Examines the fundamentals of capitalism, and the pathological fantasy…
Profit and Nothing But!
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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Who said that the economy serves mankind? What is this world where one third of the population, in the rich countries, or more precisely the wealthiest two percent in these countries, control everything? A world where the economy is law, where this law of the strongest is imposed on the rest of humanity? Why do we accept this cynical and immoral state of being? What happened to Solidarity? And to the militants? These are the questions PROFIT AND NOTHING BUT! asks.
Capitalism has succeeded in convincing us that it is the only truth, the only morality we need. It has even convinced its opponents that their failure lies within the normal scheme of things.
Raoul Peck contrasts this heavily documented illumination of the capitalist system with the devastating reality in his native land, Haiti - 'a country that doesn't exist, where intellectual discussion has become a luxury.' Its GNP for the next thirty years is roughly equivalent to Bill Gates (current) fortune. The film's stark images of the lives of the damned on earth provide a striking backdrop for talk of 'triumphant capitalism.'
PROFIT AND NOTHING BUT! is a pertinent, and impertinent, exploration of the profit motive and its consequences on our day to day lives, our history, and our outlook for the future.
Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, raised and educated in Zaire (the Democratic Republic of Congo), New York, France and Germany, Raoul Peck is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker and documentarian. His work has screened at dozens of prominent film festivals worldwide, and has earned him numerous prizes and awards, including the distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Human Rights Watch. Lumumba, Raoul Peck's most recent feature film - an eloquent study of the rise and fall of the legendary African leader - was an international critical and audience favorite.
'Superb! A complete and thought provoking analysis of the current global economic system... [PROFIT AND NOTHING BUT!] provides important insight into the realities of today's global economy, and does so in a manner that is simple in its explanation, yet far-reaching in its conclusions. Raoul Peck has produced an excellent work, which serves as a valuable tool for any and all who question the validity of capitalism as a satisfactory global economic system.'-Economic Justice News
'A journey of discovery. To make these ideas, abstract and immaterial notions, like globalization, live cinematically, Raoul Peck has made a fine formal work. The editing works by association, alternating between images and text. Archive documents, extracts from films, music - all this engages us, provokes us, seizes us. A breath of fresh air!'-Le Monde
'Compelling! For anyone who wants movies to mean something.'-New York Daily News
'A sophisticated film! Economically and politically provocative! Peck provides a new pedagogy for the teaching of economics. I highly recommend it to those who want to reach their students; to those who are sensitive to other cultures; to those who are concerned with the environment.... [PROFIT AND NOTHING BUT!] is for those who entertain the idea that there is a better way to live.'-Union for Radical Political Economics Newsletter
'An elegant montage-cum-lecture applying Marxist economic theory to the forces of globalization.'-J. Hoberman, Village Voice
'Full of alluring images... Mr. Peck remains a filmmaker with a fine eye for people and landscapes...'-New York Times
Citation
Main credits
Peck, Raoul (film producer)
Peck, Raoul (film director)
Peck, Raoul (narrator)
Passet, René (interviewee)
Latouche, Serge (interviewee)
Maris, Bernard (interviewee)
Mathurin, Gérald (interviewee)
Wallerstein, Immanuel Maurice (interviewee)
Other credits
Camera, Jean-Pierre Grasset, Kirsten Johnson, Jacques Besse; editing, Fabrice Salinie & Raoul Peck.
Distributor subjects
Business; Business Ethics; Caribbean; Economics; Globalization; Haiti; Human RightsKeywords
globalization; empire; power; money; solidarity; militants; video; film; documentary; capital; capitalism; globalism; exploitation; Haiti; poverty; GNP; Raoul; Peck; globalization; "Profit and Nothing But!"; Icarus Films,doc; sociss
WEBVTT
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.750 align:middle line:90%
00:00:10.750 --> 00:00:13.165 align:middle line:84%
I come from a country that
theoretically doesn\'t exist.
00:00:13.165 --> 00:00:19.550 align:middle line:90%
00:00:19.550 --> 00:00:21.980 align:middle line:84%
I come from a country where
intellectual discussion
00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:25.250 align:middle line:84%
has become a luxury and every
day that passes is a victory.
00:00:25.250 --> 00:00:34.100 align:middle line:90%
00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:36.240 align:middle line:84%
I come from a country
whose history is a burden
00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:38.390 align:middle line:84%
and where daily life no
longer makes any sense.
00:00:38.390 --> 00:00:41.150 align:middle line:90%
00:00:41.150 --> 00:00:44.636 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:00:44.636 --> 00:02:02.380 align:middle line:90%
00:02:02.380 --> 00:02:05.440 align:middle line:90%
Capital has one.
00:02:05.440 --> 00:02:08.860 align:middle line:90%
Capital has swept the board.
00:02:08.860 --> 00:02:10.539 align:middle line:84%
Capital has managed
to convince us
00:02:10.539 --> 00:02:14.153 align:middle line:84%
that it alone knows the
truth, it alone is moral,
00:02:14.153 --> 00:02:15.820 align:middle line:84%
and that only it can
deal with politics.
00:02:15.820 --> 00:02:19.100 align:middle line:90%
00:02:19.100 --> 00:02:20.990 align:middle line:84%
Indeed it is convinced
us that politics
00:02:20.990 --> 00:02:22.190 align:middle line:90%
is no longer necessary.
00:02:22.190 --> 00:02:24.810 align:middle line:90%
00:02:24.810 --> 00:02:26.070 align:middle line:90%
Capital has swept the board.
00:02:26.070 --> 00:02:30.370 align:middle line:90%
00:02:30.370 --> 00:02:32.110 align:middle line:84%
Moreover, it succeeded
in convincing
00:02:32.110 --> 00:02:34.000 align:middle line:84%
most of its opponents
that their failure
00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:35.350 align:middle line:90%
was in the nature of things.
