A WORLD OF IDEAS AN IDEA OF THE WORLD 20 FILMS AND DVDS ON AND PHILOSOPHY THE HISTORY OF IDEAS PHILOSOPHERS: Debates and Dialogues Four-disc set A Series by Fons Elders

DISC ONE Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault

In 1971, a Dutch initiative called the International Philosophers Project brought together the leading thinkers of the day for a series of one-on-one debates.

This four-disc set collects all four transformation seemed imminent— remarkable conversations, along and philosophical questions with introductions and commentary underpinned discussions about what by Dutch philosopher and writer form the new society would take. Fons Elders. Though many of the questions under discussion are timeless, this social and Each of these conversations captures political context gives them a partic- the intellectual and social ferment ular sense of urgency. of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when dramatic social and economic Philosophers: Debates and Dialogues “Recommended!” A 4-part series by Fons Elders — Educational Media Reviews Online

DISC ONE (80 minutes) DISC TWO (74 minutes) DISC THREE (80 minutes) DISC FOUR (77 minutes) Noam Chomsky and Alfred Ayer and Arne Naess Karl Popper and John Eccles Leszek Kolakowski and Michel Foucault The second debate is a lively conversa- Philosopher of science Karl Popper and his Henri Lefebvre Part one of PHILOSOPHERS: DEBATES tion between British analytic philosopher close friend, Nobel-prize-winning neuro- There is talk of revolution in the conversa- AND DIALOGUES is the legendary 1971 Alfred Ayer and Norwegian philosopher scientist John Eccles, discuss Popper’s tion between Polish philosopher Leszek debate between two very different heroes Arne Naess, the father of the deep ecology famous criterion of falsifiability: the idea Kolakowski and Marxist sociologist and of the intellectual Left: linguist and activist movement. that a statement is only scientific if it could French philosopher Henri Lefebvre— Noam Chomsky, and cultural theorist and possibility be proved false, which he had perhaps the most overtly political of the It begins with both men’s thoughts about historian of ideas Michel Foucault. articulated against the traditional positivist debates in this collection. skepticism. They agree that a skeptical view of the scientific method. Brought together to discuss their divergent approach is useful, but differ on its limita- Both men are former Communist Party views on the concept of human nature, tions. A skeptical approach, Ayer says, They also discuss the question of truth members (though they disagree on these two heavyweights trace arguments should be tempered with common sense or and facts. Popper believes in absolute whether Lefèbvre left or was kicked out) that resonant well into 21st century politics “natural belief.” truth, but that we have no ultimate means and they examine the role of and and thought. At the time, both thinkers of attaining it. Nevertheless, he believes Marx’s concept of alienation in creating Naess puts forward an approach he refers were not only heroes within academia, that humans should strive to get closer to a new consciousness and reorganizing to as “total view.” It is a philosophy that but within the burgeoning counterculture this ideal. Eccles agrees, saying that all of society. A fascinating conversation on embraces interconnectedness, and which as well, making this meeting one of the our experience is mediated by our senses, automation and its implications ensues— sees the wellbeing of all as contingent on most important intellectual events of the meaning that we can never break free from one in which Lefebvre is quite prescient on that of each individual. early 1970s. our own perspectives. At the same time, the notion of the increasing urbanization of The conversation moves to a discussion of Eccles argues against pure reductionism the globe, and the rise of a society in which Both thinkers agree on a view that the utility of the concepts of fact and truth. and materialism. total surveillance through computers is a the history of science does not simply Naess says that a dismissal of fact runs very real possibility. consist in adding new knowledge to The conversation briefly turns to politics counter to the British empiricist tradition, previous knowledge, but in examining and society, with Popper calling for an while Ayer believes they are essential in problems from different perspectives evolutionary, rather than revolutionary order to distinguish truth from falsehood. and creating new frames of reference, but approach, and expanding on his famous their disagreement on human nature has Shot in an intimate setting, this debate conception of the “open society.” Total running time (4 DVDs): 311 min | continued to define—implicitly and explic- highlights the two philosophers’ radically Color | 1971 (Introductions added in 2012) itly—central tensions within the Left and divergent approaches, Ayer reiterating his Sale/DVD (chaptered): $498 within contemporary philosophy. commitment to logical positivism, and Naess articulating many of the concerns that would drive the deep ecology movement.

