“Capitalism – A Love story”, digs a little deeper into the ground water of history, to be precise the Reagan presidency and the Greenspan years,to explain the structural flaws that finally broke the dam. Rubin and Summers do get their share of the laurels. It was exactly two years back in October that I read the Chairman’s memoirs, and little did I know that the “Age of Turbulence” was just starting. It is interesting to see how the world has changed in these two years. Back then Moore’s documentary would have made no sense, but today it is a must watch.
The most you get from a Michael Moore film is without doubt – Michael Moore.”Capitalism – A Love story” is no exception, but it is by far one of his best. In that the documentary builds at a slow but energetic pace from a seemingly funny comparison of Roman and American empires to the sub-prime crisis and life in Obamaville.
The movie leaves some important food for thought too,
1. The Dead Peasants insurance – that’s the name given to insurance policies taken by large companies for their employees, which in the event of the employee’s death has the company as the beneficiary. Yeah you heard it right – company as the beneficiary. And Moore provides documents where firms complain that the returns on this investment are not so good, which means that not enough employees are not dying 🙂
2. The Citibank Plutonomy Memo: This is hilarious in hindsight 🙂 A confidential report that Citigroup initially circulated only to it’s wealthiest customers. Like the dialogue in Elizabeth – a reminder of how close we came to danger.
and,
3. Roosevelt’s 2nd Bill of Rights.
“Capitalism – A Love story” is heartfelt documentary, and has an explicit call for action. It is no “Bowling for Columbine”, but it is relevant and highly watchable.
The movie is surprisingly not as loud as some of his other documentaries, but as always it drives the viewer to a foregone conclusion. And as they say in Apocalypse Now – with extreme prejudice. The slow elimination of the middle-class into what an erstwhile homeowner calls “people who have everything and people who have nothing” is the cornerstone of the movie, and when Michigan boy Moore starts focusing his camera on Flint and Detroit and GM, there is no denying that.
No ratings as always. But do yourselves a favor, go watch it.
Talkies is beautiful again 🙂
well, watched it! Corporation and this, back to back….its getting to my head! Now, I get, what you said about the drama bit in Moore’s movie! What is that man upto next? But I loved both the movies equally 🙂
And when is your new post?
You must watch Bowling for Columbine too, that is the most heart wrenching, and gives a feel of the US gun culture. Fahrenheit 911 must be the most loud, along with slacker uprising.