The Living Dead

The Living Dead

Three Films About the Power of the Past

Limited Series 1995 · 3 eps · ★ 7.1 · Documentary

Ended

This series investigated the way that history and memory have been used by politicians and others.

Created by Adam Curtis

Network: BBC Two

Your Rating

Cast

More from Adam CurtisSee all →

MK UltraMK Ultra · 2020
MK Ultra
★ 10.02020
MovieMusicDocumentary
The Rosie Kay Dance Company present a piece about the strange history and pop-cultural aftermath of CIA mind control experiments during the Cold War, with documentary segments by Adam Curtis.
Modern TimesModern Times · 1995
Modern Times
★ 9.01995
SeriesDocumentary
Documentaries showing faces and places that make up the way we live today.
Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZoneRussia 1985-1999: TraumaZone · 2022
Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone
★ 8.62022
SeriesDocumentaryWar & Politics
What it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy. A series of films by Adam Curtis.
The Century of the SelfThe Century of the Self · 2002
The Century of the Self
★ 8.42002
SeriesDocumentaryWar & Politics
The legacy of famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud informs the lives of people throughout the world even to this day, though it's a phenomenon to which most are unaware. The film is an exhaustive examination of his theories on human desire, and how they're applied to platforms such as advertising, consumerism and politics.
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving GraceAll Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace · 2011
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace
★ 8.32011
SeriesDocumentaryWar & Politics
We have been colonised by the machines we have built. Although we don't realise it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computers.
The Power of NightmaresThe Power of Nightmares · 2004
The Power of Nightmares
★ 8.12004
SeriesDocumentary
Examines how politicians have used our fears to increase their power and control over society.
Living in an Unreal WorldLiving in an Unreal World · 2016
Living in an Unreal World
★ 8.02016
MovieDocumentary
Short film for Vice Media about the illusion of stability, freedom, and prosperity in the West, comparing it to life in the Soviet Union during the 1970s. Ends with a trailer for HyperNormalisation.
The Rise of “Oh Dear”-ismThe Rise of “Oh Dear”-ism · 2009
The Rise of “Oh Dear”-ism
★ 8.02009
MovieDocumentary
Short film about how mainstream media simplify complex events and present them as "scattered terrible things happening everywhere, Oh Dear", leaving the public feeling powerless to do anything about them. Screened in the third episode of the first series of Charlie Brooker's Newswipe.
The Trap: What Happened to Our Dream of FreedomThe Trap: What Happened to Our Dream of Freedom · 2007
The Trap: What Happened to Our Dream of Freedom
★ 8.02007
SeriesDocumentary
Individual freedom is the dream of our age. It's what our leaders promise to give us, it defines how we think of ourselves and, repeatedly, we have gone to war to impose freedom around the world. But if you step back and look at what freedom actually means for us today, it's a strange and limited kind of freedom.
Can't Get You Out of My HeadCan't Get You Out of My Head · 2021
Can't Get You Out of My Head
★ 7.82021
SeriesDocumentaryWar & Politics
In six films, Adam Curtis traces the different forces across the world that have led to now. It covers a wide range—including the strange roots of modern conspiracy theories, the history of China, opium and opioids, the history of Artificial Intelligence, melancholy over the loss of empire and, love and power. And explores whether modern culture, despite its radicalism, is really just part of the new system of power.
£830,000,000 - Nick Leeson and the Fall of the House of Barings£830,000,000 - Nick Leeson and the Fall of the House of Barings · 1996
£830,000,000 - Nick Leeson and the Fall of the House of Barings
★ 7.71996
MovieDocumentary
25 Million Pounds details the collapse of Barings Bank in the mid 1990s primarily by a broker called Nick Leeson, who lost £827 million ($1.3 billion) by speculating on futures contracts. The film contextualises the downfall as the history of Barings Bank was one of the oldest and most prestigious merchant banks in Britain, run by the same family for decades with extensive ties to Britain's elites. But in the late 19th century Barings almost went bankrupt after investing heavily in South American bonds, including backing the construction of a sewer system in Buenos Aires. The bank was saved by The Bank of England, but Edward Baring, the head of the bank, was financially ruined and never recovered.
Newswipe with Charlie BrookerNewswipe with Charlie Brooker · 2009
Newswipe with Charlie Brooker
★ 7.72009
SeriesNewsDocumentary
Newswipe with Charlie Brooker was a British news review programme broadcast on BBC Four written and presented by Charlie Brooker. It is similar to Brooker's Screenwipe series which is also shown on BBC Four. A first series of six episodes ran between 25 March 2009 and 29 April 2009. A second series began on 19 January 2010 and concluded on 23 February 2010.
Bitter LakeBitter Lake · 2015
Bitter Lake
★ 7.62015
MovieDocumentary
An experimental documentary that explores Saudi Arabia's relationship with the U.S. and the role this has played in the war in Afghanistan.
HyperNormalisationHyperNormalisation · 2016
HyperNormalisation
★ 7.52016
MovieDocumentary
We live in a world where the powerful deceive us. We know they lie. They know we know they lie. They do not care. We say we care, but we do nothing, and nothing ever changes. It is normal. Welcome to the post-truth world. How we got to where we are now…
Pandora's BoxPandora's Box · 1992
Pandora's Box
★ 7.41992
SeriesDocumentary
Pandora's Box is a six-part 1992 BBC documentary television series which examines the consequences of political and technocratic rationalism. The episodes deal, in order, with communism in The Soviet Union, systems analysis and game theory during the Cold War, economy in the United Kingdom during the 1970s, the insecticide DDT, Kwame Nkrumah's leadership in Ghana during the 1950s and 1960s and the history of nuclear power.
ShiftyShifty · 2025
Shifty
★ 7.32025
SeriesDocumentary
When power begins to shift in society, everything becomes unstable, exciting and frightening. Living in Britain at the end of the 20th century.

More Like This

Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold WarTurning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War · 2024
Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War
★ 8.02024
SeriesDocumentary
With firsthand accounts and access to prominent figures around the world, this comprehensive docuseries explores the Cold War and its aftermath.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TVQuiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV · 2024
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
★ 7.72024
SeriesDocumentaryCrime
Discover the untold story of the toxic and abusive environment inside '90s kids' TV. Hear harrowing accounts from former child stars and crew who probe the balance of power in the industry and reveal an era that inflicted lasting wounds still felt today.
Secret World of SoundSecret World of Sound · 2024
Secret World of Sound
★ 8.12024
SeriesDocumentary
Anthony Morgan explores the extraordinary ways that animals hear and produce sound, and the crucial role sound plays in the lives of animals around the globe - from birth to surviving adulthood and finding a mate.
The Trials of Gabriel FernandezThe Trials of Gabriel Fernandez · 2020
The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez
★ 7.42020
SeriesDocumentaryCrime
A boy’s brutal murder and the public trials of his guardians and social workers prompt questions about the system’s protection of vulnerable children.
Surviving Black Hawk DownSurviving Black Hawk Down · 2025
Surviving Black Hawk Down
★ 7.42025
SeriesDocumentaryWar & Politics
In extraordinary detail, US soldiers and Somali fighters recall the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu and the now-famous downing of three Black Hawk helicopters.
Unabomber: In His Own WordsUnabomber: In His Own Words · 2020
Unabomber: In His Own Words
★ 7.22020
SeriesDocumentaryCrime
Anchored by a rare interview, this docuseries details Ted Kaczynski's path from a young intellectual to one of the most feared people in US history.

How is it so far?

Your ratings make Midnight smarter