The Century Of Self: Happiness Machines. The Birth of Consumerism [video] (video.google.com)

One, of the many, interesting quotes:

"We must shift America from a 'needs' to a 'desires' culture, people must be trained to desire, to want new things even before the old has been completely consumed. We must shape a new mentality in America, man's desires must overshadow his needs."

Paul Mazer, Lehman Brothers (1930)

Adam Curtis' stuff is great. Thanks for putting this up. I'd recommend you check out his latest series about freedom. The points he makes in that one are even more interesting.

The Century of Self is Adam's best work.

Next to it I loved The Trap and Pandora's Box a lot.

Pandora's Box: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8639026381197734332#

The Trap starts here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=404227395387111085#