THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
PI (1998)
LA JETEE (1962)
CHINATOWN (1974)
JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 COMMERCE QUAY, 1080 BRUSSELS (1976)
FIGHT CLUB (1999)
BLADE RUNNER (1982)
ALPHAVILLE (1965)
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)
INHERENT VICE (2014)
TOUCH OF EVIL (1958)
ACE IN THE HOLE (1951)
PRESIDENT REAGAN'S ADDRESS TO THE NATION REGARDING THE TOWER
COMMISSION REPORT, MARCH 4, 1987 youtu.be/j2Ic4_EaC0s
part v.
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
FARGO (1996)
PERFECT BLUE (1997)
AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000)
ACE IN THE HOLE (1951)
NIGHTCRAWLER (2014)
part vi.
AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000)
TAXI DRIVER (1976)
JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 COMMERCE QUAY, 1080 BRUSSELS (1976)
ACE IN THE HOLE (1951)
NIGHTCRAWLER (2014)
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS: CLINTON AND
TRUMP TRADE BLOWS – VIDEO youtu.be/DBhrSdjePkk
AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000)
FIGHT CLUB (1999)
BLADE RUNNER (1982)
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (2008)
INHERENT VICE (2014)
FITZCARRALDO (1982)
THE GREAT BEAUTY (2013)
PI (1998)
music
MOSTLY FROM THE ABOVE FILMS
also
KENJI KAWAI - MAKING OF CYBORG, FROM GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995)
and
ALGORITHMICALLY GENERATED TRACKS FROM https://github.com/kousun12/eternal
Copyright © 2020 Robert Cheung & Andrew Kortina.