FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
THE CORPORATION
Since the 1800s, the corporation has been seen in the eyes of the government as a legal "person."
Using case studies, confessional interviews, and PowerPoint-like graphics, the film attacks the
capitalistic institution for its amoral and deceitful "personality," pointing to its activities of
self-interest that harm the environment, human health, and quality of life. Among its
interview subjects are top-level CEOs and executives, business professors, activists, critics, a
corporate spy, and even filmmaker Michael Moore. An engaging barrage of colorful rhetoric
from various interviewees is exchanged, defending both sides of the corporate equation, but there
is little doubt as to which side the film takes. One of the more fascinating episodes involves
two investigative reporters who were fired from Fox News after refusing to water down a story
on a synthetic hormone used to increase milk production. The hormone, which caused an udder
infection in cows that would essentially be harmful to milk drinkers, was produced by one of the
network's paid advertisers, and despite the reporters' whistle-blowing attempts, Fox won the case
on a technicality (basically, that it is not against the law to put false, distorted news stories on the
air). A well-executed and comprehensive documentary, the film would certainly be a useful
and informative educational tool for future and current corporate leaders, who appear to be its
target audience. Like the image of a cow with a grossly swollen udder, Moore's comments
about corporate greed - brazen in manner yet significant in their meaning - resonate long after the
closing credits. But the film does little to address the duties or obligations of the average
consumer, so despite its morally compelling stance, viewers won't stop driving their Fords or
drinking their Cokes. Watching The Corporation is like catching a highly engaging and
informative Discovery Channel special on TV - you find yourself agreeing with its message, but
when your fingers eventually reach for the remote control, the film's message is forgotten with
the click of a button. Kim Reyes, contributing editor
|