Corporation

Rating:
Summary: Eye Opening and Shocking
Review: "The Corporation" is a legthy Canadian documentary that tackles just what corporations are, and how they have shaped our world, and may continue to shape it, probably not for the better.

For me, it was shocking and eye opening. Yes, I knew that corporations don't always do the right thing by the world, but seeing the extent to which they don't was terrifying. Hear about the violent Bolivian water privatization incident, the Monsanto milk scandal which left cows suffering with swollen udders, and the subsequent media coverup. Incident after incident, issue after issue. A corporation legally has the rights of a person, we are told, but not neccessarily the morals of one, especially when by law they have to make profit above all else. It's a very depressing scenario, made all the more startling by the feminine monotone voice-over, evoking visions of a controlled society.

The film is not all gloom and doom though, towards the end of the documentary, we see how there are people who are making a difference. There are communities, documentary makers, organiziations, people getting together, saying "no" to corporations as they are, and doing something about what they consider to be a threat to our world, so there's a little optimism there.

Dispersed throughout this documentary are bits of footage from old advertisements and cartoons, used for a bit of humour. I'm glad of it, these kept things from getting too intense.

Though the beliefs of the filmmakers are very clear here, (that corporations as they exist are a definite problem) I think this documentary tries hard to hear both sides of the story. For every activist, we hear from a CEO. For every peek into the horrors of a sweatshop, we are shown communities where corporations are helping to do things for the better. On the whole though, it doesn't seem like the idea of corporation is a good one.

Though this DVD is listed as "starring" Michael Moore, the left-wing documentary maker only features briefly here and there, adding his two cents, chatting about his childhood and his TV series "The Awful Truth".

The amazon.com star rating system is based on how much you like a product. I can't say I liked the things that I saw, and that I enjoyed it is probably the wrong word, but I am very glad that there are documentaries like this who point these issues out. Definitely made me think twice about the world we live in.

Rating:
Summary: An engrossing documentary
Review: 2004 was the year of the documentary. Documentaries were huge over the past year from "Control Room" to "Outfoxed". Obviously the biggest of the documentaries was Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11". After seeing that film, I was definitely interested in seeing other documentaries. Another great documentary I had seen last summer was "The Corporation" which is based on Joel Bakan's book of the same name. Unfortunately it was shown in few theaters other than in big cities like where I live. After seeing the film, I went out and bought the (overpriced) book. I had to laugh at the fact that the book was barely 100 pages and was priced at $25 at Border's. Unlike most films that were originally books, "The Corporation" remained faithful. For 2 1/2 I was engrossed with the film.

The film kicks off with the subject of how the environment is effected by corporate America, which eventually led to sweat shops. The topic of the dangers of globalization is nothing new but it certainly made me look at drinking milk in a whole new light. If you drink milk, make sure that there is no 'special' ingredient (like farmers trying to chemically force their cows to produce more milk). I also was seeing red when two newscasters in Florida were pretty much shut down on this particular story no thanks to upper management at the tv station they worked for (owned by Rupert Murdoch).

I was also repulsed by the suggestion that IBM had donated some of their equipment to Adolf Hilter so he can keep track of the population numbers in his concentration camps. I really don't know how much truth is to that suggestion but it is pretty compelling, if not revolting (if it is true).

Another fascinating segment in the film was how a town in South America revolted against its fascist regime because the government officials then made the locals pay for water, including rain water they would collect. Who on god's green water is greedy enough to charge for rain water?!

What really turned me off was when the film briefly discussed about advertising and how marketers aim towards children. I don't have any kids (nor do I plan on having any) but I felt dirty after seeing this segment because I enjoyed some of the products by the companies that were aiming at kids to nag their parents into buying their stuff for them.

Michael Moore does make a cameo appearance in the film. He shows a couple of clips from one of his earlier films "The Big One" in which he goes after corporate America. I think Michael's role in the film was to provide some levity in an otherwise dour film.

For me personally I loved this film. I had no problems sitting through the 2 1/2 hours. Some people might have issues with that.
I always was aware of the dangers of globalization and free trade so nothing really new in this film was talked about. People who might think differently from Joel Bakan and Michael Moore probably won't enjoy this film. I am so glad that this film is finally coming out on dvd this spring. I am definitely planning on buying it. It is one of my favorite documentaries of all time.

Rating:
Summary: An Exposé of Legal Tyranny
Review: This is an extraordinary film about the creation of the American corporation, its legal organizational model, its global economic dominance and its psychopathic tendencies, and its incredible ambition to influence every aspect of culture in its unrelenting pursuit of profit.

The Corporation was spawned from Joel Balkan's in depth book, "The Corporation: A Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power". (Due to be released in March this year) The film and book begins in the 18th century, in the establishment of the 14th Amendment. Initially the 14th Amendment was designed after the Civil War to give ex slaves' legal rights, like any other citizen of the United States, but through a maze of legal precedents, the business corporation organization model was now deemed a "legal person" with all the civil rights accorded to a citizen. This highly absurd precedent has paved the way for corporations to literarily get away with murder, because a "corporation" is not an individual that you can put in jail. In effect, a corporation has no moral or social obligations; their only obligation is the pursuit of profit. This film offers numerous examples of unethical practices resulting in death for many people, and because of their status under the 14th Amendment, and endless legal loopholes, have gotten away with terrible crimes against humanity and the environment with no more than a fine, a mere slap on the wrist.

As the law treats corporations as "persons", Balkan thought it appropriate to put the various behaviours of these companies under psychological examination. What this psychological study illustrated is that corporations, as "persons" behave and display the symptoms of the clinical psychopath. A psychopath typically does not have a social conscience, is guilt free after committing heinous acts, and will destroy anything or anybody that prevents them from attaining the object of their particular obsession - in this case, the relentless pursuit of profit.

This documentary took several years to produce with over 650 hours of footage, director(s), Jennifer Abbot and Mark Achbar, had to chisel down this amazing amount of material into a comprehensible film. What is most astounding is the range of people interviewed for this film, that argue from all sides of the "corporation issue": Ira Jackson, Ray Anderson - CEO of Interface, the world's largest carpet manufacturer; Noam Chomsky, Richard Grossman, Howard Zinn, Michael Moore, Milton Freidman - Noble Prize winning economist; Jeremy Rifkin - President, Foundation of Economic Trends; Dr. Robert Hare - Consultant to the FBI on psychopaths, and many more individuals from all sides of the debate.

When Balkan wrote his book and then collaborated with Mark Achbar to produce this film, what they did not want was the film to appear as just some left-wing diatribe, attacking the corporations, but to illustrate to people how the corporation began, how they have evolved and what they could well turn into if the people do not become involved in the democratic process, ensuring our governments take back the reigns of power.

After viewing this film, it becomes all too evident that these large corporations have too much power, whose mandate is not the common good of the people, and who will go to any lengths, legally and otherwise, in the pursuit of profit and the bottom line.

I believe this is one of the best and most important documentary films to be made in many years.