2 ICARUS FILMS SEE PAGE 15 FOR ORDERING INFORMATION 3 Lotman’s World A film by Jason Barker A film by Agne Nelk

“A great introduction to Marx for a new “A densely structured, informative, and Blending archival footage and imaginative anima- MARX RELOADED examines the generation. Highly recommended.” often entertaining piece of popular tion, LOTMAN’S WORLD introduces us to the life relevance of ’s ideas in under- — science with a potential to impress and work of Yuri Lotman (1922-1993), a pioneer standing the global economic and financial crisis, both specialists and novices. ” semiotician and cultural critic whose many with commentary by leading leftist thinkers, “I can’t recommend this film highly —Maxim Waldstein, Slavic Review writings in semiotics and structuralism dealt with including Slavoj Zizek, Jacques Rancière, and enough for college professors who , as well as skeptics from the right. Best Documentary Director, a wide range of artistic, theoretical and histor- are fortunate enough to be able ical issues, and laid the groundwork for future to introduce Marxist ideas into 2008 Minsk International Today a new generation of philosophers, artists theorists of signs, including Roland Barthes. a sociology, political science, or Film Festival Listapad and political activists are returning to Marx’s history classroom.”—Louis Proyect, Best Jewish Culture Film, ideas in order to try to make sense of the crisis and Lotman’s colleagues and semioticians such as Counterpunch 2008 Jewish Motifs International Umberto Eco and Peter Torop, discuss the cultural to consider whether a world beyond capitalism Film Festival study of signs, signifiers and meanings, languages is possible. Is the severity of the ongoing reces- 52 min | color | 2011 | Sale/DVD (chaptered): $390 57 min | color | 2008 as both textual and visual structures, and Lotman’s sion a sign that the capitalist system’s days are Sale/DVD (chaptered): $390 now $348 talents as a lecturer and his brilliance as a thinker numbered? Could it be that communism might and writer. provide the solution to the growing economic and environmental challenges facing the planet? In archival interviews, Lotman himself discusses the broader context of semiotics. Interviews Other commentators include: Norbert Bolz, Micha with family members round out this portrait of Brumlik, , , , Lotman’s life as an intellectual under Stalin and a , and . Russian émigré in Estonia. Together they ask if the current crisis is a bug or a LOTMAN’S WORLD gives detail to the life of an feature of contemporary capitalism, and whether influential but under-recognized thinker. or not the solution entails an approach more radical than liberal reform. 4 IcarusFilms.com CALL TOLL FREE: 800 876 1710 5 Futures Market The Forgotten Space A film by Mercedes Álvarez A film by Allan Sekula & Noël Burch

