The Fever

I wont go into a commentary about the structure of the film.However, I do find great trouble in the movies implication that many of us in the West are responsible for the misery of the people in the 3rd world. There is an insurmountable amount of evidence in the fields of economics and political science which clearly shows that much of the 3rd worlds suffering comes from poor political institutions. I guess the one area where it is appropriate to find fault with the West is there use of farm subsidies, which ultimately negatively affects the lives of millions of farmers in the 3rd world and consumers in the first world. However, arguing that the purchase of goods and services on the global market somehow creates poor people is a psychotically inaccurate message to promote, which this film does to a large degree. China, India, Ireland, and many emerging East Asian countries have grown much wealthier and in the process lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty precisely because we in the West buy goods and services from around the world. I sympathize with the film's intent to draw light on the plight of the poor, however, they have found precisely the wrong reasons for the 3rd world's poverty and an even worse remedy for the problem. Commerce amongst free people is something that should be championed and regarded in the same esteemed light as the freedom of speech.

I was just curious how I can go about watching or even possibly buying this movie. Thanks for your help. I have everything else she has made and I wanted to purchase this copy. I got one of her movies With out Evidence at of all places the Dollar store not to long ago. I was quite pleased with this. She is an excellent actor. I Have enjoyed All the movies shes made in the past and I can't wait to see her movie A Mighty Heart. As well as the rest of the movies she has coming out. I give her great praise on her life and wish her all the best. I just need help getting this Movie "The Fever" And I hope there's some one out there that can help me find this. Thanks for reading my babblings. Angel

I saw this at the Virginia film festival and it was wonderful. Could have used better direction, but Vanessa Redgrave was marvelous nonetheless. As an added note, she did not get her son this film. He got it on his own and had her star in it. I thought it was a brilliant piece of work that could have been better but got its message across. It Was Wonderful And deserves much, much more Also, this film was a HUGE HIT at the festival. They had to add another day to screen it because it was sold out on its regular schedule and there was so much demand. So to those who don't like it, I say that the general public (At least those in Virginia) love it.

This film is not meant to be a denunciation of capitalism or an embrace of Marxism, only an examination of the intrusion of one upon the other. It does well reflect Vanessa Redgrave's own personal conflict between her own privileged existence and the less fortunate (by her standards) in the Third World. This is the eternal dichotomy facing so many (though not all) First World liberals. They fail to see that capitalism developed as a result of peasants informing themselves, working together and rising up to replace the hegemony which has dominated them. Historically, it has been a slow process, often taking centuries, even millenniums. First World liberals want to see it happen rapidly, but the Third World isn't ready for it. Those countries and their people must go through the process of education that will bring them to the point where they can successfully undertake "the revolution." It may not initially succeed, not because the cause isn't righteous but because the people aren't sufficiently steeled to survive it. The reviewers of this film, for the most part, only see the perceived injustice - capitalism is the oppressor, because of its success. But that is only because they see the Third World peoples aspiring to be the First World's definition of success. There is no indication that this is true. Rather, it would seem that the so-called "poor people" just want life to be a bit better. Over the long run this will work its way to great success. The process cannot be rushed; historically, that has never worked. There are many capitalists who see their mission as helping to make lives a little bit better, in small steps which can assimilated, not upheaval which can't be encompassed in such a large dose. That is why one cannot impose democracy on a country which is still living in a society rooted in the way of life of centuries ago. In my view, the film acknowledges this while still encouraging us to accept the challenge of reaching out. The reviewers, mostly, missed it.

Adapted from Wallace Shawn's play, The Fever is a rather obscure film. It was made as an HBO film, but it never received much support from the network and subsequently was aired years after it was completed with little fanfare. It's the story of an upper-middle class woman's political awakening as she learns why there is such a massive gap between the rich and the poor, while coming to a realization about her own place in society. It utilizes long monologues and animated sequences to illustrate certain points, and it powerfully describes the exploitative and imperialistic relationship the first world has with the third. While some reviewers say it's about "white guilt," more accurately it's about understanding the true nature of capitalism, as well as what is necessary to bring a new and better world into being: revolution. Hollywood legend Vanessa Redgrave stars and lends considerable gravitas to the controversial material.