Director:
Jennifer Abbott
Mark Achbar
Starring:
Michael Moore
Noam Chomski
Milton Friedman
Ray Anderson
Release: 4 Jun. 04
IMDb
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The Corporation
BY: DAVID PERRY
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States and
subject to the jurisdictions thereof, are citizens of the United States and
of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction
the equal protection of the laws.”
—14th Amendment, U.S. Constitution
Somewhere in between the end of the Civil War and passage of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 the meaning of the 14th Amendment, a piece of legislation
meant to ensure equal rights for newly freed slaves, was stretched to
include the rights of the corporation. Looking beyond the fact that an
organization built almost completely to make a profit would be most likely
to act in any underhanded way to succeed, this particular proof of the
elasticity of our Constitution is truly alarming. As some legislators grouse
over the possible amendment to outlaw gay marriage, there are others loose
ends in the U.S. Code and Constitution that are more pressing.
Imported from Canada, The Corporation tells of the malfeasance that been
part and parcel with much of the corporate landscape for decades. The
environmental, human rights, and economic offenses usually come with an army
of lobbyists, think tanks, and p.r. machines to make sure the corporate
leaders remain on top -- as most politicians will tell you, it’s awfully hard
to fight with the incumbent with the massive war chest. Not only have the
majority of these corporations been around far longer than the protest
groups, they have the money to outspend anyone in their path.
Surprisingly The Corporation only glazes over anti-corporate success stories
like Enron, WorldCom, and Adelphia, conglomerates that were caught in the
act during that fleeting Spartan period of Ashcroft JD accomplishment. The
meat of the picture, it seems, is in the repetition of statements about the
insidious nature of the Almighty CEO and his unfettered pillaging of the
world. Where The Corporation ultimately fails, though, is in its
unwillingness to cut the lean, those interviews with Noam Chomsky and
Michael Moore that add little other than a name-recognition prestige.
Clocking in at an excessive 145 minutes, the film feels impressive in
intentions but ineffective in production.
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