The Man Who Wanted to Classify the World

About This Movie

The Man Who Wanted to Classify the World is such a fascinating dive into the mind of Paul Otlet, who was really ahead of his time. It’s a documentary that blends archival footage with interviews, creating this almost hypnotic rhythm. The pacing is deliberate, allowing you to soak in Otlet’s aspirations and the weight of his vision for organizing knowledge. There's a palpable sense of wonder and melancholy as you see how his ideas foreshadowed things like the internet. The tone often feels reflective, almost wistful, highlighting how the sheer scale of his work—17 million index cards!—is both impressive and daunting. It pushes you to think about how we categorize our own world today. Definitely a unique perspective on information and history.

Documentary on information science · Focuses on early indexing methods · Explores themes of knowledge and organization