‘Orwell’ puts 2004 in shadow of ‘1984’

The latest in the current frenzy of political documentaries aiming to affect the presidential election, Robert Kane Pappas’ chilling “Orwell Rolls in His Grave” draws parallels between George Orwell’s classic novel of Big Brother totalitarianism, “1984,” and the current relationship between media and government in the United States.

The media, according to Pappas, have evolved from the point where journalism was once a crucial component of democracy to its present state, which former ABC and CNN producer Danny Schechter refers to as a “mediacracy.”

Critics such as NYU professor Mark Crispin Miller and Robert McChesney of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign point to the power of conglomerates as they buy up smaller companies and effectively become their own lobby, wielding influence that other industries can only dream about. The myth of “deregulation” and its false promise of competition is explored as corporations such as Time Warner and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. benefit when laws governing ownership are relaxed and laws are passed protecting their interests.

Pappas uses news events ranging from the 1980 Iran hostage crisis and the underplayed “October Surprise” to the controversial 2000 presidential election and the war with Iraq to examine the breadth (or lack) of coverage by mainstream news outlets. Coherent connections are drawn between the rise of corporate news and suspect coverage of legitimate events as well as a debunking of the idea of a liberal bias.

Schechter and other journalists with experience in the mainstream, such as Charles Lewis, Mark Lloyd and Jeff Cohen, bemoan the editorial selection of stories and chide the broadcast networks for not being more self-critical. Commercial considerations such as ratings and pressure from above increasingly hold sway over which stories get covered and how much exposure they are given.

While Pappas’ main objective is to challenge the media, his largely partisan film also targets Republican administrations, past and present, for their varied assaults on civil liberties and masterful use of language to spin their policies with their own brand of “doublespeak.”

Pappas, who also wrote and edited, is surprisingly adept at keeping the film moving, shrewdly including excerpts from a particularly animated speaking engagement by Michael Moore to break up the parade of straight interviews. “Orwell Rolls in His Grave” is enlightening, at times disturbing, and always provocative, but Pappas manages to end with a glimmer of hope.

*

‘Orwell Rolls in His Grave’

MPAA rating: Unrated

Times guidelines: Could cause high-blood pressure in media CEOs, as well as devotees of Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly.

A Sag Harbor-Basement Pictures release, in association with Magic Lamp. Director Robert Kane Pappas. Producer Miriam Foley. Executive producer Marc Halperin. Screenplay Robert Kane Pappas, Tom Blackburn. Camera Robert Kane Pappas, Alan Hostetter. Editor Robert Kane Pappas. Music Paul Chapin and Extra Virgin Mary. Running time: 1 hour, 43 minutes.

Exclusively at Laemmle’s Fairfax Cinemas, 7907 Beverly Blvd., L.A., (323) 655-4010