“Devilishly funny.” A film essay in tableaux, FUTURES The “forgotten space” of Allan Sekula and “Engrossing and provocative!” —Louis Proyect, Counterpunch MARKET traces the connections between Noël Burch’s essay film is the sea, the —A.O. Scott, The New York Times “A compelling meditation on dreams memory, public space, real estate bubbles, and the oceans through which 90% of the world’s cargo “Too political for mainstream taste, that doubles as an expose of how international financial crisis. now passes. At the heart of this space is the obligatory for everyone else.” cheap those dreams have become, container box, which, since its invention in the —Jonathan Rosenbaum, FUTURES MARKETS takes us inside the “Futures Market” is a wise and fulfilling 1950s, has become one of the most important Film Comment fluorescent-lit showrooms of real estate expos, film.” —Variety mechanisms for the global spread of capitalism. where developers hawk shares in hotel and condo Premiere, 2010 Venice Jury Special Mention, projects in places from Dubai to Miami. Outside, The film follows the container box along the inter- International Film Festival 2011 Buenos Aires Festival of cars crawl forward on endless stretches of anony- national supply chain, from ships to barges, trains, 2010 Doclisboa Independent Cinema (BAFICI) mous highway whose “straight lines point in the and trucks, mapping the byzantine networks that (Portugal) 2011 Visions du Réel direction of promises.” This is Spain, but it could connect producers to consumers (and more and 2010 International Documentary (Nyon, Switzerland) be almost anywhere in the world. more frequently, producing nations to consuming Film Festival Amsterdam ones). Visiting the major ports of Rotterdam, Los 2012 International Beginning with Greek lyric poet Simonides of 112 min | color | 2010 Film Festival Rotterdam Angeles, Hong Kong, Guangdong province, and Ceos’ invention of the ‘memory palace’—in which Sale/DVD (chaptered): $398 many places between, it connects the economic 110 min | color | 2011 memories are arranged in an imagined physical Sale/DVD (chaptered): $398 puzzle pieces that corporations and governments space—the film suggests that the recent flurry of would prefer remain scattered. credit-fueled property development has depleted not only national treasuries, but the distinctive Employing a wide range of materials and styles, characters of these nation’s cities—and therefore, from interviews to classic film clips, essay- their cultural memory as well. istic voiceover to observational footage, THE FORGOTTEN SPACE provides a panoramic A modest alternative is offered with the introduc- portrait of the new global economy and a compel- tion of Jesus Castro, a 92-year-old junk dealer more ling argument about why it must change. interested in collecting than selling. His stubborn refusal to bow to the marketplace’s demand to forget makes him the hero of this film, which illus- trates how little most of us choose to remember. 6 ICARUS FILMS SEE PAGE 15 FOR ORDERING INFORMATION 7 Black Sun Simone de Beauvoir: Two Interviews A film by Rüdiger Sünner Two interviews, recorded 16 years apart, “Recommended... gives life and “An intelligent, intensely focused study For more than sixty years, historians, political illuminate the historic role, personality and new meaning to her philosophy, tracing the roots of Nazi ideology scientists, psychologists and others have attempted thoughts of the novelist, philosopher and political which most students will have only in German legend, religion, and to explain the murderous ideology of National activist who paved the way for Second-Wave Feminism. encountered on the page. With a mythology.”—David Sterritt, Cineaste Socialism—in particular the theories of its founders newly unabridged translation of The “Premier Plan” Program (40 min.): In this inter- Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler and Alfred Second Sex released in 2009, this “Instructors of sociology of religion view filmed for Radio-Canada in 1959, Beauvoir Rosenberg—and their dreams of a “Thousand-Year accessible DVD remains relevant and may appreciate the union of mysticism, explains her philosophy, her political commitment, Reich” of Aryan world domination. will complement discussions of de the occult, and political ideology. and her theories on atheism and free love. Beauvoir’s significant works.” Instructors of social movements BLACK SUN sheds new light on the sources of Why I am a Feminist (50 min.): In this in-depth inter- —Educational Media Reviews Online and political sociology may find Nazi ideology by examining its roots in the world view filmed in 1975 with famed French journalist compelling the development of the of myths, symbols and fantasies. It traces this 90 min | color | 2008 Servan-Schreiber about her book The Second Sex, Sale/DVD (chaptered): $298 National Socialist ideology and a from the writings of various mystics in the early Beauvoir speaks with clarity and conviction about novel explanation for the rise of one 20th century, which located the original home of feminism and its future. of recent history’s most fascinating the Germanic peoples in sunken continents such and troubling regimes. Instructors as “Thule” and “Atlantis,” and propagated the of race and ethnicity can use the film mythology of a superior Nordic race whose heroes Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir to teach about scientific racism, the fought the forces of decadence and racial impurity. A film by Max Cacopardo social constrictions of race, and how Interview by Madeleine Gobeil and Claude Lanzmann racial policy and programs develop.” The film uses interviews, rare archival footage —Teaching Sociology and contemporary scenes shot in historic locales In this rare documentary, Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) throughout Germany to chronicle how the Nazis and Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), two of the most 90 min | color | 2009 used these mythological foundations to develop influential and controversial writers and thinkers Sale/DVD (chaptered): $398 Nazism as a political religion. It profiles some of the of the 20th century, discuss their work, their lives, more eccentric members of the SS, plus cofounders and the role of public intellectuals in modern of the Ancestral Heritage Society—Wolfram Sievers society. They were interviewed for this 1967 French and Herman Wirth—who conducted anthropo- Canadian TV program by Canadian journalist logical and archaeological research to confirm their Madeleine Gobeil and Les Temps Modernes editor theories of a “master race.” Claude Lanzmann (who later produced Shoah, the epic documentary on the Holocaust). While BLACK SUN documents the nationalist 60 min | b&w | 1967 Sale/DVD (chaptered): $390 now $348 mystical beliefs that infused National Socialism, “A very moving insight into the lives of two personalities the film also reveals the disturbing perpetuation who have certainly captivated the imagination of the of these beliefs among certain cult groups in public.”—Yolanda Patterson, Ph.D., President, Germany today. Simone de Beauvoir Society 8 IcarusFilms.com CALL TOLL FREE: 800 876 1710 9 Mille Gilles Antonio Negri A film by Ijsbrand van Veelen A film by Alexandra Weltz & Andreas Pichler

