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Zoya Oyzerovich
Professor Williams
English 102
7 October 2014
What You Dont Know
What is a corporation? Corporations are greedy monstrous psychopath entities. A
documentary film, The Corporation, was released in 2004, directed by Mark Achbar, and edited
by Jennifer Abbott based on the book, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and
Power by law professor Joel Bakan. In this documentary we are shown the paradox of how
corporations create so much help yet killing us at the same time and how powerful they have
become. Since corporations are defined as a legal person, interviewers and psychologists
then begin to look into the personality of a corporation and the very people who work for
corporations. They then discusses whistleblowing and how corporations do not value
democracy and buy their political power. This film is intended for an audience who is opened
minded, 18-25 years old consumers, the future building blocks of generations. This
documentary exposes the true colors of corporations for what they really are: greedy
monstrous psychopath entities, using archival footage, sinister soundtracks, and fast paced
movements. The beginning of this film discusses the American eagle and what it stands for and
what it would stand for if it did for a company.
A scene displays the recognized bird, the American eagle soaring in the light blue sky
with its wings fully spanned out and free. Voiced over Ira Jackson, director of Center for

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Business and Government, describes with such power and pride the characteristics of the
American eagle, how majestic the eagle is, clear-eyed, noble, and clear to strike but not a
vulture. The scene then transitions to Ira Jackson himself along with the soundtrack of sweet
soft music, still describing the eagle and how people can look up to it as inspiration. Jackson
then takes a moment to pause in awe and take in everything he had just said. He then states I
could see that ( American eagle) bringing a good logo for a principle company (Corporation)
the music cuts and he begins to laugh and walks off as if off camera and says alright guys
enough with the bullshit. A little over a minute, this scene carries and clear message about
corporations.
This scene describes what we see and hear on camera versus what is being told off
camera. As the music sets the tone for what is being said about the American eagle, it is
majestic, noble, loyal, and how it is something to look up to. It builds this sensation of
amazement. This impression of amazement and admiration swiftly goes away once you hear
the music stop abruptly ,waking you up in a sense, and Ira Jackson is walking off camera and
laughing saying, Alright guys enough with the bullshit (Corportation). This leaves you with a
sense of stupidity for even believing in it in the first place. This scene portrays the people that
run corporations as very convincing liars. Edgar Allen Poe once said The scariest monsters are
the ones that lark within our souls. If corporations are considered a person, what lurks in there
soul?
There may not be any monsters under your bed, but that doesnt mean they are not
anywhere nearby. Corporations are artificial creations, you might say they are monsters is

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said by the narrator as a computer like noise occurs in the background (Corporation). It
transitions rapidly to a black and white film reel of Godzilla with the title The Biggest Thing
since Creation as Godzilla over towers the city. The narrator then continues on saying you
might say they are monsters, trying to devour as much profit as possible at anyones expense
(Corporation). Godzilla then pops up breathing fire into the camera, terrorizing people in the
streets, and stepping on cars causing destruction, and you can hear the people screaming and
running away. The scene then shifts to whales. I think of a whale, gentle big fish, which could
swallow you in an instant the speaker says this in a sarcastic tone with the background of
ominous music (Corporation). A crescendo of suspenseful music begins to play over as a video
of Frankenstein monster squeezes Dr. Frankenstein to death. Dr. Frankensteins creation has
overwhelmed and over powered him (Corporation).
Mark Archbar uses these simple scenes to compare corporations as monsters. We can
see that Godzilla, the whale, and Frankensteins monster is a representation of corporations.
Godzilla and Frankensteins monsters were not created with good will thus showing us nothing
good can come from them. We see this in Godzilla because all he does is destroy everything
around him. He is huge and overpowering and nothing can stop him all he wants is to please
himself and it doesnt matter what is being destroyed in the process. The small clip from
Frankenstein shows Frankenstein monster squeezing Dr. Frankenstein to death. Dr.
Frankenstein made Frankensteins monster out of dead body parts and brought him to life with
lightning. With corporations being represented through Frankensteins monster, we see how
the creator was killed by his own creation. Corporations will be destroying everything around us

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and slowly killing us, their creator. This begins to introduce to us a monster that is
psychopathic.
Dr. Robert Hare begins discussing about how corporations are looked at as a person, it
would be very easy to diagnose them. The scene begins with a check list titled, Personality
Diagnostic Checklist. The check list begins to get checked off by the voice over of how the
corporation meets the criteria such as: Callous unconcern for the feelings of others music,
check mark. Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships music, check mark. Reckless
disregard for the safety of others, music, check mark. This continues on till it reaches the
bottom of the check list and Dr. Hare officially diagnoses the subject, corporations, with the
personality disorder of a psychopath.
Essentially, in these scenes Mark Achbar gives us a list to check off symptoms of a
corporation. The director brings in a consultant from the FBI on psychopaths, Dr. Robert Hare
Ph.D. He begins to professionally diagnosis the subject, corporation, as psychopaths. In this
scene, as you hear the marker check all boxes that apply to the subject. This redundant sound
of hearing check marks and the ominous music playing over gives the viewer an aha moment.
The director is giving his examples, showing us his proof and proving to us with an actual
psychologist, that corporations are indeed psychopaths. The film continues on through the
documentary providing reasoning and examples to back up their claim of corporations being
pychopaths.
This documentary was intended to open your eyes to corporations, how they work and
show the all the help they do for us, nationally/ globally, while killing us at the same time. This

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film opens your eye to the world you live in and see the evil that is being caused by
corporations that are surrounding us. With archival footage, a sinister soundtrack, and fast
paced movements the film does an excellent job of revealing a corporations character as a
psychopath. I would encourage interested viewers to watch this film not only once, but twice to
fully absorb all the information and content that is contained in this film.

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Web Cited
Achbar, Mark. "The Corporation: Documentary Trailer." YouTube. YouTube, 24 Nov. 2006. Web.
2 Dec. 2014.
"Corporate Behavior and the Rising Health Care Costs." Modern Health Talk. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
"Keith Olbermann." Iz Quotes. Iz Quotes. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
The Corporation. Filmwest Associates, 2003. DVD.