Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
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| Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price | |
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 Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price film poster |
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| Directed by | Robert Greenwald |
| Produced by | Jim Gilliam |
| Starring | James Cromwell |
| Distributed by | Brave New Films |
| Release date(s) | November 4, 2005 (USA) |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ~ US$1,500,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price is a 2005 documentary film by director Robert Greenwald. The film presents an unfavorable picture of Wal-Mart's business practices through interviews with former employees, small business owners, and footage of Wal-Mart executives. The film intersperses statistics between the interviews to provide large-scale examinations beyond personal opinions. The documentary was released on DVD on November 4, 2005.
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[edit] Synopsis
While the film begins with footage of Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott praising the corporation at a large employee convention, the film spends a majority of its running time on personal interviews. A variety of criticisms of the corporation emerge from these interviews, including its anti-union practices, detrimental impact on small businesses, insufficient environmental protection policies, and poor record on worker's rights in the United States and internationally. The film ends with interviews of community leaders that have successfully taken action to prevent Wal-Mart locations from being built in their communities and an exhortation for others to do the same.
[edit] Reaction
The film has been endorsed and promoted by, among others, MoveOn.org and unions through the Wake Up Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Watch campaigns. Wal-Mart has disputed the factual accuracy of the statements made in the film. Wal-Mart:The High Cost of Low Price has been credited as one of the reasons that Wal-Mart created a public relations "war room" in late 2005 to respond to criticism. Their most notable effort was to make a film defending themselves released on DVD the same day as WM: THCoLP, Why Wal-Mart Works; and Why That Drives Some People C-R-A-Z-Y.
It is currently number 8 on Rotten Tomatoes' top films of 2005, with a rating of 96%.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. |
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Key People: Sam Walton | David Glass | Lee Scott | Jim C. Walton | Bud Walton | S. Robson Walton | Douglas Daft |
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Assets: Amigo Supermarkets | ASDA | Sam's Club | Wal-Mart Discount Stores | Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market | Wal-Mart Supercenter | Walmex |
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Annual Revenue: $288 billion USD ( |
