The Corporation (2003)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Directors:

Mark Achbar
Jennifer Abbott (co-director)

Writers:

Joel Bakan (written by)
Harold Crooks (narration) ...

Release Date:

4 June 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Plot:

Documentary that looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day dominance.

Plot Keywords:

Bolivia | Business | Censorship | Corporate America | Corporate World

Awards:

11 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jane Akre	...	Herself
Ray Anderson	...	Himself
Maude Barlow	...	Herself
Chris Barrett	...	Himself
Carlton Brown	...	Himself
Smedley Darlington Butler	...	Himself - USMC, exposes anti-FDR plot (archive footage)
Noam Chomsky	...	Himself
Víctor Hugo Daza	...	Himself - slain student, Bolivia (archive footage)
Peter Drucker	...	Himself
Samuel Epstein	...	Himself
Milton Friedman	...	Himself
Kathie Lee Gifford	...	Herself (archive footage)
Naomi Klein	...	Herself
Susan E. Linn	...	Herself
Luke McCabe	...	Himself
Mikela J. Mikael	...	Narrator (voice)
Robert Monks	...	Himself
Michael Moore	...	Himself
Jonathan Ressler	...	Himself
Franklin Delano Roosevelt	...	Himself (archive footage)
Vandana Shiva	...	Herself
Steve Wilson	...	Himself

Runtime:

145 min | Argentina:150 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente) | Hong Kong:165 min (Hong Kong International Film Festival)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Brazil:10 | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | UK:PG | USA:Unrated | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Celebration, Florida, USA

Company:

Big Picture Media Corporation

Trivia:

One of the "subplots" that didn't make the final cut was about a children's festival where the Canadian singer/ children's entertainer Raffi was due to give a concert. Upon entering the festival, parents were greeted by a mocked-up KIA car showroom that would inevitably get the children excited as they were allowed to play in the cars, whilst being given KIA merchandise. The presence of this corporate employment of children pester power to be directed at their parents so disgusted Raffi that he pulled out of the concert. One of the reasons this segment was not included was that the film-makers were denied the opportunity to film the KIA showroom, and the handheld footage that they shot secretly wasn't good enough to be used in the final film.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: 150 years ago, the business corporation was a relatively insignificant institution. Today, it is all-pervasive. Like the Church, the Monarchy and the Communist Party in other times and places, the corporation is today's dominant institution. This documentary examines the nature...

Movie Connections:

References Bowling for Columbine (2002)

Soundtrack:

Bad Apple

powerful & compelling

The first time in a long time that I've seen a movie audience launch into applause at the end -- and I was as enthusiastic as everyone else.

While quite long (2 hours, 45 minutes)this film piles detailed examples on top of interviews on top of documentary film clips. Liberally laced with interviews with folks like Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein and Michael Moore, it also includes insightful commentary from a (small) handful of liberated corporate executives.

The sum total is a compelling story of the evil that can be and is done by and in the name of corporations. I say this as one who has worked in a corporate environment my entire career, and who for a very long time has had difficulty getting past the 'but these are almost all nice people -- I don't know any ogres out to intentionally rape & pillage' perspective.

What I'm gradually wakening to is the realization that yes, the corporate structure is very efficient at doing what it's designed to do -- which unfortunately does not include taking social responsibility or the greater good into account. Instead it's ruthlessly focused on the bottom line, come hell (literally) or high water -- or polluted water.

I highly recommend this film. I know I'll be going back for a second viewing -- there's that much content, that I know I didn't absorb it all the first time around.