00:02:35.350 --> 00:02:42.060 align:middle line:90%
00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:44.980 align:middle line:84%
And he claims to have
won without violence.
00:02:44.980 --> 00:02:47.050 align:middle line:84%
He claims to have won
through persuasion
00:02:47.050 --> 00:02:48.850 align:middle line:84%
and through its
legendary efficiency.
00:02:48.850 --> 00:02:52.540 align:middle line:90%
00:02:52.540 --> 00:02:54.962 align:middle line:84%
Its most ardent defenders
think it is eternal
00:02:54.962 --> 00:02:56.920 align:middle line:84%
and they are quick to
crow about their victory.
00:02:56.920 --> 00:03:02.830 align:middle line:90%
00:03:02.830 --> 00:03:05.280 align:middle line:84%
Triumph and capital wants
to be a mother and a father.
00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:08.320 align:middle line:90%
00:03:08.320 --> 00:03:11.950 align:middle line:84%
And above all to be just
and morally correct.
00:03:11.950 --> 00:03:15.850 align:middle line:84%
It\'s supposed to be
all, even transparent.
00:03:15.850 --> 00:03:24.900 align:middle line:90%
00:03:24.900 --> 00:03:27.070 align:middle line:90%
Capital has won.
00:03:27.070 --> 00:03:29.760 align:middle line:84%
At any rate, it
says it has, which
00:03:29.760 --> 00:03:32.340 align:middle line:90%
comes down to the same thing.
00:03:32.340 --> 00:03:36.600 align:middle line:84%
Capital is supposed to have
satisfied all of our needs.
00:03:36.600 --> 00:03:39.345 align:middle line:84%
All our needs have supposedly
been satisfied by capital.
00:03:39.345 --> 00:03:43.060 align:middle line:90%
00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:47.830 align:middle line:84%
But in its triumph, capital
has also lost its best alibi.
00:03:47.830 --> 00:03:49.600 align:middle line:84%
From now on, it will
be judged according
00:03:49.600 --> 00:03:53.500 align:middle line:84%
to the principles it has
always claimed to defend,
00:03:53.500 --> 00:03:55.620 align:middle line:84%
since capital is all
alone in the field now.
00:03:55.620 --> 00:04:07.540 align:middle line:90%
00:04:07.540 --> 00:04:10.120 align:middle line:84%
Things haven\'t always
been like this.
00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:13.810 align:middle line:84%
There was a time when economic
exchanges were simpler.
00:04:13.810 --> 00:04:16.120 align:middle line:84%
There was a time when
satisfying basic needs
00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:18.129 align:middle line:84%
was what governed
exchanges within a society.
00:04:18.129 --> 00:04:26.610 align:middle line:90%
00:04:26.610 --> 00:04:27.830 align:middle line:90%
I like both.
00:04:27.830 --> 00:04:30.750 align:middle line:84%
I\'d be lying if I said
money doesn\'t interest me.
00:04:30.750 --> 00:04:36.950 align:middle line:84%
It does, but happiness is
the most important thing.
00:04:36.950 --> 00:04:38.430 align:middle line:90%
But--
00:04:38.430 --> 00:04:39.010 align:middle line:90%
Money helps.
00:04:39.010 --> 00:04:39.710 align:middle line:90%
Money does help.
00:04:39.710 --> 00:04:41.710 align:middle line:90%
Yeah.
00:04:41.710 --> 00:04:43.520 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:04:43.520 --> 00:05:04.590 align:middle line:90%
00:05:04.590 --> 00:05:07.600 align:middle line:84%
I come from a country that
theoretically doesn\'t exist,
00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:08.920 align:middle line:90%
according to statistics.
00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:13.120 align:middle line:90%
00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:15.280 align:middle line:84%
I come from a country where
figures no longer mean
00:05:15.280 --> 00:05:17.710 align:middle line:90%
anything.
00:05:17.710 --> 00:05:22.240 align:middle line:84%
Bill Gates is worth 90
billion euros, or Haiti\'s GNP
00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:23.335 align:middle line:90%
for the next 30 years.
00:05:23.335 --> 00:05:26.680 align:middle line:90%
00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:29.620 align:middle line:84%
$40 billion per year
is the estimated amount
00:05:29.620 --> 00:05:32.170 align:middle line:84%
required to satisfy the
planet\'s basic needs.
00:05:32.170 --> 00:05:34.870 align:middle line:90%
00:05:34.870 --> 00:05:38.470 align:middle line:84%
That equals 4% of the world\'s
200 largest fortunes combined.
00:05:38.470 --> 00:05:43.250 align:middle line:90%
00:05:43.250 --> 00:05:45.130 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:05:45.130 --> 00:06:27.596 align:middle line:90%
00:06:27.596 --> 00:06:29.078 align:middle line:90%
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
00:06:29.078 --> 00:06:39.520 align:middle line:90%
00:06:39.520 --> 00:06:42.216 align:middle line:84%
Seen on TV, the original
New York liquidators.
00:06:42.216 --> 00:06:43.182 align:middle line:90%
I have it in white.
00:06:43.182 --> 00:06:46.080 align:middle line:90%
I have it in black.
00:06:46.080 --> 00:06:47.529 align:middle line:90%
[INAUDIBLE]
00:06:47.529 --> 00:06:53.050 align:middle line:90%
00:06:53.050 --> 00:06:54.740 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:06:54.740 --> 00:07:24.550 align:middle line:90%
00:07:24.550 --> 00:07:46.380 align:middle line:90%
Ely
00:07:46.380 --> 00:07:49.470 align:middle line:84%
How can you talk about
such a complex world?
