AllMovie

With an investigative approach not too far from Michael Moore (Roger and Me), filmmaker Philippe Harel and former journalist Denis Robert teamed on this French-Swiss documentary in an effort to uncover the complexities of financial manipulations that keep the wealthy in power. Archival footage is intercut with numerous interviews. Journalists and other interviewees offer a wide range of opinions and speculations, with leftist Liberation publisher Serge July noting that no changes were evident in Italy even after the country "replaced 80% of its elites." In France, nearly $1 billion is spent by the French government to back the written press. With four-fifths of all media going to a small group of controlling firms, censorship quietly lurks in the background. Only one political leader is interviewed, although Robert sent out dozens of requests for interviews. The 116-minute documentary combines film with a video transfer to film.