Films to Use in Economics Courses

Prepared by Geoff Schneider, Bucknell University

Updated August 21, 2003

Recommended or Strongly Recommended Films

ADVERTISING AND THE END OF THE WORLD (Northampton, Mass: Media Education Foundation, 1998, 47 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Advertising and the End of the World presents a compelling and accessible argument about consumerism and its impact on the earth's future. But perhaps the best part of the film is the discussion of the role of commercial culture in shaping our values and manipulating our emotions. The analysis of commercials is gripping and superb, as we are taken through how advertisers try to get us to connect products with love, friendship and sex. The narrator, Sut Jhally, does a bit too much talking on camera, but overall a very effective film.

AFFLUENZA (Oley, PA: Bullfrog Films, Inc., 1997, 56 minutes). Strongly Recommended. This film, narrated by Scott Simon, argues the focus on material goods in modern society is the cause of many of our current problems. We are told by advertisers to be unhappy with what we have, and that we will be happy and cool once we buy more stuff. Yet materialism leaves people unhappy and unfulfilled. People end up working harder to purchase even more goods, which undermines families. Additionally, the increased production of useless items has devastating effects on the environment. Simon argues that the only solution is simple living: we must learn to produce and consume fewer goods, use resources more efficiently, and work on recreating the bonds of community that materialism has destroyed. Overall, a very effective indictment of consumer culture, economic growth and materialism. Wonderful use of commercials and humor to demonstrate the absurdity of contemporary culture.

AFRICA (Chicago: Home Vision, 1984, 8 parts, 57 minutes each). Strongly Recommended. Written and presented by Basil Davidson, demonstrates the devastating effects that colonialism had on the African continent. While it is now a bit dated, this series is superbly done. It is visually stimulating and contains a number of interviews with people directly involved in key events in African history. Part 6 (This magnificent African cake) about the partition of Africa, part 7 (The rise of nationalism) about the struggle for independence, and part 8 (The legacy) are particularly useful for economic development courses.

AWFUL TRUTH (New York, NY : New Video, c2000). Recommended. Michael Moore’s TV show, now available on video, is irreverent, funny and progressive in nature. Although the bits generally aren’t quite as good as those in The Big One, some are superb. Many segments are short and can be used easily to spark discussion in class.

battle of the titans (New York: Filmakers Library [distributor], c1993, 54 minutes). Recommended. Outstanding documentary showing US workers losing their jobs due to less expensive foreign competition. Explores labor market issues in LDCs where unionization and strikes are brutally crushed. Good film to introduce students to globalization, labor issues, and the international mobility of capital. Now a bit dated.

BEATING THE BOTTOM LINE, Surviving the Bottom Line series, part 4 (Princeton, NJ : Films for the Humanities & Sciences, c1998, 58 minutes). Recommended. In this concluding episode of Surviving the Bottom Line, Hedrick Smith finds companies that are generating new jobs and staying competitive while keeping work in America. Their success is in a large part due to cooperation between management, labor and local government. The cooperation between all stakeholders leads to increases in productivity, which allows firms to stay competitive with corporations that have chosen to move overseas for cheap labor. Smith goes on to explore the economy of the Netherlands, where management, labor and the government collectively make important economic decisions and businesses are able to stay competitive despite a very short work week and superb benefits. An excellent film which nicely documents to benefits of managed capitalism.

BEHIND THE SCREENS: HOLLYWOOD GOES HYPERCOMMERCIAL (Northampton, Mass.: Media Education Foundation, c2000, 37 minutes). Recommended. Another good effort from the media education foundation. Robert McChesney, Janet Wasko and others expose the effects of hypercommercialism on filmmaking. They argue that commercial impulses limit creativity and art in filmmaking, such that most films produced today are more vehicles for selling products than they are artistic statements by filmmakers and actors.

Big One, The (Burbank, CA : Miramax Home Entertainment, c1998, 90 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Michael Moore's premise is that, in 1996 in the midst of an economic expansion with record corporate profits, he can find an example of downsizing in every town he visits on his book tour (for Downsize This). And this is exactly what he shows: corporations earning huge profits, often with the help of corporate welfare, yet they are still laying off people and moving overseas. Using various gimmicks and stunts, Moore targets corrupt politicians, corporate welfare, and our economic system, which according to him is an "evil empire" of capitalism. The coup de grace is a series of exchanges with Nike CEO Phil Knight, in which Moore pushes Knight to open a Nike plant in Flint, Michigan and to do the right thing by his workers. Knight, of course, refuses. Overall, a funny, irreverent, meandering film which nicely captures the plight of the working class in the modern economy.

