A Great Big Bunfight
A British documentary looks at truth, justice and the Big Mac when it follows the tale of two London activists. Ruth Hessey reports.  

With 35 million customers a day and a $3 billion profit each year, McDonald's isn't just the biggest burger outlet in the world. The company that pioneered junk food is one of the most powerful organisations on the planet as the makers of a very spunky British documentary called 'Mclibel: Two Worlds Collide', have discovered.

McLibel charts the years two North London activists spent in court fighting McDonald's for the right to distribute leaflets critical of its operations. It has been described as the trial of the century and, as London's Time Out said in its review of the doco, "it will make you think twice about what civil liberties are worth in the corporate era."

Within the first five minutes, viewers see a long list of British media institutions that have been intimidated by the threat of legal action from McDonald's - indicating the clout that comes with the burger chain's annual $3 billion profit. The list includes such generally bolshie sectionsof the British press as The Guardian and Channel 4 and underscores the Archilles heel of modern media - the fear of losing advertising revenue.

The doco has not been screened in Britain because Channel 4 and the BBC panicked at the last moment. It is, however, a vivid account of democrarcy in action - the people versus the system - and an often hilarious expose of big business arrogance. It's also director/producer Franny Armstrong's first film, and an extraordinary example of independent film-making.

With no financial backing and no legal representation, Helen Steel and Dave Morris set out to challenge the responsibility McDonald's has for the health of its customers, its envrionmental impact, its treatments of animals and exploitation of employees.

Their crusade has also inspired the McSpotlight Web site, which posted 20,000 pages of research on McDonald's on the Net and scored a million hits in its first month. Its been estimated the McDonald's spent between £5 million and £15 million in court, while Morris (a single dad) and Steel (a part-time bar attendant) struggled to produce a case with the help of a vast worldwide network of volunteers.

As one observer comments in the film: 'They held McDonald's accountable to society, for society. They are the heroes of our time.'

McLibel: Two Worlds Collide will screen at the Chauvel cinema, Paddington from tomorrow. Phone 9361 5398.

 
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