Capitalism: a film evaluation of a love story

Capitalism: michael moore's tragicomedy

The image of MichaelMoore running around waving flags for his social justice concept may have been deeply rooted in people's hearts. For many years, he has been sneering at business giants and providing channels for the disadvantaged groups to express their interests, such as in Roger and Me (Roger &; Me) aimed at the automobile industry, and then launched Sicko, attacking the medical insurance system. However, it was not until the birth of Capitalism: A Love Story that people were surprised that he went further than originally thought. In this work, Moore really touched the capitalist system itself for the first time. In his own words, the basic function of this system is "taking and giving, in which taking is the majority".

He chose a perfect time-a legacy of an American empire. Moore tried to reveal the root of financial turmoil for us. He aimed the camera at striking workers, squeezed employees and homeless marginal groups. One of the videos shows the scene of a foreclosed family being driven out of the house by the police who broke into the house. This "American cynic", whose appearance is inconsistent with his heart, tries his best to be funny and ironic. It seems that he intends to arouse the anger of liberals again: as usual, he gags, makes people cry, plays back the news and goes straight to the crux of the problem-only it is more like a hilarious joke wrapped in Moorish technology.

Ironically, it seems that Moore chose a surveillance video of a bank robbery as the beginning of the film to express his nostalgia for the good old days. Next, he cleverly inserted several videos of the movie "Antique Life", which made you have to think of those sleepy educational movies in your student days. However, they appear in parallel with the totem of American power-the metropolitan opera-and the Stars and Stripes. At this time, Moore's consistent view has become clear: the United States is in a rapid recession. While persistently carrying forward this argument, he did not forget to give full play to his entertainment spirit, inserting some seemingly off-topic pictures from time to time, such as some radiant Roosevelt historical images and some intoxicating family movie clips. Moore subdivided the contestants according to the facial expressions of the interviewees-sobbing, smug, pretentious, pragmatic and steady. Some of them seem quite confused, such as wallace shawn, an actor and writer invited by Moore to explain the concept of free enterprise; Others are sharp, friendly, exciting or thought-provoking-especially when Moore, who has been making faces, stops bothering them.

In fact, the story of capitalism really began when the director appeared in Flint, Michigan after World War II. Born in 1954, Moore plays an ordinary man who was promoted to the middle class after the war. With the beginning of the Vietnam War, this collective dream quietly collapsed and reached the so-called climax in the 1970s (marked by a cold-faced President Carter). Finally, it was completely shattered by Moore's so-called "presidential spokesman": tax cuts, trade union searches, and subsequent family debts and strikes.

All this is similar to 1989' s debut novel Roger and I: Moore tried to talk to Roger Smith, CEO of General Motors, who decided to lay off employees, but ended in vain. This time, he integrated the essence of symbol into his new works. At that time, the audience might smile when they saw that Moore, who was younger and thinner, tried to walk into the building and tell the truth to the authorities, but was driven away by the security guards, because he was actually harassing some ordinary staff who had to perform their duties. However, when Moore used this technique again in Capitalism, no one could laugh any more.

In this work, Moore pursues others as always, but he doesn't regard the interviewee as the prop of the film, thus winning a solid ethical foundation. Some more powerful pictures came from his straightforward news interview. Most of the interviewees were deeply squeezed by their employers, including a widower whose wife was inadvertently listed as "dead farmer insurance" by the company. This despicable means made the boss make a lot of money after his death. Even death can't protect you from exploitation-it's not a blockbuster for a well-informed person, but it can still arouse the indignation of the audience.

How should people in the capitalist world treat themselves? As the most socially conscious "number one cynic" among mainstream commercial film directors, Moore did not provide any practical answers, which is the biggest limitation of this kind of films. Like most of Moore's works, capitalism is a tragedy wrapped in a funny shell, but its serious core and Moore's entertainment spirit complement each other. This is obviously not a Marxist capitalist story, and certainly does not belong to the history of contemporary American capitalism. Its globalization has gone far beyond Moore's vision.

This is not an attractive political appeal. Moore unexpectedly expressed confidence in the current social system reform, and he encouraged people to vote for Obama. However, the most inspiring lines in the film are not from the current president, but from Roosevelt 1944, the future picture described by the former has brought unspeakable emotions to American citizens, but now it is chilling: "Hunger and unemployment are the consequences of dictatorship." This is a glorious moment for President Roosevelt and the director himself. (Translated from The New York Times)