BIGGER THAN ENRON (Alexandria, Va: PBS Home Video, c2002, 60 minutes). Strongly Recommended. The collapse of Enron caused many to question the watchdog system designed to protect investors. But Enron and Arthur Andersen are the tip of the iceberg. In the late 1990s, Enron was just one of the more than 400 corporations forced to dramatically restate their value because of accounting lapses, failures or fraud. FRONTLINE examines an oversight system gone soft. Excellent treatment of the accounting scandals and a political system that allows corrupt CEOs to shape policy in their favor.

CANCEL THE DEBT NOW!: The Jubilee 2000 Campaign (Washington, D.C. : Jubilee 2000, c1999, 24 minutes). Recommended. Jubilee 2000 is the worldwide movement to cancel the debts of the most impoverished countries in the world by the year 2000. This video explains the origins of these debts and argues that they should be canceled. Concisely but effectively shows the devastating impact of debt upon the people and the environment in poor countries.

CAPPUCCINO TRAIL: tHE gLOBAL eCONOMY IN A cUP (Princeton, NJ : Films for the Humanities & Sciences, c2002, 50 minutes). Recommended. By following the trail of two coffee beans grown in the Peruvian Andes, this program looks at the stimulant, which, after oil, is the most globally traded commodity. One of the beans takes the route of the open market where its price is determined by commodities traders and analysts. The other bean finds its way into a gourmet coffee made by a company dedicated to paying fair prices to farmers for their high-quality organic crop. Good treatment of the vagaries of the global trading system and the vulnerability of those dependent on the export of primary commodities. Argues that the Fair Trade movement offers a much good alternative to the free trade regimes currently in vogue.

CLOCKWORK (San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel, c1981, 25 minutes). Recommended. Explores the effects of Taylorism and scientific management on the workplace. Illustrates the profound effects mechanization and monitoring had on workers.

CONSTRUCTING PUBLIC OPINION: How Politicians and the Media Misrepresent the Public (Media Education Foundation, 2001, 32 minutes). Recommended. Using various surveys, the film suggests that the US general public wants liberal programs, including more spending on education, anti-poverty programs and health, a higher minimum wage, gun control, etc. Corporate interests and conservative politicians who oppose these policies manipulate the media and misrepresent the public so that they can promote policies that most people disagree with. Provocative film that challenges the political status quo and demonstrates that the media is more pro-corporation than liberal.

THE CRASH (PBS Video, 1999, 55 minutes). Recommended. Excellent treatment of the issues surrounding the Asian financial crisis by the Frontline series. Complex financial market issues are explained very clearly, making the film useful for that purpose alone. William Greider, George Soros, Jeffrey Sachs and others discuss the rampant currency speculation that culminated in busts in Mexico, Asia, Russia and Brazil, along with the bailouts and austerity measures that followed. The program reaches the conclusion that unregulated capital markets along with IMF bailouts led to a situation in which the people lost and the financial markets won, and that regulation of financial markets is the only way to prevent similar events from happening in the future.

CULTURE JAM: Hijacking commercial culture (New York, NY : First Run/Icarus Films, 2001, 52 minutes). Recommended. Delivers a fascinating rap on the 20th century movement called Culture Jamming. Pranksters and subversive artists are causing a bit of brand damage to corporate mindshare. A bit slow in places, but works well to get students to consider the effects of the media (especially its colonization of our public spaces) and how it can be used subversively.

DOT CON (PBS Video, 2002, 60 minutes). Strongly recommended. Frontline program detailing the insider bargaining and speculation that fueled the Dot Com bubble. Investment banks and large institutional investors carefully rigged Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) for their own benefit. Investment banks also fueled speculation (and made money) by pushing companies’ stocks that had poor fundamentals and that they knew were actually poor investments. Meanwhile, internet companies who did not yet have a product or a market (and certainly not profits) were encouraged to go public by investment banks looking for easy profits. In all, an excellent program showing that Wall Street is still a closed club, and that markets are steeped in speculation and fraud, which is inherently destabilizing to the economy as a whole.

EARTH AND THE AMERICAN DREAM (Santa Monica, CA : Direct Cinema Limited, 1993, 90 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Chronicling America's story from the point of view of the environment, it demonstrates that what was done in the name of progress has had enormous environmental repercussions. A powerful indictment of the costs of economic progress that students either love or hate, but is always very useful in forcing students to confront the costs of living as we do. There are a number of graphic images (a mountain of buffalo skulls, clubbing of baby seals, animals in oil slicks) that are quite shocking, but which do make an impression on students. Overall, a moving film that never fails to generate excellent classroom discussion.

