Art is Power (1985): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1985, Art is Power is a notable film directed by Józef Robakowski.

What it’s about. The ritual transmission of a military parade from Moscow’s Red Square: On every anniversary of the October Revolution, this was loyally broadcast by all the television stations in the so-called people’s democracies. In Robakowski’s work, this material is used to reconstruct and deconstruct public spectacle. The substitution of the original  television commentary with a song sung in German by Laibach (a group from what was then Yugoslavia and is now Slovenia) removes the spectacle from its pompous temporal context and reveals the absolutism of its alluring power. The totalitarian display is in itself art – politically active art, the art of all-out pathos – even if we call it only “quote art unquote”.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Art is Power page.