00:07:49.470 --> 00:07:51.360 align:middle line:84%
Yet the idea in
commissioning this film
00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:56.230 align:middle line:84%
seemed clear, reconstructing
reality in all its complexity
00:07:56.230 --> 00:07:57.940 align:middle line:84%
so that the greatest
number of people
00:07:57.940 --> 00:07:59.680 align:middle line:84%
may understand the
world we live in.
00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.200 align:middle line:90%
00:08:02.200 --> 00:08:06.130 align:middle line:84%
All very well meant, but
easier said than done.
00:08:06.130 --> 00:08:09.030 align:middle line:84%
For the nature of the
crime is invisible.
00:08:09.030 --> 00:08:11.320 align:middle line:84%
And capital has succeeded
in buying our silence.
00:08:11.320 --> 00:08:29.810 align:middle line:90%
00:08:29.810 --> 00:08:32.970 align:middle line:84%
A new millennium, they
say, over two 2,000 years
00:08:32.970 --> 00:08:36.260 align:middle line:84%
of civilization, but
not much progress,
00:08:36.260 --> 00:08:41.760 align:middle line:84%
an illusory, fragile,
contradictory civilization.
00:08:41.760 --> 00:08:43.679 align:middle line:90%
Celebrate our existence?
00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:45.210 align:middle line:84%
Celebrate because
we have managed
00:08:45.210 --> 00:08:47.520 align:middle line:90%
to stay alive this long?
00:08:47.520 --> 00:08:50.640 align:middle line:84%
Celebrate the renunciation
of happiness for all.
00:08:50.640 --> 00:08:52.890 align:middle line:90%
Celebrate just to celebrate.
00:08:52.890 --> 00:08:56.410 align:middle line:84%
Celebrate so as not to weep,
to keep from being afraid.
00:08:56.410 --> 00:09:10.900 align:middle line:90%
00:09:10.900 --> 00:09:14.620 align:middle line:84%
Another century is beginning,
yet nothing vital has happened.
00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:21.310 align:middle line:90%
00:09:21.310 --> 00:09:24.550 align:middle line:84%
No, really nothing,
nothing we haven\'t already
00:09:24.550 --> 00:09:28.090 align:middle line:90%
known for at least 2,000 years.
00:09:28.090 --> 00:09:29.680 align:middle line:84%
Even in the rich
northern cities,
00:09:29.680 --> 00:09:31.960 align:middle line:84%
work does not guarantee
happiness or success.
00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:34.990 align:middle line:90%
00:09:34.990 --> 00:09:38.260 align:middle line:84%
Only in the new virtual
economy are shoeshine boys
00:09:38.260 --> 00:09:39.730 align:middle line:90%
still becoming millionaires.
00:09:39.730 --> 00:09:50.210 align:middle line:90%
00:09:50.210 --> 00:09:53.300 align:middle line:84%
Seen from Port-a-Piment,
the immediate future
00:09:53.300 --> 00:09:56.610 align:middle line:84%
will not be the
same for everyone.
00:09:56.610 --> 00:09:58.070 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:09:58.070 --> 00:10:31.408 align:middle line:90%
00:10:31.408 --> 00:10:34.100 align:middle line:84%
In some countries, poor
people sell their organs
00:10:34.100 --> 00:10:35.540 align:middle line:90%
to the highest bidder.
00:10:35.540 --> 00:10:39.470 align:middle line:84%
Some sell their children
and sometimes their vote.
00:10:39.470 --> 00:10:41.630 align:middle line:84%
In others, they sell
their consciences,
00:10:41.630 --> 00:10:43.910 align:middle line:84%
according to stock
market fluctuations.
00:10:43.910 --> 00:10:53.080 align:middle line:90%
00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:55.555 align:middle line:84%
Who said the economy was
designed to serve mankind?
00:10:55.555 --> 00:11:27.380 align:middle line:90%
00:11:27.380 --> 00:11:29.450 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:11:29.450 --> 00:12:28.760 align:middle line:90%
00:12:28.760 --> 00:12:32.030 align:middle line:84%
In fact, the world is run by
a bunch of disturbed people
00:12:32.030 --> 00:12:36.330 align:middle line:84%
who are terrified at the thought
of losing their fortunes,
00:12:36.330 --> 00:12:41.010 align:middle line:84%
not just some of it,
of losing all of it.
00:12:41.010 --> 00:12:44.370 align:middle line:84%
So their fortunes must continue
to grow, yield a profit,
00:12:44.370 --> 00:12:50.170 align:middle line:84%
and metastasize at a rate of 15%
for the pension fund gamblers.
00:12:50.170 --> 00:12:54.330 align:middle line:90%
00:12:54.330 --> 00:12:58.380 align:middle line:84%
What we\'ve suspected for
so long seems to be true.
00:12:58.380 --> 00:13:00.480 align:middle line:84%
This crazy machine is
speeding out of control.
00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:10.290 align:middle line:90%
00:13:10.290 --> 00:13:12.115 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:13:12.115 --> 00:15:04.850 align:middle line:90%
00:15:04.850 --> 00:15:08.000 align:middle line:84%
And to think it all
started with bartering.
00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:12.380 align:middle line:84%
1 horse for 10
goats, corn for rice.
00:15:12.380 --> 00:15:15.110 align:middle line:84%
Then, money seemed
like a good equivalent.
00:15:15.110 --> 00:15:17.580 align:middle line:90%
It was practical and efficient.
00:15:17.580 --> 00:15:19.850 align:middle line:84%
So it became the
means of exchange.
00:15:19.850 --> 00:15:22.150 align:middle line:90%
You sold so you could buy.
00:15:22.150 --> 00:15:27.280 align:middle line:84%
But money became a fetish,
the very goal of transactions.
00:15:27.280 --> 00:15:30.610 align:middle line:84%
Things were produced and sold
not to meet people\'s needs,
00:15:30.610 --> 00:15:33.000 align:middle line:84%
but to obtain a
surplus, a profit.
