A peculiar but intriguing little film that's part documentary and part artwork, Carmine Cervi's Axis of Evil combines reflections from more than a dozen commentators on the concept of evil and its role as a justification for international policy (i.e., President Bush's January 2002 State of the Union address claim that Iran, Iraq, and North Korea constitute an "axis of evil") together with a gallery of what's referred to as “stamp art”--images displayed on perforated sheets of paper. Interviewees include artists, filmmakers, and activists--perhaps the most noteworthy being scholars such as philosopher Martha Nussbaum and historian Howard Zinn (who speaks affectingly of his experiences as a bombardier during World War II)--who advance the central argument concerning the slipperiness of the concept of “evil” and the danger of its use in political discourse. The words are punctuated by a stream of images produced by 54 “mail artists,” as they're sometimes called, from 11 countries, serving up a visual assault on U.S. policy, past and present. Each of the film's two aspects is interesting in its own right, but the clash between the swiftly-edited graphics and the sober pronouncements of the speakers is often too jarring. Still, this leftist diatribe against the Bush administration is, at least, decidedly different from standard partisan fare. DVD extras include a stamp art gallery. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Axis of Evil: Perforated Praeter Naturam
(2004) 84 min. DVD: $19.98. BulletProof Film (dist. by Facets Video). Color cover. ISBN: 0-9753096-1-7. Volume 20, Issue 2
Axis of Evil: Perforated Praeter Naturam
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