Capitalism: A Love Story
Capitalism: A Love Story | |
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Directed by | Michael Moore |
Written by | Michael Moore |
Produced by |
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Starring | Michael Moore |
Narrated by | Michael Moore |
Cinematography |
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Edited by |
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Music by | Jeff Gibbs |
Production companies | |
Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 127 minutes[2] |
Country | United States |
Languages |
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Budget | $20 million |
Box office | $17.4 million[3] |
Capitalism: A Love Story is a 2009 American
The film was widely released to the public in the United States and Canada on October 2, 2009. Reviews were generally positive. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 9, 2010.
Synopsis
Moore begins by discussing what capitalism and "
Moore looks back on his first film,
After seeing the congressional testimony of pilot
Moore speaks to Catholic priests and Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, who believes that capitalism is evil and contrary to the teachings of Jesus and the Bible. Moore examines the claim that the tenets of capitalism are compatible with Christianity, arguing that the rich ignore religion when it comes to the poor, sick and disadvantaged. He points to Citigroup's leaked "plutonomy memo", which said that America and other countries were not democracies anymore, but were ruled by the wealthy.
Moore reports on the
The film ends with Moore marking Wall Street off as a crime scene, opining that American people live in the richest country on Earth and deserve decent jobs, healthcare, good educations and homes of their own. Moore adds that it is a crime that Americans do not have these things and never will have them as long as the evil of capitalism continues to enrich the few at the expense of the many. He calls for capitalism to be eliminated and replaced with something good for all people: Democracy. Moore concludes that he cannot accomplish this goal alone and appeals for help from the viewer, ending the film. He quotes Don Regan's line to Ronald Reagan, "... and please, speed it up".
Participants
- William K. Black, attorney, academic, author and former bank regulator
- Elijah Cummings, U.S. Representative (D-MD)
- Warren Evans, Wayne County Sheriff
- Archdiocese of Detroit
- Baron Hill, U.S. Representative (D-IN)
- Marcy Kaptur, U.S. Representative (D-OH)
- Stephen Moore, economic writer and policy analyst (no relation to Michael Moore)
- Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator (I-VT)
- Wallace Shawn, actor
- Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator (D-MA), Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel and bankruptcy law scholar at Harvard Law School
Production
During the
Prior to the film's release, Moore partnered with web development company Concentric Sky to develop a companion website for the film.[8]
Footage of President Franklin D. Roosevelt detailing his proposed Second Bill of Rights was believed to be lost. Roosevelt, who had recently recovered from the flu, presented his January 1944 State of the Union address to the public on radio, as a fireside chat from the White House. He asked that newsreel cameras film the last portion of the address, concerning the Second Bill of Rights. This footage was believed lost until it was uncovered in 2008 in South Carolina by Michael Moore while researching for the film.[9] The footage shows Roosevelt's Second Bill of Rights address in its entirety, as well as a shot of the eight rights printed on a sheet of paper.[10][11]
Release
Theatrical run
Capitalism: A Love Story premiered at the
The film had a wide release in 995 theaters in the United States and Canada on October 2, 2009,[3] about a year after the enacting of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which approved a $700 billion bailout of Wall Street.[7] The film opened in eighth place at the box office on the first weekend of its wide release, grossing $4,447,378.[16] The final domestic total was $14,363,397,[3] making it the 16th highest grossing documentary in history (2014).[17]
Critical reception
Deborah Young, writing for the trade paper
Leslie Felperin of the trade paper
Upon the film's February 2010 UK release, The Times said the film "showcases Moore at his undeniably powerful best and his exploitative, manipulative worst":[22]
The film is brilliantly researched, both with regard to the labyrinthine web of connections between the world of finance and the corridors of power and the wittily used archive footage. Interviews with Senate insiders and financial experts are informative, and there’s an amusing sequence in which he quizzes a selection of priests and bishops who opine that capitalism is "evil" and was not, in fact, the preferred economic model of Our Lord. Then Moore goes and spoils it all by hauling out his trusty bullhorn for a series of lame stunts. Like the complacent clown prince of agitprop, Moore hectors Wall Street doormen and security guards, while the company bosses remain in their fortress made of money, blissfully unaware of the fat man making a scene on the street far below....But for all his cheap tactics, Moore mounts a persuasive case that something is rotten in the current economic system.
