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Taking Liberties (2007)
Director: Chris Atkins
Movie review
From Time Out London
The TV documentary is dead! Long live the cinema-feature documentary! With ‘The Most Important Film of the Decade!’ as a gently tongue-in-cheek poster tagline, Chris Atkins’ call to arms – or call to protest – offers a well-documented and cautionary outline of Tony Blair’s regressive record on human-rights legislation, narrated by David Morrissey and accompanied by a Radio 2 rock-track featuring Radiohead, Oasis et al. Part analytical essay, part comic PowerPoint lecture and part campaigner’s handbook, it assembles an impressive number of (mostly familiar) cross-party talking heads as it ticks off assaults on such basic rights as freedom of speech and assembly, the rights to privacy and protest and the presumption of innocence and a fair trial. Justified pre- and post-9/11 security concerns have, it argues, been exploited by successive Blair administrations to justify a dangerous accretion of state power at the expense of the public realm. Nothing new here for activists or regular ‘Newsnight’ viewers; rather, ‘Taking Liberties’ seems designed as a campaign aid and intended – in its careful exclusion of over-heated or passionate voices – as a putative appeal to slumbering Middle England.Author: Wally Hammond
Time Out London Issue 1920: June 6-12 2007
User reviews of this film
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- Frederico said...
- Posted on Jun 11 2008 04:49 Ten years from now we'll be living in a zone of civil liberty? With ID cards i think we will all be prepared to riot for our rights. It is unhinged the way the government has repeatedly destroyed peoples lives by a systematic approach of selective alienation - the violence and senseless racist behaviour of the late 70's into the 80's will be repeated the more the government wishes to attack our rights to speak and act, protest and communicate freely. We have allowed this also - next time you're stopped in the street under a false pretence of suspicion - and you all will be eventually - how will you like to spend 42 days locked up without being given a reason why. This film is a must see for anyone with any moral standpoint or any belief in their country. It's already gone too far.
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- Bernie Clemo said...
- Posted on May 07 2008 11:38 our civil liberties are being eroded more each day we are living in big brother state, our so called goverment say these security measures are to protect us but who will protect us from our goverment, SAY NO TO ID CARDS, I AM NOT A NUMBER !!!
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- Steve Holloway said...
- Posted on Jul 31 2007 05:08 Another very important warning; Orwell lives.
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- doug brewer said...
- Posted on Jul 03 2007 09:56 Timeley docu-movie. Well researched, and gives a glimpse of the far more voluminous protesting going on in the UK right now, in defence of basic civil liberties.
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Cast & crew
Director: Chris Atkins
Producer: Chris Atkins, Nicky Moss
With: Mark Thomas
Genre(s): Documentaries
Duration: 88 mins
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