ECONOMICS (REINVENTING THE WORLD series, Bullfrog Films, 2000, 50 minutes). Recommended. David Korten, Paul Hawken and others argue that capitalism generates a host of negative, unintended consequences because it focuses on profits, consumerism and is run by multinational corporations. Instead, the authors argue that the economy should be run democratically and organized around family, community and environmental sustainability. Gives examples of non-profits that are already operating in this fashion.

ESCAPE FROM AFFLUENZA (Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, 1998, 55 minutes). Recommended. This film is a sequel to the film "Affluenza" which explores the virtues of Simple Living. The film examines a number of families that have voluntarily downshifting, reducing their hours of work as well as their consumption of commodities. While the film is a little slow, it does present a compelling argument that downshifting is good for the family, community and the environment.

FOR MAN MUST WORK, OR THE END OF WORK (First Run/Icarus Films, 2000, 52 minutes). Recommended. Works through Jeremy Rifkin’s theory that with the computer revolution technology is eliminating jobs at a faster and faster pace. Globalization also fuels the problem by moving jobs to low-wage countries with rightless, commodified labor forces. These processes, driven by corporate greed, result in permanent poverty for a large portion of the labor force, while those at the top earn large profits. Argues that we need to develop an economy which is sustainable and creates meaningful work for people. Warning: many of the people featured in the film speak in French, so there are lots of subtitles.

FREE TRADE SLAVES (Princeton, NJ: Films For the Humanities, 1998, 58 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Graphic, disturbing, often gripping treatment of the problems in free trades zones around the world. While the film meanders a bit, it very effectively illustrates the problems generated by global free trade. Stories of labor abuses and the conditions in sweatshops are horrifying, but the discussion of birth defects and health problems created by Maquilas ignoring environmental laws are even more gruesome. The filmmakers connect these issues nicely to the global race to find the cheapest wages and the least restrictive environmental laws. The filmmakers then suggest that workers around the world need the right to unionize and to decent conditions, and that we as consumers should use our power to punish companies that continue to abuse people and the environment. Overall, a very effective film which has a broader focus than "Zoned for Slavery."

GLOBALIZATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS (New York, N.Y. : Globalvision, 1998, 57 minutes). Recommended. This film explores both sides of the debate over globalization. Business leaders argue that trade and globalization benefit people around the world by raising living standards. Labor and human rights advocates argue that globalization is undermining human rights and that corporations are too powerful. Corporations willingly operate in countries run by repressive regimes and use their power to push for concessions instead of for social progress. Overall, a balanced, effective treatment of globalization that works well as an introduction to the realities of the global economy and the theory of comparative advantage.

GREAT DEPRESSION: MEAN THINGS HAPPENING (PBS Video, 1993, episode 5, 57 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Part of the PBS series on the great depression, this episode explores labor strife during the depression. Begins with the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in the South, which was crushed with the help of local government. Moves on to the fight in the steel industries in the north. Discusses the Wagner Act and its impact. Excellent documentary footage of the brutality which strikers faced at the time.

GREED: with John Stossel (New York, NY: ABC News, 1998, 45 minutes). Recommended. John Stossel takes us through Adam Smith's argument that Greed is a universal motivation that empowers economic growth for all by responding to the needs of consumers. Stossel equates greed with the thirst for knowledge, and argues that philanthropists would benefit the public more if they invested in new business ventures instead of giving money to the poor. According to Stossel, the free market does everything better than the public sector does. An extreme, biased but somewhat powerful argument about the benefits of an unfettered market system. A very useful film to present the ideas of Adam Smith. I find it useful to show this film in conjunction with "When Children Do the Work," to show the downside of free markets.

GREENING BUSINESS (Oley, PA: Bullfrog Films, 1994, 46 minutes). Recommended. Outstanding film that goes through the negative externalities created by most businesses and then spends time working through possible solutions to these problems. The film questions whether or not growth is a good thing, and makes the argument that all production should occur in an environment in which the consequences of production for people and the earth are an explicit consideration. Quite well done, and less heavy handed than "Earth and the American Dream."

HISTORY OF SOCIAL CLASSES (Princeton, NJ: Films for the humanities & sciences, 1999, 53 minutes). Recommended. Part of the Ecce Homo (Evolution of Society) series. Explores the evolution of social classes from their earliest manifestations in hunter/gatherer communities to the social classes of today. Makes the point that, although class mobility under capitalism is more fluid than in many other societies, class structure is still highly resistant to change. Legitimates the study of class and gives students a nice, quick introduction to the topic.

