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The Corporation
Directed by: Mark Archbar
Starring: Harold Crooks (Narrator)
Genre:
Documentary
Run Time: 145
min.
Release Date:
June 2004
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
Doctors have the
Hippocratic Oath to guide them in their conscientious care of patients
(“Thou shall do no harm...”). Soldiers pledge to support their country
with their very lives. But what of corporations? Some might say that
they have no moral reason to aid humanity. But when the fabric of what a
corporation does effects the lives of nearly everyone on the planet, one
must step back and look at the larger picture; a picture beyond the
boardroom and dollar signs.
The 14th Amendment was set up to aid slaves in the post-Civil War era,
to ensure that their rights equaled those of the white population. In
typical slime-bag fashion, attorneys turned their microscopes onto this
legal precedent in order to gain a stronger foothold for corporations.
What they did was give individual human rights to corporations, thus
allowing them equal protection as people. Now corporations can patent
living things (viruses, mice, seeds, etc.) giving them the ability to
dictate when, where and how life might evolve on our planet. Scary to
think about, but very true.
I normally complain about the one-sided nature of documentaries but I
have no such complaint against THE CORPORATION. It interviewed
almost everyone on both sides of this important issue: How far will we
allow corporations to go? It is a chilling insight into the mindset of
the corporate world. When money overrides everything (including common
sense) the planet, people, plants, animals, are all swept aside in favor
of retirement dollars (take a look at your own 401k or 403b
contributions and see where that money flows). The only omission I found
was a representative from Monsanto, the corporation who’s patented seeds
have caused severe consternation across U.S. farms. It would’ve been
nice to see their take on the subject. Perhaps the directors of this
documentary tried but were denied access to them.
The fact that this documentary has achieved an almost cult-like
following is apropos An environmental nerve has been struck as of late,
not surprising considering global warming statistics, smog control
problems, drinking water treatments, and the privatization of nearly
everything we hold dear (from the air we breath to the water falling
from the sky). On its website,
thecorporation.com,
there is information for teachers in the form of lesson plans,
discussions by the general population, and links to important sites that
help people act with a more worldly conscience.
The only downside to The Corporation is that it is nearly two-and-a-half
hours long, making it a bit of a snoozer in portions. But considering
the original filming consisted of over 300 hours, I guess the production
team did okay.
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Image from The Corporation
DVD cost: $22.99
Purchase:
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Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
It took three and a half
years to raise the money to make the film, three years to shoot it and a
year and a half to do the post-production.
Movie Quote: "Liz
Claiborne blouse for $178 and the workers were paid seventy-four cents."
Other Actors/Actresses
from The Corporation
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