| Heist | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Donald Goldmacher Frances Causey |
| Written by | Frances Causey Hollis Rich |
| Produced by | Donald Goldmacher Frances Causey |
| Starring | Bernie Sanders Donna Edwards Robert Crandall David Brock Van Jones David Cay Johnston Elizabeth Warren |
| Narrated by | Thom Hartmann |
| Cinematography | Rogelio Garcia |
| Music by | David Raiklen |
| Distributed by | Connecting the Dots |
Release date |
|
Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Heist: Who Stole the American Dream? is a 2011 documentary film, which argues that government deregulation led to the Great Recession. It was directed and produced by Donald Goldmacher and journalist and former CNN Senior National Assignment Editor Frances Causey. Narrated by Thom Hartmann. The documentary is partially based on Jeff Faux's 2006 book The Global Class War.[1] The film traces the roots of the Great Recession to Virginia lawyer Lewis F. Powell, Jr., whose 1971 memo to the United States Chamber of Commerce urged corporate America to become more aggressive in molding politics and law.[2]
Filmmakers Goldmacher and Causey started work on Heist in 2006 after they had been investigating the exploitation of undocumented workers near the Arizona border.[3] Heist explores the premise that Roosevelt's New Deal is being dismantled piecewise. It documents the aggressive push for free trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement as well as the deregulation of financial products as evidenced by the repeal of the Glass–Steagall Act and the passage of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000.[2] Heist lays the blame for the crisis on the cozy relationship between politicians and corporations, citing the Reagan administration as well as the actions of Presidents Clinton and Obama.[4] The documentary ends with suggestions for how people might organize, including tactics employed by Occupy Wall Street.[1]
Heist includes interviews and commentary from Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Donna Edwards, former American Airlines president Robert Crandall, Media Matters for America founder David Brock, Nomi Prins, Van Jones, Robert Kuttner, Elizabeth Warren, and journalist David Cay Johnston.[4] The documentary premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 13, 2011.[5]
- ^ a b Karlin, Mark (February 29, 2012). "Who Stole the American Dream in Broad Daylight?". Truthout. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
- ^ a b Holden, Stephen (March 1, 2012). "Tracing the Great Recession to a Memo 40 Years Ago". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ Garcia, Amanda (January 26, 2012). "Heist: Who Stole the American Dream? An Interview with Co-Director/Co-Producer Frances Causey". The Santa Barbara Independent. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
- ^ a b Harvey, Dennis (October 20, 2011). "Heist: Who Stole the American Dream? And How We Can Get It Back". Variety. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ^ Karman, Mal (September 30, 2011). "Feature: Thirty-fourth time's a charm for the Mill Valley Film Festival..." pacificsun.com. Pacific Sun. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011.