JMC,
Thanks for the reply. I will follow up on ideas and suggestions. The whole Russian issue is quite vexed now as you suggest. A significant proportion of Russian cinema and literature (historically) could remain acceptable (for want of a better term) in that it presents critiques variously of bourgeois and petty bourgeois morality, as well as more direct critiques of capitalism, imperialism, monarchism, fuedalism etc. etc. Artists seem always in rebellion, at least at some level, against the extant social and political mores and systems in which they find themselves, and very often with good reasons. The true artist (I hold) is not one-with-the-system though “bought” artists certainly sell their soul and their art to the system. Nevertheless, they often have to work in systems or they never work at all: they often cannot live on their art otherwise.
The Bergman “beast” I may yet suggest to my “financial comptroller” (aka my wife) as a combination Birthday/Xmas present. Currently, I am getting sick of Aussie based Netflix and Disney Plus subsscriptions. So much rubbish, so little worth watching. Any suggestions on how to find the genuinely good stuff (gems in the mud) on Netflix and Disney Plus would be much appreciated too.
However, “Dopesick”, on Disney Plus of all places, is well worth watching and right within the ambit of the “mode of power” and “capital as power” narratives. I would add the two series called “Pandemics”, I think, which refer to USA’s Maryland Government Lab near-miss of nearly putting Ebola into the US population and the other series dealing with the Anthrax Mailer. Quite riveting.
No doubt Netflix’s “Power of the Dog” has its fans. I found it interesting but finally unsatisfying at a number of levels.