Topical accuracy
The Associated Press's national business columnist Rachel Beck reviewed the accuracy of three points made in Capitalism:
- Three months after a scene in which Moore approaches Goldman Sachs headquarters to reclaim taxpayers' funds, the bank was one of the ten that repaid part of the $68 billion received from the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Moore responded to the action: "We're not talking about the majority of people who took the money ... not even 10 percent of the $700 billion has been returned."[23]
- Moore criticizes Wal-Mart for "dead peasant" policies, all 350,000 of which were cancelled in 2000. However, Moore notes that the termination of the policies was covered in the presentation of facts and quotes in the closing credits.[23]
- The documentary criticizes Senator Senate Banking Committee. The AP reported that the interest rates and fees involved were norms for the industry, and that the Senate's Select Committee on Ethics cleared Dodd and Kent Conrad of getting special treatments, but it cautioned the senators to exercise "more vigilance" with such deals.[23]
The Association of Advanced Life Underwriting issued a statement that Moore "mischaracterized" Corporate Owned Life Insurance (COLI), stating that the issues were addressed by Congress in the 1990s and again in 2006. The AALU further states that corporate-owned life insurance is taken out only on highly compensated employees, only with their knowledge and consent and that COLI finances employee benefits and protects jobs and that employees pay nothing for COLI but receive substantial benefits.[24]
Religious subject matter
Religion expert Anthony Stevens-Arroyo stated that the film should be considered "a special kind of Catholic achievement" and asked whether Michael Moore should be named "Catholic of the Year" for raising the serious issues in the context of Catholic social teaching, and for presenting "Catholic currents of social justice" in the film.[25]
Awards and honors
At the
See also
- Late-2000s financial crisis
- Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
- Troubled Asset Relief Program
- Wall Street reform
- Eye of a needle
- Christian views on poverty and wealth
- List of films about socialism
- Related films
References
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (May 13, 2008). "Paramount Vantage, Overture to co-finance, distribute Moore's next". Screen International. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ "CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. October 13, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ Moore, Michael (October 4, 2009). "For Those of You on Your Way to Church This Morning ..." The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ US Airways Flight 1549 Accident, Hearing. February 24, 2009. U.S. House, Subcommittee on Aviation, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Washington: Government Printing Office, 2009.
- ^ a b Dave McNary (July 8, 2009). "Michael Moore unveils title of new doc". Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
- ^ "Web firm lands big contract". The Register-Guard. October 10, 2009.
- ^ "The Best Scenes From Michael Moore's New Movie". The Daily Beast. September 22, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- IMDb(starting approximately at time code 1:55:00)
- OCLC 443524847. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (September 1, 2009). "Stars to shine on Lido". Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
- ^ a b Fritz, Ben (September 24, 2009). "Moore's 'Capitalism' off to profitable start". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
- ^ "Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) – Daily Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ "Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) – Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for October 2–4, 2009". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ^ "Documentary Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- ^ "Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- ^ Young, Deborah (September 6, 2009). "Capitalism: A Love Story — Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
- ^ Felperin, Leslie (September 5, 2009). "Capitalism: A Love Story". Variety. Time. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (February 26, 2010). "Capitalism: A Love Story". The Times. Times Newspapers. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ a b c Beck, Rachel (September 24, 2009). "Fact-checking Moore's 'Capitalism'". CBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
- ^ [1] Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Washington Post, October 28, 2009, "Catholic America: Michael Moore: Catholic of the year?" [2]
- ^ "La Biennale di Venezia - The 66th Festival Collateral Awards". labiennale.org. September 12, 2009. Archived from the original on September 15, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
- ^ O'Neil, Tom (July 30, 2009). "Venice Film Festival unveils Golden Lion lineup led by Michael Moore". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
- ^ "Top Venice award for Israeli film". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC. September 12, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
- ^ "2010 Writers Guild Award Winners". TV Source Magazine. February 21, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "15th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards (2010) – Best Picture: The Hurt Locker". Critics Choice. November 21, 2011. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
External links
- Official website
- Capitalism: A Love Story at IMDb
- Capitalism: A Love Story at Box Office Mojo
- Capitalism: A Love Story at Rotten Tomatoes
- Capitalism: A Love Story at Metacritic
- The Huffington Post.
- Chris McGreal (January 30, 2010). "Capitalism is evil … you have to eliminate it". The Guardian. London. An in-depth review and analysis from the Guardian.
- Multimedia
- In The Center Ring: Michael Moore vs Capitalism - audio report by NPR
- Michael Moore: "Capitalism Has Failed" - interviewed by CNN's Larry King Live is here
- Capitalism's Enemy, Michael Moore - video report by The Colbert Report
- Naomi Klein in Conversation With Michael Moore Archived September 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine - audio report by The Nation
- Michael Moore Examines Today's Economic State - video report by the Tavis Smiley Show
- Moore Goes to the Source in "Capitalism: A Love Story" - a 45-minute video report by Democracy Now!, September 24, 2008