Life And Debt
by Stephanie Black
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DVD details
Actor: Belinda Becker, Buju Banton, Horst K?hler, Michael Manley, Stanley FischerDirector: Stephanie Black
Cinematographer: Alex Nepomniaschy
Cinematographer: Kyle Kibbe
Cinematographer: Malik Hassan Sayeed
Cinematographer: Richard Lannaman
Producer: Stephanie Black
Producer: Sarah Manley
Writer: Jamaica Kincaid
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 80 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-06-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: New Yorker Video
DVD Reviews of Life And Debt
DVD Review: English Subtitles Would be Helpful
Summary: 3 Stars
I see from their website that this movie is rife with awards and glowing opinions. However, the move makers missed a bet by not including English subtitles in order to clarify the heavily accented dialog. I got the gist of the movie but missed many salient points made by those living it. Please re-consider adding this feature to your DVD.
DVD Review: an inconvenient truth?
Summary: 5 Stars
When a poor, developing country, like Jamaica, (the subject of this daring documentary) borrows money from western banks to finance her infra-structures and other projects, she normally has the good intention to pay back the loans via her natural resources and various trades. However, bad things happen (such as mismanagement or corruption within or whatever) that eventually incapacitate that country to repay the huge loans. So now, enter the supposed saviors (World Bank/IMF)...and that's when push comes to shove? How and why? Well, come and see this incisive documentary to gain some enlightening ideas-- and perhaps develop a few fair, compassionate views.DVD Review: A damning portrait
Summary: 5 Stars
I just watched it. To get a $50,000,000 loan, Jamaica had to agree to relinquish the right to control imports in any way. So American powdered milk subsidized 137% undercuts fresh milk produced in Jamaica(even though powdered milk is more expensive to produce), destroying the dairy industry. How could politicians agree to something like that? Were they in somebody's pocket? Was the country that desperate? The film doesn't shed much light on that aspect, focusing instead on the results these agreements have on ordinary (poor) Jamaicans. But it's well worth seeing. Many ordinary people appear on film and the impact is palpable. It's a bit heavy handed on the filming of the tourists but it's effective.
BTW - if you like reggae the soundtrack is fantastic and made me realize that they are really singing about their lives.
DVD Review: Life & Debt in Jamaica Exposes the Truth of Globilization
Summary: 5 Stars
Life and Debt in Jamaica is a powerful depiction of the negative impact of globalization on developing nations. i was moved by this documentary when i first saw it in 2006 and am grateful to have finally added it to my growing library. i recommend Life & Debt to anyone interested in developing a greater understanding of the global political economy and its impact on developing nations.
Uhuru!
DVD Review: Heavy handed, one-sided, shallow and insulting
Summary: 1 Stars
While this might be informative to people who have never traveled in the developing world or studied international economics this documentary offers little insight beyond the basic critiques of the IMF.
It begins by insulting would-be tourists insinuating they have no idea what life is like in Jamaica. It goes on to compare IMF officials to slave owners and place the blame for all of Jamaica's woes on colonialism and free trade.
For example it spends a lot of time bemoaning how cheap imported food hurts local farmers but never stops to consider how cheap food might benefit people in a developing economy.
Anyone seeking a better understanding of the world economy, the problems of the IMF or development will get little from this film.
Description of Life And Debt
Voice over by jamaica kincaid Studio: New Yorker Films Video Release Date: 06/24/2003 Run time: 86 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Stephanie BlackSet to a beguiling reggae beat, Life and Debt takes as its subject Jamaica's economic decline in the 20th century. The story has reverberations in the plight of other third-world nations blindsided by globalization, like Ghana and Haiti. After England granted Jamaica independence in 1962, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) stepped in with a series of loans. These loans came with strings attached--the kind that would eventually plunge the country $7 billion into debt, stranded without the resources to dig themselves out. Although IMF officials get the chance to have their say, it's clear where filmmaker Stephanie Black's sympathies lie--with the country's underemployed farmers and sweatshop workers. Jamaica Kinkaid (A Small Place) penned the narration, while the soundtrack features some of the "imports" with which this island nation remains mostly closely associated: Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Mutabaruka, who performs the title track. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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