The Century of the Self
“A secret history of the 20th century.”
2002•1 Seasons•4 Episodes•8.5•Ended
DocumentaryWar & 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.
Creator
Adam Curtis
Network
BBC Two
Origin
GB
Cast
Adam Curtis
Narrator
Anne Bernays
Self
Martin Bergmann
Self
Robert Reich
Self
Edward L. Bernays
Self (archive footage)
Sigmund Freud
Self (archive footage)
Anna Freud
Self (archive footage)
Wilhelm Reich
Self (archive footage)
Tony Blair
Self (archive footage)
Margaret Thatcher
Self (archive footage)
Bill Clinton
Self (archive footage)
Ronald Reagan
Self (archive footage)
Episodes
Recommended
7.6
WWII in HD
2009
8.1
The War
2007
7.3
How to Become a Tyrant
2021
7.2
Hitler's Circle of Evil
2018
8.3
The World at War
1973
6.4
Eli Roth's History of Horror
2018
7.9
The Civil War
1990
7.7
Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States
2012
7.6
Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution
2005
7.7
Nazi Megastructures
2013
7.4
Marvel Studios Legends
2021
8
World War II: From the Frontlines
2023
7.6
World War II in Colour
2009
7.7
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
2014
7.7
American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden
2025
8
Greatest Events of World War II in Colour
2019
5.9
The American Revolution
2025
8
The Men Who Built America
2012
8.3
Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos
2024
7
Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God
2023
Similar Shows
8
The Winter War
1991
7.6
Louis Theroux's LA Stories
2014
4
The Lincoln Project
2022
8
Resistance
2014
6.4
11 Minutes
2022
7
Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes
2024
The Story of Documentary Film
0
6.3
Andersonville
1996
The Failed Experiment
2024
6.9
Tanner '88
1988
Ångest non stop
2021
7.2
The Devil Next Door
2019
7.1
Full Speed
2024
Terenci: La fabulación infinita
2023
7.3
The Honourable Woman
2014
7.5
The World Wars
2014
6.4
Paparazzi King
2026
7.3
Ice Age Giants
2013
7.5
The Crimson Field
2014
8.6
Planet Earth
2006