00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:37.580 align:middle line:90%
00:15:37.580 --> 00:15:39.890 align:middle line:84%
Merchandise itself no
longer had any value
00:15:39.890 --> 00:15:42.010 align:middle line:90%
but its exchange price.
00:15:42.010 --> 00:15:44.810 align:middle line:84%
A never ending cycle
is established.
00:15:44.810 --> 00:15:47.410 align:middle line:90%
Money becomes capital.
00:15:47.410 --> 00:15:49.760 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:15:49.760 --> 00:19:10.460 align:middle line:90%
00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:14.890 align:middle line:84%
In Haiti, we have had
quite a few dysfunctions.
00:19:14.890 --> 00:19:19.450 align:middle line:84%
The last one stayed
in power for 30 years.
00:19:19.450 --> 00:19:21.480 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:28.570 align:middle line:90%
00:19:28.570 --> 00:19:32.380 align:middle line:84%
The billionaire and the
tyrant, capital and power,
00:19:32.380 --> 00:19:35.680 align:middle line:84%
supposedly fighting
international communism.
00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:37.990 align:middle line:84%
Bilateral cooperation
has its own demands.
00:19:37.990 --> 00:19:47.780 align:middle line:90%
00:19:47.780 --> 00:19:50.180 align:middle line:84%
The son of the dictator would
claim that his father had
00:19:50.180 --> 00:19:53.030 align:middle line:90%
created a political revolution.
00:19:53.030 --> 00:19:56.660 align:middle line:84%
Now, he would make
an economic one,
00:19:56.660 --> 00:19:58.580 align:middle line:84%
which basically came
down to accepting
00:19:58.580 --> 00:20:01.767 align:middle line:84%
in our country what was no
longer profitable elsewhere.
00:20:01.767 --> 00:20:20.300 align:middle line:90%
00:20:20.300 --> 00:20:23.270 align:middle line:84%
The same bathrobe
made by the same hands
00:20:23.270 --> 00:20:25.670 align:middle line:84%
will be sold under different
brand names in New York
00:20:25.670 --> 00:20:27.500 align:middle line:90%
department stores.
00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:30.230 align:middle line:90%
It\'s all in the marketing.
00:20:30.230 --> 00:20:32.840 align:middle line:84%
Seen from Port-a-Piment,
the tourists
00:20:32.840 --> 00:20:35.420 align:middle line:84%
aren\'t even laughing anymore
at the Pearl of the Caribbean.
00:20:35.420 --> 00:20:48.100 align:middle line:90%
00:20:48.100 --> 00:20:51.735 align:middle line:84%
They deregulated everything,
canceling out 50 years
00:20:51.735 --> 00:20:52.735 align:middle line:90%
of trade union struggle.
00:20:52.735 --> 00:20:55.670 align:middle line:90%
00:20:55.670 --> 00:20:59.000 align:middle line:84%
We are all suffering
from Alzheimer\'s.
00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:00.670 align:middle line:90%
Real convenience.
00:21:00.670 --> 00:21:03.346 align:middle line:84%
New Boraxo waterless
hand cleaner.
00:21:03.346 --> 00:21:27.250 align:middle line:90%
00:21:27.250 --> 00:21:29.510 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:21:29.510 --> 00:22:07.800 align:middle line:90%
00:22:07.800 --> 00:22:11.190 align:middle line:84%
Nonbiodegradable plastic
has invaded the beaches
00:22:11.190 --> 00:22:15.265 align:middle line:84%
of the Caribbean paradise,
all because a free market
00:22:15.265 --> 00:22:19.290 align:middle line:84%
industrialist thought
that cheap plastic would
00:22:19.290 --> 00:22:20.895 align:middle line:90%
mean cheap consumption.
00:22:20.895 --> 00:22:28.400 align:middle line:90%
00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:31.010 align:middle line:84%
A Haitian capitalist is a
capitalist like any other.
00:22:31.010 --> 00:22:44.375 align:middle line:90%
00:22:44.375 --> 00:22:47.330 align:middle line:84%
You come out here, we
don\'t have a lot of money.
00:22:47.330 --> 00:22:49.120 align:middle line:84%
We don\'t make a
whole lot of money.
00:22:49.120 --> 00:22:54.077 align:middle line:84%
We come out here, we make enough
so that we can pay our bills,
00:22:54.077 --> 00:22:56.049 align:middle line:90%
pay for the truck.
00:22:56.049 --> 00:22:58.021 align:middle line:90%
And we feed people.
00:22:58.021 --> 00:22:59.500 align:middle line:90%
We help clothe people.
00:22:59.500 --> 00:23:02.460 align:middle line:90%
00:23:02.460 --> 00:23:04.400 align:middle line:84%
This is our way to
show our appreciation
00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:08.510 align:middle line:84%
to the creator, that thank
you for allowing us to go
00:23:08.510 --> 00:23:10.760 align:middle line:90%
in a direction that helped us.
00:23:10.760 --> 00:23:13.587 align:middle line:84%
And to show you how we
really appreciate it,
00:23:13.587 --> 00:23:15.170 align:middle line:84%
we\'re going to do
it for other people.
00:23:15.170 --> 00:23:17.365 align:middle line:84%
We\'re going to
help other people.
00:23:17.365 --> 00:23:18.740 align:middle line:84%
Right now, we\'re
at a stage where
00:23:18.740 --> 00:23:22.752 align:middle line:84%
we\'re able to feed people
or buy clothes for people.
00:23:22.752 --> 00:23:31.120 align:middle line:90%
00:23:31.120 --> 00:23:34.813 align:middle line:84%
Every company, Coca Cola does
his own thing, as well as
00:23:34.813 --> 00:23:36.018 align:middle line:90%
Pepsi Cola.
