STEALING A NATION

Heartbreaking, infuriating and embarrassing

'Stealing A Nation' (2004) is an extraordinary film about the plight of the Chagos Islands, whose indigenous population was secretly and brutally expelled by British Governments in the late 1960s and early 1970s to make way for an American military base. The tragedy, which falls within the remit of the International Criminal Court as "a crime against humanity", is told by Islanders who were dumped in the slums of Mauritius and by British officials who left behind a damning trail of Foreign Office documents.

WHY THIS FILM?
When a government declares an entire population indispensable, it is sad, unethical, should have been condemned & prevented at any cost. Natives of the Chagos Islands have been stripped of their human rights & their land has been stolen by oppressors. How does modern society tolerate this ouster? 
A poignant film; crisp & well made. Captures the essence of a crime against humanity. Watch it!

INSIDE JOB

'If you are not enraged by the end of the movie. you are not paying attention' - Mary & Richard Corliss, TIME

'Inside Job' provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China.

WHY THIS MOVIE?

Inside Job is a ringside view to the unbridled greed of American finance executives & politicians; that brings the world to a stand still. There are still plenty of other things to make fortunes on. One doesn't have to ruin men and women's lives to do it! 

It is significant that the corporate hoodlums are seen on the podium with a series of Presidents: Reagan through Obama. They have infested the world of politics & made it murkier. 

A must watch film!

ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM

Ask why?

'Enron dives from the seventh largest US company to bankruptcy in less than a year in this tale told chronologically. The emphasis is on human drama, from suicide to 20,000 people sacked: the personalities of Ken Lay (with Falwellesque rectitude), Jeff Skilling (he of big ideas), Lou Pai (gone with $250 M), and Andy Fastow (the dark prince) dominate. Along the way, we watch Enron game California's deregulated electricity market, get a free pass from Arthur Andersen (which okays the dubious mark-to-market accounting), use greed to manipulate banks and brokerages (Merrill Lynch fires the analyst who questions Enron's rise), and hear from both Presidents Bush what great guys these are.' - Review of the film on IMDb by jhailey@hotmail.com>

WHY THIS FILM?

Enron happened because people did not 'Ask Why?'

It is a sordid tale of deceit, greed & an unholy nexus between company executives & politicians; a nexus that robbed people working for Enron & Aurther Anderson of their future & their savings. The evil streak within the main protagonists raises its ugly head in an environment that was conducive for a takeover by avarice. Ethics are absent as greed takes over. It is shameful to note that even the President of America is not immune from this malaise; in as much as he helps Lay in his endeavor of deceit fed by greed. 

A crisp & well made movie; a must watch even if one is not a student of Business Ethics!

BLOOD DIAMOND

It will cost you everything.

Blood Diamond is a 2006 political thriller film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwickand starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and DjimonHounsou. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mined in African war zones and sold to finance conflicts, and thereby profit warlords and diamond companies across the world.

Set during the Sierra Leone Civil War in 1992-2002, the film shows a country torn apart by the struggle between government soldiers and rebel forces. It also portrays many of the atrocities of that war, including the rebels' amputation of people's hands to discourage them from voting in upcoming elections.

The film's ending, in which a conference is held concerning blood diamonds, is in reference to an actual meeting that took place in Kimberley, South Africa in 2000 and led to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which seeks to certify the origin of rough diamonds in order to curb the trade in conflict diamonds.

WHY THIS FILM?

In the film, one gets to hear that 'People are people.' Another character mentions; 'People are inherently good; but circumstances make them evil.' The film establishes the evil in man. It speaks of greed & the length to which people will go if they can make money. The lure of lucre makes man lower than an animal; considering that animals do not kill for lucre. It looks at shady corporations that can stoop to barbaric levels to earn billions in profit. 

An intense film that portrays the exploitation of people to satiate greed.

One could also consider the film, Hotel Rwanda.  

THE CORPORATION

'Since the late 18th century American legal decision that the business corporation organizational model is legally a person, it has become a dominant economic, political and social force around the globe. This film takes an in-depth psychological examination of the organization model through various case studies. What the study illustrates is that in the its behaviour, this type of "person" typically acts like a dangerously destructive psychopath without conscience. Furthermore, we see the profound threat this psychopath has for our world and our future, but also how the people with courage, intelligence and determination can do to stop it.' - Review of the film on IMDb by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

WHY I SELECTED THIS FILM

The students in the course would be working in a Corporation 15 months down the line. A Corporation is an artificial legal person. This legal fiction has been abused to feed the greed of people working behind the legal facade of a 'separate legal entity.' The Company is as ethical as the people that carry out its affairs. Penalties & fines do not prevent the Corporation from carrying on with unethical practices. If the Corporation was a natural person, it would have been incarcerated for life!

LORD OF THE FLIES

Evil is inherent in the human mind, whatever innocence may cloak it…..

Lord of the Flies is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results. Its stances on the already-controversial subjects of human nature and individual welfare versus the common good earned it position 68 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990–1999. In 2005 the novel was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. It was awarded a place on both lists of Modern Library 100 Best Novels, reaching #41 on the editor's list, and #25 on the reader's list.

Published in 1954, Lord of the Flies was Golding’s first novel. Although it was not a great success at the time—selling fewer than 3,000 copies in the United States during 1955 before going out of print—it soon went on to become a best-seller, and by the early 1960s was required reading in many schools and colleges; the novel is currently renowned for being a popular choice of study for GCSE English Literature courses in the United Kingdom. It was adapted to film in 1963 by Peter Brook, and again in 1990 by Harry Hook.

PLOT

A group of young boys are stranded alone on an island. Left to fend for themselves, they must take on the responsibilities of adults, even if they are not ready to do so. Inevitably, two factions form: one group (lead by Ralph) want to build shelters and collect food, whereas Jack's group would rather have fun and HUNT; illustrating the difference between civilization and savagery.

WHY I SELECTED THIS FILM

When I read the book & then viewed the film; I was struck by the message it conveyed. 

It is difficult to define ethics. Ethics is not definable, is not implementable, because it is not conscious; it involves not only our thinking, but also our feeling. And what better way to kickstart the course with this deeply moving portrayal of our basic nature; the inherent evil cloaked in innocence.