Film Clips from The Corporation (documentary)
Simpson & Achbar. (Producers), Achbar & Abbott. (Directors). (2004). The Corporation [Film]. (Available from Zeitgeist Films)
This documentary examines the relationships between our environment, the state of our economy, and human health. The clips, in combination with accompanying discussion, seek to raise awareness of and encourage dialogue about environmental ethics. Our application of these ethics guides the decisions we make as professionals and consumers. The Corporation is a documentary based on the book The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan. For more information about the film, visit the film website: http://www.thecorporation.com.
We are seeking permission from the distributors of these films to stream the clips directly on line. In the meantime, we have identified timecodes for the clips of interest so that you may purchase or check out the film and view the relevant segments with your classroom or organization.
Facilitator’s Guide to download
This Facilitator’s Guide will help teachers and facilitators plan the viewing and discussion for the The Corporation film triggers. It provides questions to ask after the performance. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download the file.
Selected Film Clips
1. Health of the Ecosystem
This clip presents background on the state of our current environment from the perspective of Ray Anderson. He expresses concern about systems being in decline and the legacy we’re leaving for future generations. This excerpt also explores the value we ascribe to our natural resources and what we consider “wealth.”
Timecodes: 0:38:37 – 0:40:30 and 0:58:40 – 0:59:11
Total time: 2 minutes, 24 seconds
2. Externalities and Accepted Economics
This clip presents an overview of the balance between accepted economics and environmental concerns. It begins with a personal observation of paper mill effluent polluting a river and continues with discussion of the connection between a corporation’s legal structure and the requirement to maximize short term profit. The clip also introduces the concept of distributing the effects of harmful byproducts across society, while profits remain with stockholders.
Timecodes: 0:33:32 – 0:34:25 and 0:15:17 – 0:18:09 and 0:37:01 – 0:37:17
Total time: 4 minutes, 1 second
3. Links to Human Health
This clip examines the impact of chemical exposures on human health. It presents these health effects in the context of the widespread cancer epidemic now occurring as well as providing an example of environmental health effects from the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
Timecodes: 0:26:57 – 0:27:44 and 0:28:36 – 0:29:04 and 0:32:28 – 0:33:09
Total time: 1 minute, 56 seconds
4. Visions, Suggestions, and Solutions
This final clip offers ideas on how we can address the disconnect between currently accepted economics (as presented in clip 2) and environmental issues related to human health. The clip presents innovative ways that people have tried to change the behavior of corporations and curb pollution, such as treating environmental impact as a commodity that can be traded. It offers an example of how consumers influenced one company’s decision to develop an environmental vision. The clip concludes by summarizing several tools that can be used to balance corporate and community power through emphasis on the development of a better environmental ideal.
Timecodes: 0:35:08 – 0:35:49 and 1:01:46 – 1:03:15 and 0:51:33 – 0:52:18
Total time: 2 minutes, 55 seconds
Note: Total time length may be slightly longer than that listed in the facilitation guide in order to simplify timecodes.