00:23:36.018 --> 00:23:39.200 align:middle line:84%
So Pepsi is not going
to buy Coca Cola.
00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:41.250 align:middle line:84%
Coca Cola\'s not
going to buy Pepsi.
00:23:41.250 --> 00:23:46.410 align:middle line:84%
So each company have to be
separated by that company.
00:23:46.410 --> 00:23:48.920 align:middle line:84%
They have to get it exactly
the way it needs to be.
00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:50.640 align:middle line:84%
How they gave it to
us is exactly how
00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:52.560 align:middle line:90%
we have to give it to them.
00:23:52.560 --> 00:23:56.880 align:middle line:90%
00:23:56.880 --> 00:24:02.010 align:middle line:84%
This neighborhood, we get mainly
Coca Cola, Pepsi, Canada Dry,
00:24:02.010 --> 00:24:04.780 align:middle line:84%
which is popular and a
little bit more expensive,
00:24:04.780 --> 00:24:09.150 align:middle line:84%
which is a little bit better
tasting as opposed to getting
00:24:09.150 --> 00:24:15.030 align:middle line:84%
Tropical Fantasy,
which is only $0.50
00:24:15.030 --> 00:24:18.110 align:middle line:84%
Most of the people that
drink Tropical Fantasy
00:24:18.110 --> 00:24:20.910 align:middle line:84%
are people that-- us,
that\'s living out here
00:24:20.910 --> 00:24:26.270 align:middle line:84%
in the street or people
that\'s on public assistance.
00:24:26.270 --> 00:24:29.840 align:middle line:90%
00:24:29.840 --> 00:24:32.120 align:middle line:84%
Me, myself, I got a
little bit of money.
00:24:32.120 --> 00:24:34.988 align:middle line:90%
But I\'m still spending $0.50.
00:24:34.988 --> 00:24:37.270 align:middle line:84%
Whereas you have some
that would prefer
00:24:37.270 --> 00:24:41.180 align:middle line:84%
to have the Coca Cola for
that dollar or that $0.89
00:24:41.180 --> 00:24:41.680 align:middle line:90%
or whatever.
00:24:41.680 --> 00:24:42.652 align:middle line:90%
Me?
00:24:42.652 --> 00:24:44.839 align:middle line:84%
I\'m going to save my money,
because basically, it
00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:47.026 align:middle line:84%
all tastes the same,
to some degree.
00:24:47.026 --> 00:24:55.310 align:middle line:90%
00:24:55.310 --> 00:24:57.140 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:24:57.140 --> 00:28:59.750 align:middle line:90%
00:28:59.750 --> 00:29:04.550 align:middle line:84%
Economy, entertainment,
advertising, worship,
00:29:04.550 --> 00:29:08.450 align:middle line:84%
happenings,
marketing, the desire
00:29:08.450 --> 00:29:10.895 align:middle line:84%
to display fame,
power, and wealth.
00:29:10.895 --> 00:29:13.540 align:middle line:90%
00:29:13.540 --> 00:29:16.540 align:middle line:84%
Old money retained
a scrap of modesty.
00:29:16.540 --> 00:29:20.490 align:middle line:84%
Today\'s clean money
wants prime time.
00:29:20.490 --> 00:29:23.650 align:middle line:84%
The more virtual the
profit, the greater
00:29:23.650 --> 00:29:28.000 align:middle line:84%
the need to prove
one\'s own existence.
00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:30.030 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:29:30.030 --> 00:30:44.850 align:middle line:90%
00:30:44.850 --> 00:30:47.830 align:middle line:84%
I come from a country
whose history is a burden.
00:30:47.830 --> 00:30:50.410 align:middle line:84%
I come from a country
where those in power
00:30:50.410 --> 00:30:53.515 align:middle line:84%
know no other way than to steal
elections on a regular basis.
00:30:53.515 --> 00:30:59.560 align:middle line:90%
00:30:59.560 --> 00:31:02.200 align:middle line:84%
I come from a country where
intellectual discussion
00:31:02.200 --> 00:31:04.420 align:middle line:90%
has become a luxury.
00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:07.060 align:middle line:84%
As in the old days
of the dictatorship,
00:31:07.060 --> 00:31:10.705 align:middle line:84%
the regime knows only one
model, the same one for decades.
00:31:10.705 --> 00:31:13.410 align:middle line:90%
00:31:13.410 --> 00:31:16.650 align:middle line:84%
The profit or death,
talk about a fair choice.
00:31:16.650 --> 00:31:25.120 align:middle line:90%
00:31:25.120 --> 00:31:28.810 align:middle line:84%
History transpires in violence,
because those in power,
00:31:28.810 --> 00:31:31.840 align:middle line:84%
speaking in the name
of an imaginary nation,
00:31:31.840 --> 00:31:35.260 align:middle line:90%
will not admit they are wrong.
00:31:35.260 --> 00:31:38.350 align:middle line:90%
The profit or death, they cry.
00:31:38.350 --> 00:31:42.820 align:middle line:84%
What if it\'s always death,
with or without a profit?
00:31:42.820 --> 00:32:06.840 align:middle line:90%
00:32:06.840 --> 00:32:08.440 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:32:08.440 --> 00:33:39.810 align:middle line:90%
00:33:39.810 --> 00:33:42.720 align:middle line:84%
Figures no longer mean
anything, neither do words
00:33:42.720 --> 00:33:44.580 align:middle line:90%
for that matter, nor images.
00:33:44.580 --> 00:33:50.330 align:middle line:90%
00:33:50.330 --> 00:33:53.240 align:middle line:84%
In a capitalist society,
human relationships
00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:54.890 align:middle line:90%
are merchandise relationships.
