Conspiracy theories are currently more popular than ever, often based on a world view, as we can see in Peter Weir's cult film "The Truman Show": It is assumed that everything is controlled by one person - currently, various conspiracy theorists have settled on Bill Gates. They give him a role similar to that of the "Truman Show" director and creator Christof, who has the show, in which Truman (Jim Carrey) is unwittingly the protagonist, completely under his control. But what else does the dystopia have to say to us today? Is it merely a media critique of reality TV? As much as we sympathise with Truman, we should realise that we, who are constantly filming ourselves voluntarily, have little to do with him.

More on this from Wolfgang M. Schmitt in the video!

Paul Thomas Anderson has asserted in various interviews that his great film "There Will Be Blood" is not a story about capitalism, but is instead about archaic forces, about man against man. The film is also not to be understood politically. Of course, if you watch the film, this is all nonsense. Either the director has not understood his film or he is using this misdirection to weaken the film's criticism of capitalism after the fact. "There Will Be Blood" not only harks back to the era of Classical Hollywood, but also films the 24th chapter of Marx's "Capital", in which the emergence of capitalism is explained. The "original accumulation" was by no means as idyllic as bourgeois economists thought; instead, blood, fire and violence ensured that the economic system could develop. At the same time, however, this also ensured the relative freedom of individuals. The film by Paul Thomas Anderson is also about such individualisation processes - because it is first and foremost a work about two entrepreneurs: an oil baron and a preacher. With his leading actors Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano, Anderson also creates great acting cinema. Find out more from Wolfgang M. Schmitt in the video.

Alfred Hitchcock's film "Vertigo" is not just a masterpiece, it is the best film of all time. With a magnificent cast including Kim Novak and James Stewart, this thriller set in San Francisco is far more than just a suspenseful, mysterious crime film. It is also a complex work about the structure of our desires, about film as such and about seeing and watching as well as our own blindness. Find out more from Wolfgang M. Schmitt in the video!