HISTORY OF WORK (Princeton, NJ: Films for the humanities & sciences, 1999, 53 minutes). Recommended. Part of the Ecce Homo (Evolution of Society) series. Explores the concept of work from early human societies (hunter/gatherer) through slavery, feudalism and capitalism. Notes that throughout human history many have worked while a few have had the privilege of not working while receiving the benefits of the work of others. The film effectively introduces students to the study of labor and gives them a concise, useful background. Makes the point that as civilizations prospered and grew, work shifted to the less privileged while the elite scorned work.

HOLDING GROUND: the Rebirth of Dudley Street (New Day Films, 1996, 58 minutes). Recommended. Through the voices of committed residents, activists and city officials, this documentary shows how a Boston community organized the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and was able to create and carry out its own agenda for change. Documents how planners usually ignore the opinions of the people directly affected by policies, and provides a powerful message that committed community action can lead to economic development and revitalization, along with safer streets and a better place in which to live.

KARL MARX AND MARXISM (Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 1993, 52 minutes). Recommended. Excellent introduction to Marx and his ideas. Writer and narrator Stuart Hall looks at the roots of Marx’s philosophy, at the causes and explanations of his philosophical development, and at his analysis of capitalism. Hall notes that, while the Soviet Union claimed to be following Marx, there are many who dispute that. Hall finds it particularly ironic that the “Marxist” regime in Poland was brought down by a workers’ rebellion. Thoughtful, unapologetic film that sympathetically covers Marx’s ideas while distancing them from Soviet Marxism.

kILLING SCREENS (Media Education Foundation, 1994, 41 minutes). Recommended. Superb indictment of television by George Gerbner (narrated by Jean Kilbourne). Clearly demonstrates the connection between television violence and increased violence in our society. People do not prefer violent shows, but this form of media is cheap and easy to produce, so studios continue to produce large quantities of awful, hateful programs and movies. Unfortunately, the social consequences are devastating.

KILLING US SOFTLY 3 (Media Education Foundation, 2000, 34 minutes). Recommended. Jean Kilbourne illustrates how the media usually portray women as sex objects and how this in turn affects society’s views of women. Kilbourne argues that sexism and sexual harassment are linked to cultural attitudes, which are shaped in part by ads and the media. She also traces eating disorders to media representations of women. Thus media efforts to sell products by via images of scantily clad, vulnerable, passive women creates a negative externality. Excellent film on the whole. Women students tend to support the film wholeheartedly while male students react quite negatively and deny that media portrayals of women affect how they treat women.

LAID TO WASTE (Philadelphia, PA: Drexel University, 1996, 53 minutes). Recommended. Explores the efforts of the citizens of Chester, PA to fight hazardous waste incinerators in their town. Vivid depiction of environmental racism. Demonstrates that corporations hold all the cards when it comes to the control of the community. Clearly demonstrates the concept of a negative externality. Film is slightly confusing to those not already familiar with Chester, so it should be supplemented with an informational handout that describes the history and issues in more detail.

LIVING ON THE EDGE (PBS Video, 1995, 57 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Excellent documentary (from the PBS series Frontline) tracing the lives of two Milwaukee families. Both families are devastated when the fathers lose their jobs because their employer, Briggs and Stratton, moves its operations overseas. Demonstrates how hard working and desperate much of the blue collar is today. Students respond very well to the film’s depiction of the economic and social costs of unemployment. Part of a series which includes two other excellent documentaries, “The Minimum Wage Economy” and “Does America Still Work?”, all of which are compiled in the 2-hour film “Surviving the Good Times.”

Made in Brooklyn (New Day Films, 1993, 55 minutes). Recommended. This film argues that the decline in manufacturing that is occurring in New York City, and which has been brought about in part by city planners, is both unnecessary and, over the long term, disastrous. The film focuses on a number of light manufacturing plants that have emerged in Brooklyn in the past few years that have brought much needed jobs to locals, one third of whom are immigrants. The film points out that in NYC the move to a service economy means that almost all living-wage jobs will be in the upper end of the service economy, where, in light manufacturing plants in Brooklyn almost all jobs produce living wages. In its own way, the film is a paean to skilled manual labor and the instinct of workmanship, quite refreshing in this informational world.

MCLIBEL: TWO WORLDS COLLIDE (London: One-Off Productions, 1997, 53 minutes). Recommended. Follows McDonalds' lawsuit against two English activists who criticized McDonalds for creating bad jobs, destroying rain forests, promoting poor health, generating huge amounts of waste, being cruel to animals, and deceiving customers about their practices. Good film for portraying the power of multinational corporations and how they use this power to stifle free speech, along with the amazing effects that two committed activists can have in raising awareness and making a difference.