Gilles Deleuze, whose theories in the inter- Profiles the controversial life and times of univer- connected areas of art, literature, philosophy and sity professor, philosopher, militant, prisoner, psychoanalysis reverberated far beyond academia, refugee, and so-called ‘enemy of the state’, Antonio was one of the foremost philosophers of the Negri. It traces Negri’s roots in the history of 20th Century. radical left-wing movements in Italy during the Sixties and Seventies, illustrated through archival MILLE GILLES explores some of the main areas of footage of workers’ strikes, factory occupations, Deleuze’s post-structural, anti-hierarchical writings. terrorist actions, violent street confrontations, polit- But going beyond that specific discussion, and ical repression, and government trials of dissidents. maybe more significantly, the film also examines how Deleuze and his ideas inspire people around Against the backdrop of scenes of recent anti- “Patricia Pisters’ exposition which runs the world, in many different disciplines and fields globalization protests, Negri discusses the dangers “Assembled with great skill and throughout the film is, as one would of endeavor. of the economic, cultural and legal transformations obvious passion. Crackles with expect from her authority, informed, being wrought by the forces of globalization as unexpected twists and is braced by clear and intellectually generous.” well as the opportunities to resist these changes. lucid excurses on Negri’s political —Leonardo Digital Reviews theories... Great!” —Cineaste

44 min | color | 1997 52 min | color | 2004 Sale/DVD: $348 Sale/DVD: $390 now $348 Facebook’s “Adorno Changed My Life” Derrida’s Elsewhere A film by Georg Boch A film by Safaa Fathy

“Embeds the philosophical discourse “Many of the leading scholars and in the productive modes of the subject translators of Derrida’s work were being analyzed, namely it uses the collaborators on the film, and it shows. methods of digital space to critique the With translations that are excellent and ideology of digital space...an excellent complete, this film would be well used example of succinct documentary in a classroom to introduce the French storytelling.” philosopher to students.” —Anthropology Review Database —French Review 28 min | color | 2010 “Enthralling!”—Leonardo Sale/DVD (chaptered): $248 68 min | color | 2000 Theodor Adorno was an influential member of the An exploration of the man and his ideas, Sale/DVD: $298 Frankfurt School of social theory—a German-born DERRIDA’S ELSEWHERE investigates the paral- intellectual who fled Nazi Germany for America, lels between the personal life and the life work of Also available in a 52-minute version. and whose work anticipates and informs much arguably the most important philosopher of the post-modern theory. In this revolutionary “partici- 20th Century, Jacques Derrida. patory documentary,” digital filmmaker Georg The film is woven around readings from Derrida’s Boch, one of more than 200 people that belong to a book Circumfession, evoking a number of seemingly Facebook group called “Adorno Changed My Life,” disparate themes including hospitality, religion, sets out to learn how Adorno’s work has touched sexuality and the place of the subject in philos- the group’s lives ophy. We follow Derrida around his home, office, in the classroom and on his travels as he speaks of the suffering, the challenges and the questions that have conditioned his thought since his childhood in Algeria. 10 ICARUS FILMS SEE PAGE 15 FOR ORDERING INFORMATION 11 : Philosophical Encounters of the Third Kind A film by Paule Zadjermann

JUDITH BUTLER: PHILOSOPHICAL ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND is an up-close and personal encounter with one of the world’s most important and influential contemporary thinkers in fields such as conti- nental philosophy, literary theory, feminist and queer theory, and cultural politics. The film features interviews with Butler— including reminiscences of her formative childhood years, illustrated by family home movies, as a “problem child”—shows her in “Illuminating...has much to say about classroom sessions in Berkeley and Paris, at feminist theory, identity, gay rights, public speaking engagements, and in discussion AIDS activism, homosexuality, and with Gender Studies professor Isabell Lorey. Israel.”—Booklist

52 min | color | 2006 Sale/DVD (chaptered): $390

Sociology is a Martial Art Islam Unknown A film by Pierre Carles An 8-part series by Fons Elders

