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What If? Documentary: The Decline and Fall of the US Empire This film examines how the US empire will fall. The film tells its story in the form of a fake documentary interweaved with a couple of dramatic scenes. The year is 2096. The Endeavour Global Communications Television Network is trying, in the way of major television networks throughout history, to get the jump on its rivals. It has decided to begin celebrating the turn of the century four years early. They have figured that by 2099 there will be so many historical documentaries looking back on the first century of the third millennium that nobody will pay any attention to any of them. But that will not matter to them because by then Endeavour’s meg-series will already have aired. The justification for this premature documentation is that the events that have made the last century special, the ones about which every schoolchild ought to know, actually had their beginning in the 1990s. Endeavour were first so they had their pick of the subject matter, but there never really was any choice about what the subject would be — so it is now that the Global Endeavour Network is about proudly to present its centennial retrospective series, "The Decline and Fall of the American Empire". Actually, another reason for the series is that the Global Endeavour Network actually had its origins in twentieth century America; but you would hardly guess that to look at the plush modern offices on the twentieth floor of the Quattrone Building. Introductory Scene (one of the few dramatisations in the programme)We are in the board room of the Global Endeavour Network. Seated round the table, we find the Chief Executive Officer, a few other executives, the producer, and a couple senior executives from foreign coproducing broadcasters. They are about to view the final version of the first episode. The acrimony and fighting are over now; it is time for a little self congratulation.
The CEO holds the cassette in his hand as the others get settled. He looks at it. Chief Executive Officer: You know I can’t help wondering what it would be like if
you could go back to 1996 and show our series to the people then. How would it
feel for them to see the next hundred years mapped out in a documentary? Would
they be surprised to find out what was going to happen? Did they have television
in those days, anyway? Producer: Yes they did, of a sort. But it’s hard to guess what they would have made of our series. I thought about it and I decided they would find it quite hard to understand. After all, we know what happened, we know what it’s like now so we know the end of the story, as it were. None of that background is explained for them in the programmes. If they watched what we we’re about to watch they would have to piece it together for themselves. I think they might just find it impossible to believe some parts of it. CEO’s face clouds suddenly. Chief Executive Officer: Are you saying this series is not believable?
Producer: No, it’s believable to us because we know what happened. All I’m saying is that the Americans would be very surprised at some of the things we thought were important to the story and some of the other things that we consider unimportant. A question of emphasis really. Remember that most of them probably thought that they would go on ruling the world for centuries.
Coproducer: But surely, one of the truest things you can say about history is that all empires eventually disappear. They must have known that.
Producer: Yes, but empires are not very good at thinking like that. And even if you accept that your empire will end one day, you still don’t know when it’s going to happen. Some of them didn’t even believe they had an empire at that time.
He feels he should attempt to put a more positive complexion on the series. Producer: One of the things they would understand well of course would be the comparisons with other empires. We have spent years of research talking to historians of all other empires in history and their story. The series makes great use of these. That would be as valid in 1996 as it is now.
CEO is still puzzled Chief Executive Officer: You mean none of them knew what was going to happen?
Producer: A very few did. They spoke about it as a kind of game. There’s a poem I keep remembering. It goes; Far-called our navies melt away; on dune and headland sinks the fire. Lo, all our pomp of yesterday is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Coproducer: An American wrote that?
Producer: Yes, I think so. The poem was a kind of warning. It was saying that if an empire loses sight of the important things then it will disappear like all the rest. One of the coproducers catches the CEO’s eye and looks at his watch The CEO smiles Chief Executive Officer: Yes, sorry Hiroshi, we must get on. We haven’t got time for speculation. This is history.
He puts the cassette in the machine and starts it. As the colour bars and clock run he turns to the producer. Chief Executive Officer: How does that poem go on?