MICKEY MOUSE MONOPOLY: Disney, Childhood and Corporate Power (Northampton, Mass.: Media Education Foundation, 2001, 52 minutes). Recommended. Describes the gender and racial stereotypes contained in Disney films and analyzes their negative effects on children. Also covers commercialism and the effects of giant conglomerates like Disney controlling the media, although it does this much less effectively than Behind The Screens (also by the Media Education Foundation). Excellent for a course on gender (although less effective than Killing Us Softly 3), race, childhood. Less useful for a standard economics course.

MODERN TIMES (Key Video, 1989,1936, 87 minutes). Recommended. This movie is a devastating satire on the effects of mass production on the lives of factory workers. Charlie Chaplin plays a factory worker who cracks under the strain of his job, and is forced to take jobs as a night watchman and a singing waiter. Excellent companion piece for Clockwork, as it focuses on the dehumanization of the workplace and the alienation of labor.

MONEY FOR NOTHING: BEHIND THE BUSINESS OF POP MUSIC (Media Education Foundation, 2001, 48 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Superb discussion of the problems associated with the commodification of music. Explores how the music industry works to control what you hear so they can make more money, while at the same time suppressing innovative artists who don’t have multi-platinum potential. Argues that artists should get a greater share of the revenues from their music, and that music should be about art, not just about profit. Ani DiFranco, Chuck D, Thurston Moore and other musicians expose the dark side of business when it controls and dominates an art form like music. Because of the subject matter, students really connect with this film.

ORGANIZING AMERICA: A HISTORY OF TRADE UNIONS (Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 1994, 42 minutes). Recommended with reservations. A very short introduction to the labor movement in the US. Walks through the achievements of the labor movement (8 hour day, better working conditions, no child labor, the minimum wage) and the abuses of capital (company towns, strikebreaking). There is some excellent footage of early sweatshops and child labor, but much is glossed over, the film does not effectively demonstrate why unions are still important, and it meanders a bit toward the end. Overall, only an adequate introduction to the labor movement.

OUR FRIENDS AT THE BANK (New York, NY : First Run/Icarus Films, 1997, 85 minutes). Recommended. Follows a World Bank development project in Uganda. Shows how decisions are made, strong-handed manner of the World Bank and the IMF when negotiating with countries. Closed door footage of meetings and candid comments by officials makes this an excellent film for giving students a feel for what the World Bank is all about. While not overtly critical of the World Bank and the IMF, their representatives are shown to be arrogant and racist, and ultimately it is not clear that their aid is very helpful. The same film is available in a longer, poorly edited version called The World Bank: The Great Experiment.

POWER OF THE MARKET (Erie, PA: WQLN/Public Communications; distributed by Penn Communications, 1980, 60 minutes). Recommended. Part I of the series “Free to Choose.” Milton Friedman argues that sweatshops are good and that unregulated markets benefit everyone. Like Stossel (see “Greed”), Friedman carefully selects facts in order to make the case that unregulated markets are the best possible economic system and that any hard working person can get ahead under such a system. Now a bit dated; students react better to “Greed.”

Red Capitalism (Filmakers, 1994). Recommended. This concerns the free enterprise zone in Southeast China, how it is affecting the Chinese there, and its rippling effects on the rest of the country. A central focus is on highly trained people, like physicists or other scientists, who come from the rest of the country to the enterprise zone because they can make better money there doing low-skilled wage work. Has persuasive bits on how children are being acculturated according to the new "capitalist" rules in the enterprise zone, how much income disparity there is, how rapidly the zone is growing compared to the rest of China, and so on. A very good film about capitalism, in general, and about how it is developing in China. Implies that the 21st century will be dominated by China.

ROGER AND ME (Burbank, Calif. : Warner Home Video, 1990, 91 minutes). Recommended. Comments from film box: When hard times came to his hometown, Michael Moore sunk every penny he had into filming "Roger & Me". He emerged as a modern folk hero, because he doggedly and hilariously pursued what every working person wants to do - talk to the man at the top. Moore's efforts to meet General Motors chairman Roger Smith and to get Smith to visit Flint, Michigan provide the framework for the film.

