Cinema in the Surveillance Zone
This weekend on the Criterion Channel, we’re presenting a case file on some of our favorite films about espionage, eavesdropping, and paranoia, as the eight-feature program Caught on Tape starts rolling on Sunday. From the analog surveillance of iconic seventies classics by Francis Ford Coppola (The Conversation) and Alan J. Pakula (Klute) to the voyeuristic intrigue of later European dramas like Michael Haneke’s Caché and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Oscar winner The Lives of Others, our series delves deep into the complex dynamic between the watchers and the watched, and the anxiety that often comes to pervade any form of intelligence collection. For a pulse-quickening taste of Caught on Tape—which also features Brian De Palma’s political thriller Blow Out and Krzysztof Kieślowski’s intimate, intricate final film, Three Colors: Red—check out the teaser above. Then head on over to the Channel for the full dossier of titles.