00:33:54.890 --> 00:33:57.430 align:middle line:90%
00:33:57.430 --> 00:34:01.550 align:middle line:84%
40,000 children die
every day in the world.
00:34:01.550 --> 00:34:02.630 align:middle line:90%
Intolerable thought.
00:34:02.630 --> 00:34:05.890 align:middle line:90%
00:34:05.890 --> 00:34:06.670 align:middle line:90%
No.
00:34:06.670 --> 00:34:08.199 align:middle line:90%
Figures no longer mean anything.
00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:13.300 align:middle line:90%
00:34:13.300 --> 00:34:14.770 align:middle line:84%
The poorest countries
have already
00:34:14.770 --> 00:34:19.989 align:middle line:84%
reimbursed over four times
the sum of an endless debt.
00:34:19.989 --> 00:34:25.299 align:middle line:84%
40,000 children every day, one
passer by, every two seconds.
00:34:25.299 --> 00:34:47.690 align:middle line:90%
00:34:47.690 --> 00:34:51.940 align:middle line:84%
Dominant thinking no
longer needs to hide.
00:34:51.940 --> 00:34:53.929 align:middle line:84%
The state and its
political authorities
00:34:53.929 --> 00:34:55.969 align:middle line:84%
have turned their
direct hold on the media
00:34:55.969 --> 00:34:58.130 align:middle line:84%
over to the big
financial corporations.
00:34:58.130 --> 00:35:03.720 align:middle line:90%
00:35:03.720 --> 00:35:05.820 align:middle line:84%
The madness of the
decontrolled media
00:35:05.820 --> 00:35:08.410 align:middle line:84%
brings us the images we
see without any comment
00:35:08.410 --> 00:35:09.285 align:middle line:90%
as we eat our supper.
00:35:09.285 --> 00:35:13.620 align:middle line:90%
00:35:13.620 --> 00:35:16.170 align:middle line:90%
What will our children remember?
00:35:16.170 --> 00:35:19.530 align:middle line:90%
Men murdering another man?
00:35:19.530 --> 00:35:21.600 align:middle line:84%
Who will understand the
link between diamonds
00:35:21.600 --> 00:35:26.340 align:middle line:84%
sold in Antwerp and weapons
sold at the arms fair?
00:35:26.340 --> 00:35:29.480 align:middle line:84%
We think about it,
then we forget.
00:35:29.480 --> 00:35:31.580 align:middle line:90%
Alzheimer\'s again.
00:35:31.580 --> 00:35:35.765 align:middle line:84%
One day we must talk about the
totalitarianism of capital.
00:35:35.765 --> 00:35:39.230 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SINGING]
00:35:39.230 --> 00:37:37.580 align:middle line:90%
00:37:37.580 --> 00:37:40.095 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:37:40.095 --> 00:38:51.670 align:middle line:90%
00:38:51.670 --> 00:38:53.230 align:middle line:84%
The power of the
system is that it
00:38:53.230 --> 00:38:57.750 align:middle line:84%
lets you think you are
free and equal citizens.
00:38:57.750 --> 00:39:01.980 align:middle line:84%
If you\'re against growth,
you must be pro-Gulag.
00:39:01.980 --> 00:39:04.500 align:middle line:84%
At the end of the
day, exhausted workers
00:39:04.500 --> 00:39:07.920 align:middle line:84%
change into their
consumer codes.
00:39:07.920 --> 00:39:10.950 align:middle line:84%
Sitting in front of the TV,
they postpone the revolution
00:39:10.950 --> 00:39:11.520 align:middle line:90%
until later.
00:39:11.520 --> 00:39:48.290 align:middle line:90%
00:39:48.290 --> 00:39:50.660 align:middle line:90%
Capital has won.
00:39:50.660 --> 00:39:54.310 align:middle line:90%
Capital has swept the board.
00:39:54.310 --> 00:39:55.555 align:middle line:90%
Yet the struggle does exist.
00:39:55.555 --> 00:39:58.220 align:middle line:90%
00:39:58.220 --> 00:40:01.970 align:middle line:84%
We didn\'t dream the
whole thing up, did we?
00:40:01.970 --> 00:40:05.060 align:middle line:84%
Can anyone explain how
an employer can legally
00:40:05.060 --> 00:40:11.590 align:middle line:84%
fire 7,500 workers and yet keep
his millions in stock options?
00:40:11.590 --> 00:40:14.020 align:middle line:84%
If you\'re against the
free market economy,
00:40:14.020 --> 00:40:16.900 align:middle line:90%
then you must be pro-Gulag.
00:40:16.900 --> 00:40:19.300 align:middle line:84%
Capital has also won
the rhetorical battle.
00:40:19.300 --> 00:40:22.200 align:middle line:90%
00:40:22.200 --> 00:40:24.240 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:40:24.240 --> 00:42:23.060 align:middle line:90%
00:42:23.060 --> 00:42:25.610 align:middle line:84%
Seen from Port-a-Piment,
discussion
00:42:25.610 --> 00:42:27.780 align:middle line:90%
can no longer be the same.
00:42:27.780 --> 00:42:31.560 align:middle line:84%
Images can no longer mean
quite the same thing.
00:42:31.560 --> 00:42:33.600 align:middle line:84%
Memories of public
humiliation leave you
00:42:33.600 --> 00:42:36.420 align:middle line:90%
with contradictory feelings.
00:42:36.420 --> 00:42:39.510 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:42:39.510 --> 00:42:43.250 align:middle line:84%
Lost war of words has rendered
all discussion futile.
00:42:43.250 --> 00:42:44.310 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:42:44.310 --> 00:43:07.890 align:middle line:90%
00:43:07.890 --> 00:43:15.060 align:middle line:84%
If I look at the world, then
I\'m scared of the future.
