(Study guide is presented in black and white packaging)
The Corporation (Mark
Achbar, Jennifer Abbott and Joel Bakan, 2004) is a Canadian documentary about
the institution of the corporation. One hundred and fifty years ago, the
corporation was a relatively insignificant entity. Today, it is a vivid,
dramatic and pervasive presence in all our lives. Like the Church, the Monarchy
and the Communist Party in other times and places, the Corporation is today’s
dominant institution. The film is a critical exposé of the
corporation’s inner workings, history, controversial impacts and possible
future. Featuring a range of interviews with a variety of participants, The
Corporation charts the spectacular rise of the institution whose overriding
mission is to make a profit. However, the corporation’s profit-driven mission
predisposes it toward characteristics that, in a person, would be considered objectionable
or even dangerous. But in exploring and exposing the power and
influence of the corporation this documentary also seeks to provide positive
messages of hope, and suggest ways that people can wrest control of their lives
from this institution.