MOVIE REVIEWS
With a number of recent television shows and DVD documentaries now available on Wal-mart and the retail industry ; this page will be for reviews / overviews of the projects that have become available to me.
First up is a recently released documentary done by filmmaker Robert Greenwald titled " Wal-mart : The High Cost of Low Price " available through the website Walmartmovie.com for $ 12.95 U.S.
On the surface the film shows a look at the impact that Wal-mart has on communities around the world and the alleged poor treatment of their employees. The video is worth seeing / buying if you are looking for that type of negative perspective towards Wal-mart but if you are looking for the truth about them and their operations, I doubt you will find it in this movie. As you can see from the YouTube trailer above paid for by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Greenwald's film is pro-union and many of the officials and documents quoted in the film also share that viewpoint.
The DVD is inexpensive and worth a watch because what they do show though is interesting and spans operations around the world in the Bonus Selections of the DVD including the U.K. and Canada. Is it a must see ? No, unfortunately not. Greenwald is a crusader who appears to thrive on controversy just for the sake of it. There is nothing new and revealing here nor is there anything substantiated with the allegations leveled at Wal-mart where the film is just representative of those supporting unions in the retail world.
As a rebuttal to Mr. Greenwald's project and the publicity it receives Wal-mart released their response to it on their Wal-mart Facts website via the attached pdf file ( click on the logo to open ):
After researching as much as possible from their rebuttal as is possible, it is clear that in this case Wal-mart is a legitimate victim of disinformation. If you buy the video, be sure to read the rebuttal file too for both sides of the story. The truth lies somewhere in between.
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" Why Wal-mart Works and Why That Makes Some People Crazy " by Galloway Productions LLC comes from the movie's distributor Hannover House and is definitely worth checking out.
One would expect a movie that sounds like it would promote Wal-mart and to be speculated as being a rebuttal to the Greenwald film would be nothing more than Wal-mart corporate rhetoric which is definitely not the case here. True, the film essentially defends Wal-mart as a business but the most important thing is that it is done in a manner that most people can relate to and understand. Simply put, the arguments and defense of Wal-mart in this film is done so by simply applying common sense. The experts in the film are all credible and the people in the film are all real people who express their own real opinions on Wal-mart ( both good and bad ).
By completing their project independently the Galloway brothers have captured the essence of the Wal-mart controversy and addresses it in a thought provoking manner rather than at an emotional level as many anti-Wal-mart crusaders would have us believe it should be. It is not a high gloss advertising project promoting the retail giant nor is it a movie full of arguments and conflicts. The movie exceptionally presents the reality that is Wal-mart nothing more and nothing less.
As a side note, the most impressive part of the movie for me is the story of the Wal-mart at Waveland in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the overall response by Wal-mart at a time of need. People NEED to see and hear all about it because it goes much deeper than the headlines we've all read and seen on TV that only mentions the millions of dollars in donations and the failure of the government. Again, this movie is about real people in their own words.
Do I recommend buying this movie ? You better believe it !
Sometime in March of 2007 the Galloway brothers plan to release a follow up entitled " Wal-mart Wars " which will hopefully be as good or better than this release. Depending on the cost etc. I may get a copy and add it to this page.
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Available through the PBS Frontline website is the documentary " Is Wal-mart Good For America? "
Completed and aired several years ago, the PBS Frontline documentary provides a more factual based look at the impact that Wal-mart has in their operations with the focus being on the vendor / supplier relationships that they have and what has happened as a result of the growth of Wal-mart.
Watching the film it appears to be all negative but deeper down is the simple message that the retail world is a business based on survival of the fittest. If companies want to compete they need to work with the retailers to compete. With Wal-mart being the biggest and most powerful, clearly they have the ability to make or break a product or a business. All that is missing from this movie is a look at the successful companies that have been created or grown. I highly recommend seeing this movie but buying it is rather pricey at $ 59.95 U.S. from PBS. Check around other sources for a better price.
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Another great video worth watching is from the A&E tv network's show called " Modern Marvels : The Supermarket " available on DVD at their A&E SHOP for $ 24.95 U.S.
It contains a lot of interesting and factual information on how Supermarkets came about, how they evolved and how they operate today. I was most impressed by the supermarket museum dedicated to the founder of the Piggly Wiggly chain.
If you don't work in the industry you may be surprised to see operations they show from the U.S. company Safeway that includes their banana ripening facilities, production plants and more.
This is one that everyone should see. Very interesting and informative look at the business of Food Retail.
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If you have any questions or comments related to these videos, please feel free to e-mail using the link at the top of the page.
