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A definitive documentary
by waddy (movies profile)
Jul 24, 2006
15
of
16 people found this review helpful
I have to say after a slightly shaky start it, in my opinion it
quickly turned into a very definitive and important work. In fact I
would put this up there with Manufacturing Consent as a must see movie
for changing the way you think about the world around you. The history
of corporations and corporate personhood are actually covered quite
quickly, which is just as well as although fascinating, they don't
make for a high impact viewing experience. Which left the bulk of the
running time (which must have been about two hours) for a very wide
ranging and at times, in depth, review of all aspects of corporations
and how they impact your day to day life. In fact not just your life,
but your future, your children's future and everyone in the worlds
life and future - whether you realize it or not.
Filmed in a very similar style to Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent"
(hardly surprising since Achbar was a co-director of MC), it draws on
a lot of historical footage, some contemporary images, and a great
deal of interviews with some leading acolytes of philosophical,
sociological and economic thinking including Noam Chomsky, Milton
Friedman, Howard Zinn, and yes that pain in the ass troublemaker,
Michael Moore. Even more surprising is they actually capture a great
number of captains of industry and people from the business world
talking candidly about some very surprising things. Like the former
CEOs of Shell, and Goodyear talking about environmental policies, or a
woman who took great pride in describing how important to selling kids
products it is to make the kids nag their parents and how her company
devises advertising that encourages kids to do just that. Or the Wall
Street commodities trader saying how probably every trader on the
streets first thought after hearing about 9/11 was "How much did the
price of gold go up?" Or the two investigative reporters for Fox who
dug up the huge story about how Monsanto lied about the harmful
effects of rBST in milk, only to find that Fox after being threatened
by Monsanto then tried to kill the story, then tried to fire them,
then tried to bribe them to keep quiet, and then forced them to edure
8 months of 86 edits at the hands of a lawyer before showing it on TV.
The stories just go on and on. Individually you can write them off as
just progressive scare mongoring. Together, as a lengthy and
homogeneous work they have a much greater effect and really paint a
quite depressing and at times shocking story of life out of balance
with money. One in which unelected corporations are increasingly
asserting their role as the true arbiters of what is right and wrong
for us, their captive consumers and workers. Ultimately, it is
suggested, they want to own ever last square inch of earth, sea and
sky and let only the free market economy choose what is good and bad
for humanity. This means take governments out of the picture and
replace them with unelected trade organizations that will be final
arbiter of power. Some very serious examples of how this is already
going badly wrong in many countries. From sweatshops in Indonesia, to
water riots in Bolivia, you see it all from the other perspective -
the unincorporated working masses.
Finally we are given positive examples of how people can make a
difference. For example Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface, the worlds
largest manufacturer of carpets who had an epifany and realized that
the entire first industrial revolution is just a giant Flugtag
escapade over a cliff. Like the gungho Flugtag pilot we think we are
flying i.e. we think we are growing, we think we are progressing and
really getting somewhere. In reality we are just plundering in a true
tyranny against future generations and the ground is rushing up to
meeting us real, real fast now and the painful, messy landing is dead
ahead. Addressing a meeting of business leaders Anderson pointedly
says, "Do I know you well enough to greet you as my fellow plunderers?".
In the end if you walk into "The Corporation" having at least an
inkling that not everything is right in the world (and who doesn't),
then you may find this an enlightening experience, if not the epiphany
you have been waiting for to walk out and feel that not only that you
can make a difference, but that you must make a difference. Because we
need everyone - people and businesses to pull together and help us
avoid that splash landing at the bottom of the cliff formerly known as
economic progress. |
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