Via Eric Crampton comes a short 1978 libertarian propaganda film called Libra. It's unknown to imdb, but at the Smithonian, Matt Novak explains:
Produced and distributed by a free-market group based in San Diego called World Research, Inc., the 40-minute film is set in the year 2003 and gives viewers a look at two vastly different worlds. On Earth, a world government has formed and everything is micromanaged to death, killing private enterprise. But in space, there’s true hope for freedom.The film explains that way back in 1978 a space colony community was formed using $50 billion of private funds. Back then, government regulations were just loose enough to allow them to form. But here in the year 2003, government regulators are trying to figure out a way to bring them back under their oppressive thumb through taxes and tariffs on the goods they ship back to Earth.
The film's fascinating to watch because it's a textbook case of how not to write a screenplay: The film ends just when one would expect the conflict to really get going; until then, it's little plot and lots of exposition - almost all of which is delivered by actors talking. Indeed, listening the agressively educational dialogues reminded me of the film Street Wise, which they made me watch in my first week at Anglia Polytechnic ("Hey, everybody, I won 50 quid at the pub quiz! I'm gonna put it on my desk in my room and not lock the door!"). There is one exception to this, however: Right at the beginning of the film, we see that New York City in 2003 looks exactly like New York City in 1978. We instinctively understand that this is due to guv'ment regulations stifling innovation in cars, clothing, and even hairdressing.
The entire film can be watched here. Recommended for fans of 70s trash and liberals who like making fun of the enemy.
4 comments:
I was more forgiving. James Hong in a previously unknown piece! Wonder if they ran out of money during production...
Thing is, I'd never heard of James Hong, nor did I recognize him. (Fun fact: I've never seen an episode of Seinfeld.) But, yeah, it sort of ends when one's in the mood for a few cool spacefights between the Evil Empire and the rebels. They probably should have approached George Lucas, a.k.a. Rothbard's Bulldog.
He was awesome as Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China.
Spacefights are unlikely. It'd pretty quickly turn into the space station hurling rocks at New York and Earth trying to hit the station with a rocket. Moon is a Harsh Mistress maps some of that out nicely, though a space station seems more vulnerable than a moon base....
Hurling rocks at New York City sounds fine to me, too. The important point the film would have to make is that the rebels' eventual win over the Evil Empire is due to the free competition of initially dispersed ideas on effective self-defense.
Hurling too many rocks might not be compatible with the non-aggression principle.
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