Privilege
1967 Directed by Peter Watkins
Synopsis
The Raw, Shocking Movie Of A Pop Singer Who Makes It Big!
Steven Shorter is the ultimate British music star. His music is listened to by everyone from pre-teens to grandparents. He has no trace of public bad habits or drug involvement. Everyone in Britain loves him. His handlers begin to use his popularity for projects like increasing the consumption of apples after a bumper crop as an aid to farmers.
Popular reviews
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In Peter Watkins' blunt, blackly comic satire on the '60s music business, pop star, Steven Shorter (played by Manfred Mann singer, Paul Jones), is the still, quiet centre of a media maelstrom. Being Britain's biggest teen idol with, seemingly, the entire country in his thrall, Shorter's entire life is strictly controlled and exploited, not just by his loudly obnoxious management, but by the government, and even the Church. Everyone wants a piece - and he doesn't get a say in the matter.
Shorter-mania is used to sell apples as part of a government-initiated drive to shift an overabundence of the crop. His cool is exploited by the Church of England in a rebranding campaign. And when the coalition government (the… -
Brilliant 60's satire about a British pop star who enthralls the nation, but is in fact a government puppet used to distract the youth from thoughts of revolution. Mockumentary style, funny, scathing and looks great. Plus Paul Jones is really good as the blank but tormented Steven Shorter.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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What a great film! I guess nothing changes much, but this could easily have been made about today's media and celebrity driven world. I didn't know it was a Peter Watkins film until the end credits, but it felt a lot like one, especially with the bloke doing the voiceover.
Recent reviews
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searing satire that would be more than relevant today.
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Yes, it is scary how this film relates to the present.
Yes, it is satirical, prescient, black, wry, [enter word here].But I can't seem to get behind Watkins' films wholeheartedly, for some reason. In PRIVILIGE this becomes most apparent. I find it to be nothing but satirical, prescient, black, wry, [enter word here].. I find his films to keep me at an arms length, leaving me cold and for the most unaffected by the film itself. I am forced to think about the issues that are raised, but that is not because of his filmmaking, it is because of the presence of the issue. Of course, Watkins' portrayal deserves credit, and I'm not saying that the way he presents it doesn't matter. But there's just something missing for me, and it comes off as a bit pretentious and besserwisser-ish... It is still worth the watch, and perhaps you will get more out of it than I did emotionally.
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An interesting sci fi/musical/social commentary. A pop star is used to control the youth in England, first as a way to let their anger out and then to confirm them. Hugly inspired by the "Lonely Boy" documentary about Paul Anka.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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In Peter Watkins' blunt, blackly comic satire on the '60s music business, pop star, Steven Shorter (played by Manfred Mann singer, Paul Jones), is the still, quiet centre of a media maelstrom. Being Britain's biggest teen idol with, seemingly, the entire country in his thrall, Shorter's entire life is strictly controlled and exploited, not just by his loudly obnoxious management, but by the government, and even the Church. Everyone wants a piece - and he doesn't get a say in the matter.
Shorter-mania is used to sell apples as part of a government-initiated drive to shift an overabundence of the crop. His cool is exploited by the Church of England in a rebranding campaign. And when the coalition government (the… -
Subversive, direct, and with nothing held back director Peter Watkins, with Privilege, creates one of the most powerful films I have ever seen. I am not saying I love the content of his message, but how he does it is very powerful. Bold is almost to tame of a word. "Wreckless" might better explain his actuions. My favorite thing here is that this is an attack on media and culture and just how dangerous it all can become when the wrong people decide to use it's powers of persuasion. Watkins also attacks Government, the Church, the music industry and even the people who fall all over each other to worship pop stars. This film predicted much of the kind of…
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Tries to say interesting things about celebrity worship, Christianity, faith, crowd power, but drops the ball too often to offer anything very profound.
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A film of the story way ahead of its time. The idea of a popster that is so famous that everyone from companies to religions want to use him for their gain is a very interesting one. The character Stephen is well rounded. You start to really feel for him despite of the obvious privileges he has. He is really behind it all suffering. Sick of being a puppet and being used he tries to fight back. The director Watkins adopts a lot of the methods from his great short film The War Game. Shot in a documentary form at times and a lot of use of narration. The narration at times gets in the way a little. One particular…
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What a great film! I guess nothing changes much, but this could easily have been made about today's media and celebrity driven world. I didn't know it was a Peter Watkins film until the end credits, but it felt a lot like one, especially with the bloke doing the voiceover.