Profit and Nothing But!
Essay Films
•
57m
Directed by Raoul Peck • Documentary • 2001 • 52 minutes
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.'
"Full of alluring images... Mr. Peck remains a filmmaker with a fine eye for people and landscapes…"—New York Times
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