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The Corporation

Since the late 18th century, when American law first accorded corporate entities legal personhood, the corporate form has emerged as a dominant economic, political, and social force worldwide. This film provides an incisive psychological analysis of the corporate model, explored through a sequence of case studies. It demonstrates that, in its conduct, this 'person' often behaves like a dangerously destructive psychopath without a conscience. The work also lays bare the profound threat such a psychopath poses to our world and future, while presenting the strategies of courageous, intelligent, and determined individuals who can intervene to stop it.

Director(s)

Michael Moore

Karen Lam

Mark Achbar

Jennifer Abbott

Where to watch

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Cast & Crew

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Self (archive footage)

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill

Self (archive footage)

Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin

Self (archive footage)

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Self (archive footage)

Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini

Self (archive footage)

George W. Bush

George W. Bush

Self (archive footage)

Jennifer Abbott

Jennifer Abbott

-

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman

Self (archive footage)

Michael Moore

Michael Moore

-

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

Self (archive footage)

Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin

Self (archive footage)

Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky

Self

John XXIII.

John XXIII.

Self (archive footage)

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi

Self (archive footage)

Jane Akre

Jane Akre

Self

Ray Anderson

Ray Anderson

Self

Maude Barlow

Maude Barlow

Self

Mikela Jay

Mikela Jay

Narrator (voice)

Rob Beckwermert

Rob Beckwermert

Actor - Dramatizations

Christopher Gora

Christopher Gora

Actor - Dramatizations

Nina Jones

Nina Jones

Actor - Dramatizations

Richard Kopycinski

Richard Kopycinski

Actor - Dramatizations

Karen Lam

Karen Lam

-

King George VI of the United Kingdom

King George VI of the United Kingdom

Self (archive footage)

Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan

Self (archive footage)

Mark Achbar

Mark Achbar

-

Details

GenresDocumentary
Runtime2h 25 mins
Released on10 Sep 2003
Languageen
Age RatingNR
Produced InCanada

Reviews

GenerationofSwine

10/10

This is interesting, but dated. Back in 2003 the left was still anti-corporation, they didn't support the outsourcing of jobs, they didn't support the accountability that theses institutions had they were fairly unified in their condemnation of it. Today there is a clear shift and we aren't seeing that much of it, Nike hasn't changed their practices of out-sourcing and sweatshops and are now an iconic brand on one side of the divide. Outsourcing is now supported by the left where "the jobs aren't coming back, deal with it" is a commonly heard phrase there. It wasn't back in 2003. So, watching it in 2003 as opposed to 2018 it's interesting to see a lot of the same faces that once opposed it speaking on the news in favor of how the corporations work today. If memory serves, Noam Chomsky is the only political voice that hasn't made an abrupt shift or dialed it back in the decade plus since it's release. Despite the shift in some of the voices heard in the documentary, it does do an excellent job tracking the evolution of the corporation in the United States, how it started in our earliest days, straight through how it became an individual entity politically, and onto how that identity as a "person" effected our politics. And, at times, it was moving, given that it did treat people who work for corporations very well, even interviewing them so that they can express that, yes, they too had the same concerns as the people protesting them, but were bound by the law to pursue policies that would generate the most profit for their shareholders, which illustrates an interesting problem that is often ignored with discussing the topic. It remains educational today, even if there has been a distinct shift on how the topic and some of the corporations highlighted are handled by the people interviewed for the documentary.

All Trailers

THE CORPORATION trailer

Part of the Series

The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel

The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel

2020EN