ROLLOVER: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE SUV (Frontline, PBS Video, 2002, 60 minutes). Strongly recommended. Manufacturers have known about the rollover risks of SUVs for decades. But the NHTSA was weakened under Reagan, and refused to act despite mounting evidence. Also, settlements kept problems hidden for many years since information about rollovers was not made public. SUVs impose significant negative externalities on others in terms of environmental damage and in terms of being more dangerous to people in smaller cars. Rollovers remain the most deadly of car accidents; there are 70,000 rollovers which kill 2000 people each year. But SUVs are marketed as safe, sporty cars. A fascinating story that explores the intersection of corporate profit-seeking, marketing, government regulation, and consumer safety.

RUNNING OUT OF TIME (Films for the Humanities, 1994, 57 minutes). Recommended. Scott Simon narrates this look at modern society in the era of dual-income families. Contrasts the US economic system with that of Japan, where 10,000 people die from overwork each year, and Germany, where workers have 6 weeks of paid vacation and a 32 hour work week. Looks at issues such as job sharing, shortening the work week, and the simple living movement. Generally very well done, if a bit scattershot.

STORE WARS: WHEN WAL-MART COMES TO TOWN (Bullfrog Films, 2001, 60 minutes). Recommended. Looks at what happens to the local community when a Wal-Mart comes to town. Increased traffic, lost jobs, homogenization of businesses are products of Wal-Mart’s entry. The benefits of Wal-Mart are limited, however: low-wage jobs, little money stays in the local community. Also, Wal-Mart frequently closes down stores once their competitors go under, forcing people to travel to Wal-Marts in surrounding communities. Good film that takes a balanced approach to the topic, but ultimately suggests communities are probably better off without Wal-mart.

SURVIVING THE GOOD TIMES: A MOYERS REPORT (Films for the Humanities, 2000, 117 minutes). Recommended. Finishes the story begun by The Minimum Wage Economy and Living on the Edge. Follows two working class families, one African-American and one white, as they cope with life in the US from 1990-2000. The head of the household in each family loses his job because his manufacturing employer moves abroad. Throughout the rest of the decade, the families struggle to make ends meet. The men never get good-paying jobs again, benefits are a perpetual concern, and the children suffer due to the stress on the family. An excellent film for demonstrating how hard-working most working people are, and how the boom of the 1990s left out a lot of people. Helps to dismantle stereotypes about people on welfare and the poor. This film meanders a bit, and is less hard hitting than Living on the Edge, but it is able to tell a longer, more complete story because of its length.

TAKEN FOR A RIDE (New Day Films, 1996, 55 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Superb documentary which describes the manner in which General Motors systematically dismantled public transportation systems in all of the major US cities. The film demonstrates that GM was directly responsible for replacing trolley systems with buses. GM and the highway lobby then promoted the interstate highway system and the expansion of interstates into downtown areas. This is an amazing story of how the entire landscape of the US was changed because of the profit-seeking behavior of our largest corporation.

THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE ((Independent Media Center/Big Noise Films, 2000, 72 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Moving documentary of the Seattle WTO protests. Shocking first-hand footage of peaceful protestors getting beaten and gassed. Makes the point that global capitalism is exploiting people and the environment, and only a global counter-movement will be able to reign it in. The police are on the side of global capitalists, but a united populace can triumph over police power and greed. Great film for getting people to think seriously about change via social movements.

TOXIC SLUDGE IS GOOD FOR YOU: THE PUBLIC RELATIONS INDUSTRY UNSPUN (Northampton, MA : Media Education Foundation, c2002, 45 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Tracks the development of the PR industry from early efforts to win popular American support for World War I to the role of crisis management in controlling the damage to corporate image. The video analyzes the tools public relations professionals use to shift our perceptions including a look at the coordinated PR campaign to slip genetically engineered food past public scrutiny.

TRADING DEMOCRACY (Bill Moyers Reports, Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 2002, 55 minutes). Strongly recommended. Focuses on chapter 11 of NAFTA, which allows corporations to challenge laws which inhibit trade. Goes through 3 cases where corporations sued governments over environmental laws or anti-trust laws which reduced their profits. Under NAFTA, all laws protecting consumers and the environment can be challenged by foreign companies who would be negatively impacted by the laws (their reduced profits are considered an unjust “taking” under NAFTA provisions). NAFTA has become a shadow government operating on behalf of capital that dictates how we can regulate the market. Highly effective, and evokes a sense of outrage amongst students.

TV NATION (Culver City, CA: Columbia Tristar Home Video, 1997). Recommended. Michael Moore’s first TV show broadcast in 1994 and 1995. Volume 1 contains the classic “Taxi” segment where a wealthy black actor tries to hail a cab, failing repeatedly while a white convicted felon usually gets picked up. Other segments explore corporate crime, gun control, free trade agreements, etc. Short, pithy segments than can be used in class to lighten things up but also to get the students to confront some controversial issues.

