The Speech

1982, 3:34 min, color, sound

The "ultimate victory of form over content" is Doug Hall's ironic assessment of American political rhetoric, as demonstrated by The Speech. Posing as a politician on the platform, flanked by the American flag, Hall delivers a vapid message of empty cliches and platitudes with deadpan sincerity: "Moral strength ... Modesty ... Honesty ... Confidence." This theatrical event, a staged simulation of a stump speech, questions the meaning of language and representation in relation to power and mass media manipulation.

Production Director: Chip Lord. Editor: Doug Hall.