Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) |
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Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Documentary | Additional Footage | |
| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2009 | ||
| Running Time | 122:00 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Michael Moore |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Paramount Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Thora Birch William Black Jimmy Carter Congressman Elijah Cummings Baron Hill Marcy Kaptur John McCain Michael Moore Sarah Palin |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent | ||
| RPI | ? | Music | Jeff Gibbs |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
English English for the Hearing Impaired |
Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Michael Moore is no fan of capitalism. That's no surprise, for the chubby documentarian has been tilting at big business windmills all the way back to the late 80's when his film Roger & Me, about the closure of the GM plant in his home town of Flint, Michigan, concentrated his rage at the uncaring nature of big business. That film was a cry out on behalf of the "working man" but seems quaint nowadays compared to Capitalism: A Love Story and the documentary behemoths which came in between.
One thing is consistent. Moore is in his element when skewering the fat cats and insensitive big end of town. Where he fails is in explaining the big picture and providing answers to the problems thrown up by global economics.
Capitalism was a project that Moore had been tinkering with for a while. The GFC forced him to look wider and also gave him oodles more ammunition for his injustice gun. There are a few heroes in this film and a whole lot of enemies. On the good side of the ledger are FDR and Jimmy Carter. As the Second World War neared its close Roosevelt proposed a second Bill of Rights guaranteeing a right to a fair income and health for all Americans. He died before it could be introduced. Moore points to the post-war boom as a period of incredible prosperity for America but also the seeds of doom. When his other hero, Jimmy Carter, spoke in a fireside chat of the culture of greed which pervaded America he was ignored. It was the election of one of Moore's villains, Ronald Reagan, which led to the money men invading Capitol Hill and the inexorable path to deregulation and monetary free-for-all.
As said, Moore's wide-eyed incredulity at the economics of the US results in a film that goes hazy and unfocussed whenever we are asked to understand the bigger picture. He quite rightly bemoans the fact that pilots in America are paid wages so low that they often have to work second jobs to make ends meet. But is this the fault of Capitalism per se? Would fairer pay for these workers make a difference if the airlines went broke?
As said, Moore is really at his best when dealing with the personal issues. Proud long-term house owners kicked out of their homes by unfeeling banks - the same banks that had urged them into unwise high risk loans in the first place. Perhaps the most affecting moment is when Moore goes with his aged father to survey the ruins of the old spark plug factory where Moore senior worked his whole life. Tears of another kind well when he exposes the power of the stock brokers and money men in the White House leading up to the GFC, the same men who proposed the bail-out of the banks. These are tears of rage.
As a funny, sometimes sad, often anger inducing journey though the recent financial history of America this is an enjoyable and informative experience. As usual Moore is to be congratulated for introducing a wider audience to these issues. On this occasion his scattergun approach means that we are left angry without knowing exactly who to be angry at. It is an impossibly hard task to convince viewers that an entire economic system is the enemy. So enjoy this film for its stinging attacks on the control that big business had over the US government and the fact that they were first to the trough when the economy collapsed. Just remember that there are better, more carefully researched and tightly focussed documentaries out there to expand your knowledge.
Capitalism: A Love Story comprises digital video footage with a wealth of other materials - all cobbled into a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. That ratio has been preserved for the DVD release. It is 16x9 enhanced.
No one who buys a Michael Moore DVD is probably much interested in the visual quality but this is a pretty good looking effort. The colours are stable and the level of noise pretty minimal considering the low-fi origins of the project.
Moore uses a wealth of found and adapted materials to prove his point or just to amuse the viewer. Beginning with old footage warning of the horrors we are about to see, probably cropped from some old informational video, he also uses excerpts from old films and documentaries. Of course, the quality of these varies greatly but that doesn't matter.
There are subtitles in English and English for the Hearing Impaired which give a good account of on-screen action.
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Capitalism: A Love Story comes with an English Dolby Digital soundtrack running at 448 Kb/s.
The film doesn't really need a surround track. Most of the film consists of interview footage. The dialogue can be heard clearly and has been well recorded. There is really not much for the surrounds and sub-woofer to do other than lend weight to the music selections. Once again Moore adopts a magpie approach, combining strange bedfellows. Opening with Iggy Pop's take on Louie Louie 2 and interspersing punk with Mozart, Beethoven and snatches from other soundtracks (The Godfather and Atonement) Moore creates a film soundtrack every bit as loopy and hit'n'miss as the film itself.
There are no technical problems with the soundtrack.
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The DVD of Capitalism: A Love Story contains a mother lode of extra material of a single type - additional footage both of a deleted nature and an extended nature. There are 9 of these scenes as follows:
The advantage of these materials is that they are presented complete and not heavily edited. Also each presents an idea of how the average citizen can make a change to the way they live, such as growing a community garden, to reduce the weight of the GFC. Special moments? The unedited Jimmy Carter address which is startling in its frankness. Can you imagine a current political leader telling off his people for worshipping self-indulgence? There is also the interesting first segment in which an old mate of Moore explains how he uses the power to require homeowners to upkeep their premises to seize and bulldoze empty houses to be turned back into community housing in the wasteland that is Flint, Michigan.
Another nice plus is that the interviews are presented in a quality identical to the film including the subtitles.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The film has been released in other Regions. The Region 1 release is similar in specifications but contains one extra bonus material:
Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren on How Wall Street Got Away with Murder. It is a pity we didn't get this as Warren is one of the key figures in the whole GFC/Bail Out puzzle. Further, the Region 1 release contains a teaser trailer and the theatrical trailer.
A tough call but for me the PAL presentation probably tips the scale in favour of Region 4.
The film has also been released in Region A on Blu-ray. No release date for the Blu-ray in Region B.
Capitalism: A Love Story is a great introduction to the scary world of corporate greed and individual suffering. The wide-ranging focus makes it more difficult to understand than films such as The Corporation or Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Even so, this is tremendously entertaining with some amazing scenes and the usual Moore puckish humour.
The DVD release is pretty good combining more than adequate sound and vision with some interesting and informative extra materials.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Pioneer BDP-LX70A Blu-ray Player, using HDMI output |
| Display | Pioneer PDP-5000EX. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. |
| Amplification | Onkyo TX-SR605 |
| Speakers | JBL 5.1 Surround and Subwoofer |