“The finest documentary a social ISLAM UNKNOWN is a collection of eight HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. “[Elders’s] scientist could ever dream of... a vital conversations with unconventional Muslim intel- approach with each subject is genuine, documentary that should be part of lectuals, including Reza Aslan and Asma Barlas. reverent, and introspective...It is every college or university library. In each episode, eclectic Dutch philosopher Fons certain that anyone fortunate enough It will be easily comprehensible to Elders engages the thinkers in probing discus- to view this film will benefit from its undergraduate students, and quite sion on topics including gender, economics, sharia, broad insights, opinions, and shared useful in various courses in social secularism, colonialism, and the nature of religious knowledge.” sciences.” authority. What emerges is a nuanced and illumi- —Library Journal —International Sociology nating series of contemporary perspectives on one 8 x 26 min | color | 2010 of the world’s great religions. Sale/DVD (chaptered): $398 146 min | color | 2001 Pierre’s Bourdieu’s forty books and count- Sale/DVD: $398 The discussions take place in a relaxed and less articles represent probably the most informal atmosphere Elders’ other interlocutors brilliant and fruitful renovation and application include Nasr Hamed Abu-Zayd, Adbullahi Amhed of social science in our era. An-Na’im, Amna Nusayr, Anouar Majid, Ömer SOCIOLOGY IS A MARTIAL ART, a documen- Özsoy, and Mehmet Asutay. tary about Bourdieu’s life, became an unexpected Elders’ hope is that the conversations will hit in France just prior to his death. Filmed contribute to a new understanding of the diver- over three years, director Pierre Carles’ camera sity of Islam, and to a decrease in Islamophobia follows Bourdieu as he lectures, attends political among Americans and Europeans—a much- rallies, travels, meets with his students, staff, and needed corrective to popular Western perceptions research team in Paris, and includes Bourdieu of Muslims having a conversation with Günter Grass. 12 IcarusFilms.com CALL TOLL FREE: 800 876 1710 13 More Films & DVDs… Docuseek2

Jacques Lacan Speaks The Moving Earth Docuseek2 is the internet site where colleges, universities, and A film by Françoise Wolff A film by Lars Becker-Larsen other educational institutions can discover, access, license, stream and share amongst their students, faculty and staff, the best documentary and social issues films and videos available. Docuseek2 Docuseek2 provides exclusive educational streaming access to content from Bullfrog Films, Icarus Films, Kartemquin Films, and Terra Nova Films. Registered users may preview and license content online. A rare filmed documentary record of a Chronicles the scientific revolution 1971 university speaking appearance throughout Renaissance Europe, and its challenge to Church authority, “Offers the opportunity to see Lacan in action.” —The Journal of Lacanian Studies “A splendid chronicle of the scientific shift

60 min | b&w | 1971 brought about through studies of planetary Sale/DVD: $348 motion during the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century.” —Leonardo Reviews

52 min | color | 2008 Killing Time Sale/DVD (chaptered): $390 now $348 A film by Ijsbrand van Veelen A provocative documentary Optimum that explores the A film by Henry Colomer nature of time; with Theoretical Physicist Julian Barbour, author of The End of Time.

“Fascinating and provocative!” —Educational Media Reviews Online 30 min | color | 2000 Ordering Information Sale/DVD: $248 Please refer to Order Numbers on all Orders. An exploration into the legacies of three Sales: 19th century visionaries—Jeremy Benthem, DVDs are “leased for the life of the Marx for Beginners DVD.” A film by Bob Godfrey Charles Babbage, and Francis Galton—who Previews: A hilarious 7 minute animated intro- helped shape modern industrial society DVDs may be previewed for purchase consideration by established duction to Karl Marx’s “An absorbing and thought provoking film and video libraries. worldview. recommended for very large high school collec- Ordering: Submit all orders by purchase Blue Ribbon tions, or college and university collections.” Winner, 1983 —Educational Media Reviews Online order, on official institutional letterhead, or pay in advance of shipping. American 55 min | color | 2000 Film Festival Sale/DVD: $348 6 min | color | 1978 Sale/DVD: $145 32 Court Street, 21st Floor Tel: (718) 488-8900 | (800) 876-1710 Brooklyn, NY 11201 Fax: (718) 488-8642 Email: [email protected] Web: www.IcarusFilms.com

14 IcarusFilms.com 15

THE OF HISTORY HISTORY PHILOSOPHY IDEAS AND

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Ripon Printers 32 Court Street, 21st Floor Brooklyn, NY 11201 (800) 876-1710 www.IcarusFilms.com

Twenty DVDs Six New Releases