Empire

As we see the Statue of Liberty from the air, the voice of President George W. Bush speaks about a great people facing terror. Then there follows a montage of images of offices, homes, and back yards of the U.S. in the late 1950s and early 1960s: the colors of avocado green and harvest gold dominate. People, all of them White, are well dressed and well scrubbed; houses and offices well appointed. Each image is criss-crossed by optical effects that magnify or obscure, and that invite sharper observation. The voice of President Bush concludes the film as a couple looks from their veranda toward a frightening vision.