Big Boys Gone Bananas!*

Gr 10 Up—In 2009, Frederik Gertten, a Swedish documentary filmmaker, was scheduled to premiere his film Bananas!** at the LA Film Festival. That production explored the use of a banned pesticide by the Dole Corporation in Nicaragua and the resultant lawsuit brought by banana workers there. The CEO of Dole admitted fault, but when the film was to be shown, Dole initiated a lawsuit claiming libel that encompassed everyone connected to the film, the officials of the Film Festival, and anyone else vaguely involved. The full power of a worldwide corporation was used to suppress the film's release, claiming that the film was fraudulent. This film documents the effects of this corporate sledgehammer in a David and Goliath scenario. In the end, Gertten prevailed in the U.S. courts and, threatened with an escalating boycott of their products in Europe, Dole withdrew their suit and the film was released. It is primarily about free speech in the United States and the might of corporations to change the focus of news and reporting to suit their purposes. Gertten's ongoing filming of events related to the suit make for an interesting and, at times, infuriating video diary. Viewers see very little of the original film and Dole's reason for the lawsuit is not explored in depth. However, the film serves well as an excellent learning experience regarding the power of determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable corporate wealth and influence.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly Trinity-Pawling School Library, NY