WASHINGTON’S OTHER SCANDAL (PBS Video, 1998). Recommended. Bill Moyers and Frontline explore how both Democrats and Republicans conspired to evade the laws which limit the amount of money allowed to flow into election campaigns. Excellent indictment of soft money and how it corrupts our politicians.

WATER FOR TONOUMASSE (New York: Filmmakers Library, 1987, 28 minutes). Recommended. Case study of a water project in town in rural Togo. Demonstrates the importance of culture and open-minded, non-western attitudes in the success of development projects. Also illustrates the transformative powers of properly designed projects in stimulating development and improving the lives of women.

WHEN CHILDREN DO THE WORK (Oakland, CA: We Do the Work, 1996, 25 minutes). Strongly Recommended. Excellent documentary about the problems of child labor in developing countries. Includes most of "Zoned For Slavery" (see comments below) as well as a section on the horrors of the carpet industry in Pakistan. Students will think twice about the products they buy after viewing what goes on in sweatshops that produce goods for the US market. This film works well as a counterpart to "Greed" or "The Power of the Market."

WHO’S COUNTING (Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, 1995, 95 minutes). Recommended. Marilyn Waring discusses how companies and wealthy individuals buy political influence and bias the economy towards things which make them money. Our economic system places no value on untouched natural beauty, meanwhile, smoking, the arms trade and auto accidents all increase GDP. Thus Waring concludes that GDP is unrelated to wellbeing. Instead, we should look at poverty, the environment, access to health care, leisure time, peace, and especially unpaid human work. Women's work is invisible in all cultures, and has no value in our economic system. The World Bank tells poor countries to stop subsistence farming and to produce for export, but in the process, people starve. To Waring, economics is a tool of exploitation of the people in power, used to manipulate society to emphasize purely monetary goals and ignore unmeasureable goods. Excellent feminist perspective on economics. The students find this version of the film a bit long, but a shorter version of this film is now available.

ZONED FOR SLAVERY (Crowing Rooster Arts, 1996. 23 minutes. Distributed by the National Labor Committee: (212) 242-0986). Recommended. Gripping, low-budget film depicting free trade areas in Latin American LDCs. Countries are engaged in a race to the bottom to see who will accept the lowest wages and poorest working conditions to attract the most foreign investment. Companies in these free trade zones pay absurdly low wages, but the exploitation goes much further. Teenage girls often work 23 hour shifts; they are forced to take birth control pills and they must pay for abortions if they get pregnant. Unions are prohibited, and each company has armed guards. These free trade zones are supported by US AID funds, yet the US is losing out: the US loses jobs and income at home, and doesn’t gain a trading partner, since the LDC workers earning $0.38/hour cannot afford to buy US goods.

Less Highly Recommended or Not Recommended:

Consuming Images. (Films for the Humanities). Comments from the catalogue: "Bill Moyers looks at a society inundated with visual images. From billboards to bus stops, from rock videos to newsstands, mass-produced images have become the air we breathe." Is this "pure manipulation, the appropriation of language and meaning," or the "dawning of a new era"? There are merits to this film, but it is less effective than its counterparts from the Media Education Foundation, especially "The Killing Screens" and “Advertising and the End of the World.”

DOES AMERICA STILL WORK? (PBS Video, 1992, 57 minutes). OK. At the height of the Rust Belt primaries, Frontline goes to Milwaukee where presidential candidates tap the deep-seated anxiety and insecurity that fuels tensions between American businesses and their employees. This program looks behind the heated political rhetoric to see how companies, workers, and civic leaders are wrestling with global competition and the end of an era of industrial affluence. In a volatile economic climate, what do corporations owe their employees and their communities?"--Container. a good film, but a bit dry, and less effective than "Beating the Bottom Line."

ENVIRONMENT: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE (Ecce Homo series, Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 2000, 53 minutes). Adequate film which explores the increasing levels of environmental devastation that have accompanied the growth of human civilization. A bit simplistic, and without the power of Earth and the American Dream. But OK for high school students and those with no background with respect to environmental issues.

FOOD OR FAMINE (Nature of Things series, Canadian Public TV. Publisher: Filmmakers Library). Rather dull treatment of the problems associated with the green revolution. Modern farming techniques are causing soil erosion, increased usage of pesticides, and increased reliance on chemical fertilizers which are potentially harmful to humans and the environment. Instead, we should pursue organic farming techniques which preserve the ecosystems of the world. Might be OK for an environmental economics course or a course focusing on agricultural economics, but not very exciting, and far too specific for a general economics course.

