Abstract/Summary

The tradition of criticizing one's own government which in the Western (mainly English-speaking) Liberal Democracies goes back at least to the 14th century founds its expression also in American and British Cold War films. Several reflect the suspicion that the Cold War was in some way aggravated by the USA and the UK in order to serve particular interests of the government or arms industries. Such films, often based on novels, include "1984", "Fahrenheit 451", "The Three Days of the Condor", "The Quiet American", and most recently, "V for Vendetta", as well as many anti-war films. Paradoxically, it is a sign of Western liberalism that these films have been made and mostly received a wide distribution.