00:43:15.060 --> 00:43:18.990 align:middle line:84%
Because it doesn\'t look very
bright in my point of view.
00:43:18.990 --> 00:43:20.700 align:middle line:90%
So then, I\'m scared.
00:43:20.700 --> 00:43:26.520 align:middle line:84%
But in other way,
I\'m not so scared,
00:43:26.520 --> 00:43:30.890 align:middle line:84%
because dying isn\'t a
very big problem for me.
00:43:30.890 --> 00:43:34.928 align:middle line:90%
I try to be here right now.
00:43:34.928 --> 00:43:39.212 align:middle line:84%
And what happens after
that, I can\'t really
00:43:39.212 --> 00:43:42.070 align:middle line:90%
do anything about it.
00:43:42.070 --> 00:43:44.070 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:43:44.070 --> 00:44:40.650 align:middle line:90%
00:44:40.650 --> 00:44:45.180 align:middle line:84%
Why should we continue
to create images anyway?
00:44:45.180 --> 00:44:48.810 align:middle line:90%
As a memento of lost battle?
00:44:48.810 --> 00:44:50.130 align:middle line:90%
To leave something behind?
00:44:50.130 --> 00:44:51.606 align:middle line:90%
[SOULFUL MUSIC]
00:44:51.606 --> 00:44:52.590 align:middle line:90%
For what future?
00:44:52.590 --> 00:45:11.320 align:middle line:90%
00:45:11.320 --> 00:45:14.450 align:middle line:84%
How can you express the
experience of a lifetime?
00:45:14.450 --> 00:45:17.020 align:middle line:90%
Show a generation\'s failures?
00:45:17.020 --> 00:45:20.380 align:middle line:84%
How can you narrate an
irreversible history?
00:45:20.380 --> 00:45:26.870 align:middle line:84%
What words, what images to say
for once something different?
00:45:26.870 --> 00:45:29.750 align:middle line:84%
We have tried everything,
filmed everything,
00:45:29.750 --> 00:45:31.310 align:middle line:90%
explained everything.
00:45:31.310 --> 00:45:34.910 align:middle line:84%
Yet the world has
hardly changed.
00:45:34.910 --> 00:45:37.520 align:middle line:84%
We have fought all
the battles, unearthed
00:45:37.520 --> 00:45:41.360 align:middle line:84%
our heroes, interrogated
the hangmen, confronted
00:45:41.360 --> 00:45:43.392 align:middle line:90%
the powerful.
00:45:43.392 --> 00:45:44.600 align:middle line:90%
Yet the world hasn\'t changed.
00:45:44.600 --> 00:45:48.760 align:middle line:90%
00:45:48.760 --> 00:45:51.208 align:middle line:84%
We need to foster and expound
the international trading
00:45:51.208 --> 00:45:55.270 align:middle line:84%
system and liberalize
capital markets.
00:45:55.270 --> 00:45:58.790 align:middle line:84%
We are mindful of the concerns
expressed by the developing
00:45:58.790 --> 00:46:02.846 align:middle line:84%
countries and of the political
and economic difficulties which
00:46:02.846 --> 00:46:04.758 align:middle line:90%
many of them face.
00:46:04.758 --> 00:46:08.050 align:middle line:84%
In our discussion of each
of the issues before us,
00:46:08.050 --> 00:46:10.840 align:middle line:84%
we have recognized the
economic interdependence
00:46:10.840 --> 00:46:13.566 align:middle line:84%
of the industrialized
and developing countries.
00:46:13.566 --> 00:46:16.530 align:middle line:84%
We reaffirm our willingness
to conduct our relations
00:46:16.530 --> 00:46:17.518 align:middle line:90%
with them.
00:46:17.518 --> 00:46:40.242 align:middle line:90%
00:46:40.242 --> 00:46:42.292 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:46:42.292 --> 00:47:53.610 align:middle line:90%
00:47:53.610 --> 00:47:55.068 align:middle line:90%
No problemo.
00:47:55.068 --> 00:47:56.024 align:middle line:90%
Give me five.
00:47:56.024 --> 00:48:03.680 align:middle line:90%
00:48:03.680 --> 00:48:06.980 align:middle line:84%
Seen from Port-a-Piment, the
world could be so simple.
00:48:06.980 --> 00:48:17.230 align:middle line:90%
00:48:17.230 --> 00:48:23.535 align:middle line:84%
What will they remember
when it\'s time to remember,
00:48:23.535 --> 00:48:25.035 align:middle line:84%
when memory is all
that will remain?
00:48:25.035 --> 00:48:27.630 align:middle line:90%
00:48:27.630 --> 00:48:30.720 align:middle line:84%
Films that make the heart beat
faster, said Chris Marker.
00:48:30.720 --> 00:48:33.310 align:middle line:90%
00:48:33.310 --> 00:48:36.280 align:middle line:84%
The collective memory of battles
that were not always ours.
00:48:36.280 --> 00:48:39.020 align:middle line:90%
00:48:39.020 --> 00:48:44.750 align:middle line:84%
So much wasted talent, scattered
memory, complex memory.
00:48:44.750 --> 00:48:46.550 align:middle line:84%
So much commitment
for so little.
00:48:46.550 --> 00:48:56.200 align:middle line:90%
00:48:56.200 --> 00:49:01.390 align:middle line:84%
Yet some images stick in your
mind, rare moments of truth,
00:49:01.390 --> 00:49:03.760 align:middle line:84%
so many battles for a
few seconds of clarity.
00:49:03.760 --> 00:49:09.190 align:middle line:90%
00:49:09.190 --> 00:49:11.468 align:middle line:84%
Just enough time to
glimpse another horizon
00:49:11.468 --> 00:49:12.260 align:middle line:90%
through the window.
