by Brad Balfour

G21 Contributing Editor

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NEW YORK, NY, USA - With a tone more like an ominous scifi thriller than a provocative, yet fact-based documentary, THE CORPORATION presents a hard-hitting treatise about what has happened to this dominant force in global commerce and world power. Since corporations function, by law, as "persons," these omnipresent entities have seen their presence expand exponentially since they emerged 150 years ago as relatively insignificant business organizations. Moreso, they have evolved as more than a business structure but also as enveloping umbrellas that embrace people with a comforting environment - one that exists with no other rationale but profit. As a result, people are driven by such a motivation that lacks a moral or ecological counterbalance and, as a result, has produced egregious abuses in the quest to meet its goal.

Made by relative newcomers - co-directors Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott, and co-writer Joel Bakan - this trio dissects the insidious influence these institutions have had on our society and the world. In light of the economic crimes corporate leaders have committed and have been allowed to get away with, no thanks to the Bush administration which is so corporate-friendly, this film has even greater relevance. And the film includes quote from another foe of the corporation, director Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11).

Today, THE CORPORATION offer a vivid, and dramatic look at this pervasive influence on our lives - much like the Church, the Monarchy and the Communist Party has had in other times. With its New York debut at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, co-director Mark Achbar (who made the influential MANUFACTURING CONSENT: NOAM CHOMSKY AND THE MEDIA) answered a few questions about the film's evolution.

G21: WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS PROJECT?

MARK ACHBAR: I chose to work on [this film] because it offered an opportunity to explore a number of human rights and environmental issues that are of concern to me -- and not just me, to a lot of people -- through a very peculiar and intriguing window: the institution of the modern business corporation. There have been many documentaries about particular corporate harms or injustices, individual battles against this corporation or that. And while these are important stories to tell - and as part of our overall approach, we tell several of them - we felt it was time to back up a bit, and try to get a larger perspective on the broader phenomenon that's going on here.

G21: WHAT DID YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH BY IT?

MARK ACHBAR: I hope to change how people see and think about what corporations are, what they do, and why they do it. I hope the film can spark a democratic dialogue on the values that what we, as a society, have chosen to propagate through this institution. We have choices to make, but there has been a degree of inertia in the general population, a surrendering of power, that has not served us and our planet well.

G21: WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH CORPORATIONS TODAY?

MARK ACHBAR: We have a very big problem on our hands, and the institution of the modern business corporation, although it can be an engine of innovation and wealth-creation can also be the source of a great deal of human suffering and environmental destruction. The rules that allow corporations -- indeed, compel them -- to function as they do are not written in stone. Some people - humans, like you and me - got together and made them up. And not all that long ago either. And what we have made we can remake, or unmake, if we so choose. I'm not suggesting it's going to be easy, but I am suggesting that unless we take back control, we and our progeny are collectively doomed. I want us to be able to look back at this era, as we look back at slavery today, and say, "What the Hell were we thinking?"

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G21: HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO STRUCTURE THE FILM THIS WAY?

MARK ACHBAR: In his early drafts and proposals for the book, Joel Bakan laid out the meta-structure for the film which is essentially: what is the nature of this institution? What are the consequences for humans, the environment and democracy if it continues to expand its domain? And finally, what are people doing about it?

Each vignette, story, and character portrait sheds light on one of these elements. Wherever it seemed appropriate, we made it amusing, but it's also intellectually and emotionally engaging. It's a bit of a roller coaster, but it holds people's attention.

G21: WHAT WENT INTO THE EDITING DECISIONS? THIS IS AN ENORMOUS SUBJECT. IT MUST HAVE BEEN TRAUMATIC AS TO WHAT TO KEEP AND [WHAT TO] CUT.

MARK ACHBAR: Jennifer Abbott, my co-director and editor suffered the lion's share of these decisions while I was mostly out in the field gathering more interviews and imagery. Both of us went through 800 pages of transcripts and chose what we felt were the strongest sections. Jen assembled these into a 32 hour rough assembly. That got whittled down and whittled down, and eventually, she began to bring in illustrative elements, graphics and stock shots from over 100 sources. In all, we were dealing with something like 70 interviews and 450 hours of footage. That was reduced to 40 of the best interviews and a total of 2.5 hours of footage. The beauty of modern technology is that a good deal of what didn't make it into the final cut can be shared with viewers through the DVD. I plan to do an extensive 2-DVD set later this year.

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G21: WHAT HAS BEEN THE FILM'S IMPACT SO FAR? MARK ACHBAR: From the feedback we had after our sellout screening at the World Social Forum in Mumbai, India, to its amazing reception at Sundance [Film Festival 2004] -- not to mention the truly incredible numbers with our Canadian launch -- it's clear that this film is resonating with audiences around the world. People care deeply about the issues that the film addresses.

G21: WERE YOU EVER AFRAID OF THE REPERCUSSIONS TO THIS FILM?

MARK ACHBAR: As Executive Producer and Producer, I live in constant fear of legal threats.

Not that I feel we are vulnerable - Joel Bakan, the writer of the film and the book on which it is based, who also happens to be an esteemed law professor, says we are on solid ground and the lawyers at Simon and Shuster agree with him, as does mine. There are no factual errors and there is no libelous material. That said, we are a mosquito on the rump of these huge transnational corporations and if they choose to flick their legal tails, they could inflict a lot of pain and suffering on the film and on the company that created it, and in turn, the little mom and pop companies that distribute it. They could do this instinctively or even maliciously. From my perspective, it's all the same. It would be a hassle and a pain and I hope it doesn't happen. On the other hand, it would ultimately only boost sales of the film, which, one would imagine from the corporate point of view to becounterproductive.

G21: SOME PEOPLE MUST FIND THE FILM HEAVY HANDED OR MAYBE TOO ONE SIDED. HOW DO YOU REACT TO THAT?

MARK ACHBAR: First of all, half the people in the film are CEOs or corporate insiders. They have their say. Sometimes they even get the last word. The film has a definite point of view, yes, but it is also very fair to the people on the corporate side of the ledger. It's not an attack on them. It's an analysis of the institution they're working for. Those are two very different things.

Corporations spend almost $500 billion per year to construct their image in the media through advertising and through manipulation of the news (80% of news stories are corporate-generated). I will be astounded if anyone accuses our little film of being heavy handed. To people who say the film isn't balanced, I say, The Corporation IS the balance.

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