The American Ruling Class

The documentary takes up the question of class in America. Its shape is not that of an ordinary documentary. Scripted scenes are worked in among the rest. Lewis Lapham stands at the centre of the film. He is a well known magazine editor. He takes two young people along with him. Both have just graduated from elite universities. Lapham introduces them to the upper reaches of the country. Together they go to the Pentagon. They attend parties in Manhattan. Along the way they talk with well known figures. James Baker and Walter Cronkite are among them. Each sets out his own view of the ruling class. What is being asked is where money sits in a democracy. Lewis Lapham and Bill Bradley speak in the eighty five minute documentary. It is a British and American co-production John Kirby finished in 2005.