McLibel is a documentary film directed by Franny Armstrong for Spanner Films about the McLibel case. The film was first completed, as a 52 minute television version, in 1997, after the conclusion of the original McLibel trial. It was then re-edited to 85 minute feature length in 2005, after the McLibel defendants took their case to the European Court of Human Rights.
USA
USA
Who knew Keir Starmer wasn’t always a complete sell out, spineless, coward for hire
WATCH THIS AND LEARN, LEFTIES!
I consider "McLibel" to be one of the best documentaries of the aughts. With all the cretinous and vituperative right wing objections filling the comment boards on IMDB you might believe this to be a shoddy political tract calling for armed revolution. It is a leftist political statement without a doubt but it is one of the most satisfying documentaries I've seen in a long time.
"McLibel" teaches us many things. People who want change are not necessarily long haired, patchouli-soaked, pot-smoking hippies (the typical reductive liberal description of anyone marginally to their political left - the thrust being that leftist are not 'realistic' or 'in touch with reality' or 'irresponsible') or bearded criminals who…
"there's no sex angle, I'm afraid"
Interesting documentary that is as much about failings with the legal system, as it is McDonald's being a bunch of wankers.
Glad these two every day folk stuck it to them.
Ken Loach documentary about an insane British law that forces environmental organizations to apologize to McDonald's for going public with criticism. A mini-small London organization is introduced that was even infiltrated by “spies” and then sued. I don't think the documentary itself is particularly well done, but the content is definitely very interesting. Especially because it was a successful trial á la David versus Goliath!!!!
BTW, it was already known in 2005 that the way we as a society treat farm animals will lead to certain viruses, such as bird flu, spreading among us.
Keir Starmer used to be so sexy & moral... what happened?
Would've been nice if they focused on McDonald's attempts to silence the public/the press, it just kinda glosses over that.
Also the random spy stuff in the beginning? Wild.
McLibel focuses on a libel suit by McDonalds that was filed in the UK, and when 2 activists didn't settle but decided to fight, what would have been a simple attempt to shutdown criticism turned into a multiyear David-and-Goliath court battle.
The title makes this seem like the focus is really tied to McDonalds' specific policies, but I think what serves as the real core of the film is how British libel law works, and there's a long history of British libel law being criticised for its ability to be utilized to shut down critical arguments. The filmmakers obviously have a belief about the goodness or badness of McDonalds, but in the film, really all that matters is to what…
This is a good doc about a corporation attempting to destroy two lives and failing. Two volunteers with Greenpeace London refuse to apologise and give in to McDonald's libel suit against them. Personally, I would have liked to see this piece go more in-depth on the legal analysis. The strongest element is the look we get into the defendants personal lives - their convictions, their perseverance, the effect the case has on their health and relationships. That alone is a clear indication of how unequal libel law is in the UK.
From what I could see, the original leaflet does not mention "obesity" or the "obesity epidemic" at all, but the documentary has a significant sequence that goes into this…
Shocking what McDonalds get away with then and what they still get away with now. What a vile company with equally vile so called food. Last time I ate there was 20 years ago and I was violently ill. Never again.
Well done to these 2 for sticking it to the man.
This documentary, co-directed by Franny Armstrong and Ken Loach, recounts the extraordinary, David-and-Goliath-esque legal battle between McDonald's and British environmental activists Helen Steel and David Morris.
Instigated by a London Greenpeace pamphlet that (rightly) criticised McDonald's ethics, the case was made possible by the notorious UK libel laws that had been used by the company to silence countless other detractors.
Steel and Morris opted to break with the time honoured tradition of retracting allegations made against McDonald's and fought their case in court. Remarkably, the financial clout and legal prowess of McDonald's was not able to smite their campaign and the court eventually decreed that the claims made in the pamphlet were partly true. If that alone represented a major…
Had the unfortunate side effect of making me crave McDonald's.