00:49:12.260 --> 00:49:20.680 align:middle line:90%
00:49:20.680 --> 00:49:22.840 align:middle line:84%
The wretched of the
Earth are not necessarily
00:49:22.840 --> 00:49:25.302 align:middle line:84%
the best architects of
their own happiness.
00:49:25.302 --> 00:49:47.950 align:middle line:90%
00:49:47.950 --> 00:49:51.310 align:middle line:84%
Yet seen from
Port-a-Piment, this world
00:49:51.310 --> 00:49:52.325 align:middle line:90%
hasn\'t changed a bit.
00:49:52.325 --> 00:49:55.440 align:middle line:90%
00:49:55.440 --> 00:49:59.580 align:middle line:84%
Here, the dictator simply
killed the so-called communists,
00:49:59.580 --> 00:50:02.580 align:middle line:90%
Tropical Gulag.
00:50:02.580 --> 00:50:06.540 align:middle line:84%
There was a time when the
battle was clearer, simpler.
00:50:06.540 --> 00:50:08.880 align:middle line:84%
There were good
guys and bad guys.
00:50:08.880 --> 00:50:13.620 align:middle line:84%
Everyone had his place in the
revolutionary scheme of things.
00:50:13.620 --> 00:50:17.610 align:middle line:84%
Ultimately, the wall
suited everyone.
00:50:17.610 --> 00:50:20.820 align:middle line:84%
Seen from Port-a-Piment,
choices will be simpler,
00:50:20.820 --> 00:50:21.540 align:middle line:90%
if there are any.
00:50:21.540 --> 00:50:27.440 align:middle line:90%
00:50:27.440 --> 00:50:31.130 align:middle line:84%
Many more cars will
be burned in Jakarta.
00:50:31.130 --> 00:50:35.550 align:middle line:84%
Supermarkets in Rio will
be carefully looted.
00:50:35.550 --> 00:50:38.580 align:middle line:84%
And people will always continue
to defy shopkeepers\' bullets
00:50:38.580 --> 00:50:42.150 align:middle line:84%
in Los Angeles, while
capital searches
00:50:42.150 --> 00:50:46.050 align:middle line:84%
for another name, or
perhaps a new form.
00:50:46.050 --> 00:50:54.060 align:middle line:90%
00:50:54.060 --> 00:50:56.150 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SPEECH]
00:50:56.150 --> 00:52:49.960 align:middle line:90%
00:52:49.960 --> 00:52:54.100 align:middle line:84%
So choices will be simpler,
seen from Port-a-Piment.
00:52:54.100 --> 00:52:58.180 align:middle line:84%
You probably already
guessed all this.
00:52:58.180 --> 00:53:01.912 align:middle line:84%
But meanwhile, who will stop
the so-called decision makers?
00:53:01.912 --> 00:53:05.320 align:middle line:90%
00:53:05.320 --> 00:53:09.930 align:middle line:84%
The barbarity of the free market
is colorless and homeless.
00:53:09.930 --> 00:53:11.390 align:middle line:90%
And the price of peace is high.
00:53:11.390 --> 00:53:18.370 align:middle line:90%
00:53:18.370 --> 00:53:21.460 align:middle line:84%
They tell us that violence
doesn\'t lead anywhere.
00:53:21.460 --> 00:53:22.460 align:middle line:90%
But how can we be sure?
00:53:22.460 --> 00:53:59.312 align:middle line:90%
00:53:59.312 --> 00:54:02.798 align:middle line:90%
[FRENCH SINGING]
00:54:02.798 --> 00:54:41.180 align:middle line:90%
00:54:41.180 --> 00:54:43.670 align:middle line:90%
Why make films?
00:54:43.670 --> 00:54:47.510 align:middle line:84%
Perhaps because we
don\'t know better,
00:54:47.510 --> 00:54:49.766 align:middle line:84%
because it\'s more respectable
than burning cars.
00:54:49.766 --> 00:54:57.550 align:middle line:90%
00:54:57.550 --> 00:55:00.100 align:middle line:90%
Capital has won.
00:55:00.100 --> 00:55:00.820 align:middle line:90%
For how long?
00:55:00.820 --> 00:55:08.540 align:middle line:90%
00:55:08.540 --> 00:55:10.900 align:middle line:84%
Ultimately, we\'d be
satisfied with very little.
00:55:10.900 --> 00:55:15.120 align:middle line:90%
00:55:15.120 --> 00:55:17.920 align:middle line:84%
All we ask is a bit of
happiness, some sort
00:55:17.920 --> 00:55:21.460 align:middle line:90%
of hope for the future.
00:55:21.460 --> 00:55:24.650 align:middle line:84%
We\'re also asking you
not to destroy the planet
00:55:24.650 --> 00:55:28.240 align:middle line:84%
and to stop repeating that
growth brings progress
00:55:28.240 --> 00:55:30.046 align:middle line:84%
or that progress
leads to growth.
00:55:30.046 --> 00:55:34.400 align:middle line:90%
00:55:34.400 --> 00:55:37.430 align:middle line:84%
We\'re asking you not to
make war in our names.
00:55:37.430 --> 00:55:38.742 align:middle line:90%
You\'re not to speak for us.
00:55:38.742 --> 00:55:42.550 align:middle line:90%
00:55:42.550 --> 00:55:46.480 align:middle line:84%
I come from a country that
technically doesn\'t exist.
00:55:46.480 --> 00:55:49.050 align:middle line:84%
Like two-thirds
of the planet, we
00:55:49.050 --> 00:55:52.720 align:middle line:84%
have been sold for a
handful of dollars.
00:55:52.720 --> 00:55:54.870 align:middle line:90%
Capital has won.
00:55:54.870 --> 00:57:00.779 align:middle line:90%
Distributor: Icarus Films
Length: 52 minutes
Date: 2001
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 10-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
Interactive Transcript: Available
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