Producer: I think it ends with something like; For frantic boast and foolish word — Thy mercy on Thy people, Lord! CEO shrugs The titles of the series come up on the monitor. We read
As part of the 2096 Year of Cultural Television Initiative, Endeavour Global Communications Proudly Present THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE US EMPIRE Part I LEST WE FORGET Now watch on ....... *** Of course the film that the executives are screening forms the main body of the programme. This is a What If? documentary about the next hundred years of global history (or, at least, part one of the trilogy). The film we see is the one that the executives see. For that reason it is a little puzzling at first. It is only by the end that we begin to get a glimmering of what has happened in the next hundred years, although of course we never get full justification for everything. We only ever see a patchy and incomplete picture - just like a real documentary. Our best source of information is the constant comparisons with the fall of other empires (mainly the British and the Roman). The success of this programme depends on making the film a convincing documentary in its own right. The events described are all in the first third of the 21st Century so the programme makers in 2096 themselves have a problem with interviewees and archive - they have to use bits of old documentaries (these are the things which we fake) with only occasional interviews that they have shot. Fortunately the programme makers have been assiduous in crediting their sources on screen (eg "Russian Documentary, 2010," American war report, 2021" etc). We can also detect something about changing styles and attitudes: for instance, it is noticeable that after about 2015 all inhabitants of Europe, be they Oxford Professors or Polish politicians, have been interviewed in German even though it is not their native language. This is never pointed out or commented on - our film puts in a voice-over in the normal way. Our programme makers do occasionally allow themselves an interview with a 2096 historian who comments, more or less comprehensibly, on what is going on, but it is plainly not their chosen style of film making.The Film Begins: CAPTION As part of the 2096 Year of Cultural Television Initiative, Endeavour Global Communications Proudly Present THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE US EMPIRE Part I LEST WE FORGET
CLOSE UP CHIMPANZEE SURROUNDED BY MEN IN SUITS IT IS ARCHIVE FILM OF THE LATE TWENTIETH CENTURY AS THE CHIMP IS FUSSED OVER BY THE MEN WE HEAR A COMMENTARY IN PORTUGUESE. EVENTUALLY A NARRATION IN ENGLISH BEGINS Narrator: One of the things that everybody knows about the politics of the late twentieth century is that in Brazil in 1994 a chimpanzee was put up for election to the Chamber of Deputies.
BRAZILIAN NEWS REPORT - WE SEE VOTE S BEING COUNTED ETC. Narrator: The Chimp polled about 4,000 votes. It did rather better that the goat that was killed a little later because it was leading in the opinion polls. script to be continued ....... * * *
CHRONOLOGY OF THE EVENTS COVERED IN THE FILM (This is a chronicle of events - not (yet) an indication of how the story will be told. There will, for instance, be interviews with eye-witnesses and contemporary news reports rather that a simple recounting of events) FIRST THINGS - FAITH AND DEMOCRACY Documentary Narrator: "The End of the Twentieth Century was seen at the time not as the moment of birth of a new religion or the beginnings of a global shift of power but as the triumph of democracy. Looking back it is less clear that that is true ........
THE FAR FLUNG BATTLE LINE
THE SPIRITUAL SUPERMARKET
Documentary Narrator: "But the fall of an empire seems often to involve a breaking of spirit as well as a defeat of armies ..... "
ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES
Compares Roman Empire and the rise of Greek
Film compares inflation in the Roman Empire
PLAGUE
Documentary Narrator: "The faith in the Federal Power of the United States was at an all time low ... when something happened that seemed to bear out everybody’s fear.......
THE INFORMATION WAR
SO HARD TO DO
THE CAUSES OF BRAZILIAN ASCENDENCY
Programme compares banning of barbarian fashions in Rome
We return to the board room of the Endeavour Global Network.
* * *
FINAL SCENE (The Offices of Endeavour Global) We return to the offices of the Endeavour Global Network The video is stopped at the point where the credits begin. The lights are put on and the executives around the desk relax and smile The Chief Executive Officer gets up and walks round the table. Out of the window we see the skyline of Rio de Janeiro, the statue of Christ is of course entirely consistent with the new state religion of Macumba.
Chief Executive Officer: The end of part one — two more to go. It’s really good Jake, it just makes history come alive and so much of it is new. That stuff about Europe - I never knew any of that. The thing I can’t understand, though, is why those Americans didn’t see what was happening by then. Why couldn’t they see it was all up for them? Were they stupid? No offense Hank.
Hank, the token American, who is black, smiles engagingly. Hank: None taken.
Producer: Well, like I said before, it’s not so easy. Do you really imagine that anyone sitting here, today in the middle of the richest country in the world really knows what’s going on, or what people think? In the rest of the world they’re not all like us you know. For instance, we don’t even understand what’s going on in North America right now, even though there is a huge Brazilian peace keeping force in Washington.
Chief Executive Officer: (warming to the joke) You’re right we don’t. They could be planning right now to come down here and take it all back. I might just look out of the window and see the (he gestures to the video machine as he recalls the unfamiliar phrase) "US Marines" landing on Copacabana Beach.
Hank: (who has in measure the good natured old-fashioned charm that Brazilians expect of Americans) We don’t need to come and take it all back. We are already here. The American legacy is everywhere in Brazil. Television itself is an American invention, for instance.
Chief Executive Officer: I thought television was invented somewhere in Peru.
Producer: (intervenes helpfully) No it is definitely an American invention.
Chief Executive Officer: Oh, OK. Oh by the way Hank, that reminds me — are you all set for the airing of this programme in America? I would think our (there may be a hint of a sneer in this hackneyed phrase) "Northern Neighbours" would find it interesting.
Hank: Yes, we’ve chosen a voice for the English version and we’re set to record. Our people are just going to have a final look at the script. There may be some changes we’d like to make.
Chief Executive Officer: (looks genuinely, profoundly puzzled) Why would you want to make changes?
FREEZE FRAME THE END
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