Dir.: Harold Boihem; Phot.: Chris Emmanouilides; Ed.: Harold Boihem; Mus.: Negativland; Cast: Bernard McGrane, Richard Pollay, Herbert Chao Gunther, Stuart Ewen, Sut Jhally, Jean Kilbourne; Prod. & Sales: Harold Boihem, Chris Emmanouilides, Parallax Pictures, 715 Fitzwater Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 (États-Unis), tél.: (215) 923-6551, fax: (215) 923-6553.

This film takes on advertising on its own terms. By re-editing and restructuring thousands of contemporary and classic television commercials with insights by noted media critics, this rapid-fire multi-layered documentary exposes the destructive power of a mass media system out of control. The film traces the development of advertising from its descriptive 19th century origins through today's high-tech manipulation of powerful symbols and imagery.

"'The Ad and the Ego' is the only thing on video to make clear and to counter the -- shall we say it? -- evil of an ad ad ad world. With ad imagery both familiar and frightening, audio by the brightly negative Negativland, and talking heads who smartly walk you through the many minefields of illusion, 'The Ad and the Ego' brilliantly dismantles one of the ego's most comforting self-flatteries: that we are immune to advertising. Consider this your first real inoculation." -- Leslie Savan (Village Voice)