LAT: Documentaries Ramp Up Debate Over Wal-Mart

[DeepModem Mom]

Documentaries Ramp Up Debate Over Wal-Mart
One film is heartily pro, the other decidedly con on the role the giant discounter plays in society. Neither will be sold in the chain's stores.

By Abigail Goldman, Times Staff Writer


Coming to a theater — or church, college, firehouse or living room — near you: dueling Wal-Mart movies.

The world's biggest retailer inspires not only loyalists and foes but also two films with distinctly different takes.

One is sharply critical: Robert Greenwald's "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price." The other is Ron and Robert Galloway's enthusiastic "Why Wal-Mart Works: And Why That Makes Some People Crazy."

"The High Cost of Low Price" took a year to produce on a budget of $1.8 million, a pittance by Hollywood standards. The documentary, which premiered this week in New York and Los Angeles, will be shown in free screenings starting Nov. 13 at more than 7,000 churches, schools, cafes, union halls, clubs and other small venues. It also will be available on DVD.

"Why Wal-Mart Works" began as a book about supply-chain management — certainly a rarity in the annals of cinema — and grew to become a movie with an even barer-bones budget than its rival's: $85,000....


http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-walmart4nov04,0,2117914.story?coll=la-home-business

[Canuckistanian]

1. I just listened to a story on CBC radio

About this Walmart conference. The commentator (forget who, some business ananlyst) said that it's still up in the air whether Walmart is a positive force in the economy.

Yes, it causes depressed wages, sometimes county-wide, but is that damage offset by savings to the consumer?

He said that it's now proven by academic research that Walmart does cause widespread wage depression, but that nobody has studied the consumer advantage in the economy. He said that that's the next step.

[joefree1]

2. Just signed up for a MoveOn event here in LA showing "Wal-Mart"

And Greenwald will be speaking before the Movie starts! I love MoveOn.org.
http://www.walmartmovie.com/find.php