FUTURE OF WORK (New York : Filmmakers Library, c1995, 25 minutes). Recommended with reservations. Jeremy Rifkin discusses a future which computers have eliminated most traditional occupations. To Rifkin, the only solution to the dilemma of modern technological progress is to reorient the way we distribute goods and services. Rifkin advocates paying people for public service and volunteerism. Not the most exciting of movies, but an interesting topic which provokes a reaction from students.

GLOBAL CAPITALISM AND THE MORAL IMPERATIVE (Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities, c1998, 29 minutes). Moral and religious leaders warn that global laissez-faire is producing consequences similar to those of the 19^th century, when gaps between rich and poor kept thousands in abject poverty for generations. It appears that economic and political reforms are necessary to halt these trends, but there is currently no mechanism for global reforms that are needed. An interesting introduction to some of the issues surrounding globalization, but a vague and unfocused concluding segment makes the film less appealing than "Battle of the Titans" or "Globalization and Human Rights."

HUMAN TIDE (Nature of Things series, Canadian Public TV. Publisher: Filmmakers Library). This film predicts dire consequences if the world does not begin to reduce population growth. The film begins by reminding us that the predictions of The Population Bomb were accurate: population growth is indeed exploding. While population growth in the West is more devastating than population growth in the 3rd World (due to consumption patterns), the filmmakers believe the Earth is nearing its maximum carrying capacity. Overall, a mediocre film with many scary statistics, too many talking heads, and little to offer in the way of solutions.

INSIDE THE WORLD’S MIGHTIEST BANK: THE FEDERAL RESERVE (Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 2001, 51 minutes). Briefly explores the importance of monetary policy and then spends most of the time talking about anti-counterfeiting techniques used in the manufacturing of money. Possibly suitable for high school students but largely useless for an economics class at the college level.

INVISIBLE WALL (Filmmakers Library). Recommended with reservations. This film focuses on the developmental wall between the North and the South. While poor countries rely on exports of primary products, which they sell at prices they cannot control (prices which have been falling steadily), the North sells expensive manufactured goods. The South has been forced by indebtedness to engage in Structural Adjustment policies (sponsored by the World Bank and IMF) which promote markets, privatization and exports. But these programs have resulted in falling primary product prices, foreign ownership of southern companies, and little growth. In many cases, development funds for these programs go to dictators and elites instead of the general population. Furthermore, debt service payments from the South to the North amount to 6 Marshall Plans, so there is a massive net outflow of funds from the South to the North. Meanwhile, Northern agricultural subsidies, promoted by huge agri-business conglomerates in the US and Europe, are undermining producers in the South. Yet the North continues to trumpet the benefits of the market system. John Kenneth Galbraith notes that the market system has only survived because of a mixture of market incentives and state activity; markets require government regulation and support. While Milton Friedman argues that corporations need no social conscience, the filmmakers note that trade promotes only corporate interests; social goals can only be preserved by regulating the market and constraining trade. Inequality and rampant consumerism are dangerous and destabilizing forces which must be checked. The inequality between the North and South is particularly evident as Northern pollution causes global warming and as pollution is dumped in LDCs, so Southern LDCs are bearing many of the costs of Northern development but are receiving few of the benefits. Overall, a good film which is a bit dry in places (many talking heads) but contains some sophisticated economic analysis and some interesting issues to talk about in an economics class.

Jobs, Not What They Used to Be: The New Face of Work in America (Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 1996, 57 minutes). Somewhat slow film that talks about how the organization of work has changed since the advent of the Information Age. Focuses on how traditional corporate hierarchies have been replaced by teams in which workers have much more decision-making power. But the film also notes that wages have declined and work hours have increased for most people, so only the most highly educated and skilled workers are benefiting from the information revolution. Possibly a good film for a labor class, but not very stimulating.

PROFIT AND NOTHING BUT. Disorganized film that attempts to connect prosperity in the west with poverty in Haiti, but is impossible to follow and unclear.

THUS GALBRAITH (PBS, WGBH, Boston, c1997. 60 minutes). Interesting biography of John Kenneth Galbraith which spends much time on his career in politics but little time on his economic ideas. The choice of William F. Buckley as narrator is odd, despite his friendship with Galbraith. Buckley spends much time discussing criticisms of Galbraith’s work without developing Galbraith’s ideas fully. Ultimately, people interested in Galbraith’s life and times (especially the influence of the Depression and Keynes on his ideas) will enjoy the film, but it is not suitable for an economics class.

Back to Heterodox Film Resources