Two Films Paint Two Faces Of Wal-Mart

Wal Mart Ad in Washington Post Weekend Section, October 8, 2005.

This article from the Hartford Courant discusses the two competing films:

A middle-age African American woman speaks in a calm, quiet voice about the conversation she says she had with her boss when she was yet again passed up for a promotion at Wal-Mart."He bluntly told me, `There's no place for people like you in management,'" said Edith Arana, who no longer works for the retailer. I said, `What do you mean, people like me? That I'm female or that I'm black?'" Arana said she responded. "He said, `Two out of two ain't bad.'

"It's one of the most compelling scenes in "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price," a searing new documentary directed by independent filmmaker Robert Greenwald on a budget of $1.8 million. A dueling documentary also debuted this week, called, "Why Wal-Mart Works: And Why That Makes Some People Crazy." It's a glowing portrayal of the world's largest retailer, directed by independent filmmaker Ron Galloway. It was made on less than 5 percent of Greenwald's budget, and packs less of an emotional punch.



Together, they tell two tales of one Wal-Mart: Predator that exploits workers and decimates local communities in its endless hunt for profits, and exemplar of economic efficiency whose low prices are a boon to consumers worldwide.So far, few audiences have watched both side by side.