Capitalism A Love Story: Documentary Analysis

How does Capitalism: A Love Story challenge the attitudes and values of those that have the most to gain from the
success of capitalism?
 It does this by equating capitalist America with Ancient Rome just before its destruction.
 It does so by dubbing the voices from vintage movie soundtracks, resulting in Jesus recommending the profit
motive to his disciples, and telling a sick person in need of his healing powers that he cannot treat a pre-existing
condition.
 It does so by concluding that capitalism is an evil, and you cannot regulate evil. You have to eliminate it and
replace it with something that is good for all people and that something is democracy.
 It does so by showing that business is using government to obtain commercial advantage.
 It does so by showing that former Wall Street executives now work at Treasury and were able to influence the
bailouts.
 It does so by including the practices of PA Child Care, a corrupt company that influenced local politicians and a
judge to channel juvenile offenders into their prison, from which they profited.
 It does so by suggesting that the recent housing collapse was caused by government policy.
 It does so by showing how there are companies that take out life insurance on their employees without them
knowing and without providing any beneficiary to the families.
 It does so by mentioning there are individuals and companies who buy up foreclosed homes and re-sell them,
thus serving a useful purpose of getting people back in the homes and adjusting the prices to a more realistic
value
 It does so by showing how a leaked memo from Citigroup happily declares the United States a "plutonomy" (a
society "where economic growth is powered by and largely consumed by the wealthy few"), with the top 1% of
the population controlling more financial wealth than the bottom 95% combined. The same report also raises the
concern of "societies demanding a more 'equitable' share of wealth".
 It does so by including codetermination worker cooperatives like Wisconsin's Isthmus Engineering and California's
Alvarado Street Bakery, which are owned and run democratically by its employees, as alternative models to the
current capitalist system.
 It does so by featuring a number of positive portrayals, which include bailout watchdog Elizabeth Warren, Wayne
County Sheriff Warren Evans, who put forth a moratorium on home evictions, and Ohio Representative Marcy
Kaptur, who on the floor of the US Congress encouraged Americans to be "squatters" in their own homes, and
refuse to vacate.
 It does so by Moore placing police lines around numerous banks, and lastly, Wall Street itself.
 It does so through Moore's closing remarks, which argue that state capitalism is an evil that can only be
eliminated and suggests democracy as its replacement.

Documentary Conventions
Voice over as ‘voice of God’ or ‘voice of truth’ lends itself to believability. We take what the narrator says as truth,
this is the effect that has been built around the narrator due to its use in news, current affairs and documentary
programs.
Interviews: Documentaries happen after the event; they can use stock footage if it is available, but otherwise the
best source of ‘what happened’ is to go to those that were there and involved. Eyewitness accounts add weight to
believability. It is hard to challenge an eyewitness.
Editing: In order to examine society it is necessary to condense action in to a certain time span, thus the use of
editing and structure to construct a believable narrative.

What other documentary conventions does Moore use to good effect?

Questions:
1. How does Capitalism: A Love Story challenge the attitudes and values of those that have the most to gain
from the success of capitalism?
2. Discuss the ways Capitalism: A Love Story shapes attitudes to its subject matter or ideas.