Pork processing plant could bring social ills
Richard Linklater, right, poses for a photo Sunday with intrepid reporter Wayne Ma at the Hotel Carleton at the Cannes Film Festival.
***
Residents in the Quad-Cities are wise to have a community debate about the pork-processing plant proposed in East Moline, said Eric Schlosser, author of the bestselling novel “Fast Food Nation.”
Schlosser — along with director Richard Linklater, actors Ethan Hawke and Wilmer Valderrama, and actress Catalina Sandino Moreno — attended a roundtable discussion Sunday about their new film, adapted from Schlosser’s book.
“These (meat processing) companies beforehand promise high-paying jobs to their communities,” Schlosser said. “But when they come, they typically bring in workers who are often unattached males or transients who work in bleak conditions.”
The migration of these workers can bring in prostitution, drugs and crime, he added.
“Your community should consider it very carefully,” Schlosser said.
From text to film
The book “Fast Food Nation” came from an article Schlosser wrote in Rolling Stone magazine that connected the plight of Mexican migrant workers with the strawberry industry, he said. Editors at the magazine liked his article and asked him to write a similar piece about the fast-food industry.
Schlosser spent several years researching his book. Although he was not allowed into meat-packing plants, he was able to sneak into a few with the assistance of workers who were angry at the practices.
Linklater and Schlosser met in Austin, Texas, several years ago about the possibility of turning the book into a feature film. At first, Linklater said he assumed it would be a documentary -- and was going to refer Schlosser to someone else.
“But after (Schlosser) told me it would be a character-based piece about people in one town, it clicked in – this is what I do,” Linklater said.
Fact-food nation
For Hawke, an Academy Award nominee, and Valderamma, a star of Fox’s “That '70s Show,” “Fast Food Nation” does not have a clear point of view.
“I don’t think it has a giant agenda; it doesn’t say what you should or shouldn’t do,” Hawke said. “What you see is the invisible hold of corporate America – making money at the bottom line.”
“It just puts info out,” Valderamma said. “We’re just showing and creating a window.”
The movie does not tell audiences who is the “bad guy or good guy” added Moreno, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for best actress in “Maria Full of Grace.”
Some scenes -- such as a conversation between two fast-food executives played by Bruce Willis and Greg Kinnear – present valid points that fast-food corporations might make, Linklater said.
“It’s such a complex issue,” Linklater added. “There’s not one person in the world (who can change things) and there’s not one bad guy – it’s the system.”
***Residents in the Quad-Cities are wise to have a community debate about the pork-processing plant proposed in East Moline, said Eric Schlosser, author of the bestselling novel “Fast Food Nation.”
Schlosser — along with director Richard Linklater, actors Ethan Hawke and Wilmer Valderrama, and actress Catalina Sandino Moreno — attended a roundtable discussion Sunday about their new film, adapted from Schlosser’s book.
“These (meat processing) companies beforehand promise high-paying jobs to their communities,” Schlosser said. “But when they come, they typically bring in workers who are often unattached males or transients who work in bleak conditions.”
The migration of these workers can bring in prostitution, drugs and crime, he added.
“Your community should consider it very carefully,” Schlosser said.
From text to film
The book “Fast Food Nation” came from an article Schlosser wrote in Rolling Stone magazine that connected the plight of Mexican migrant workers with the strawberry industry, he said. Editors at the magazine liked his article and asked him to write a similar piece about the fast-food industry.
Schlosser spent several years researching his book. Although he was not allowed into meat-packing plants, he was able to sneak into a few with the assistance of workers who were angry at the practices.
Linklater and Schlosser met in Austin, Texas, several years ago about the possibility of turning the book into a feature film. At first, Linklater said he assumed it would be a documentary -- and was going to refer Schlosser to someone else.
“But after (Schlosser) told me it would be a character-based piece about people in one town, it clicked in – this is what I do,” Linklater said.
Fact-food nation
For Hawke, an Academy Award nominee, and Valderamma, a star of Fox’s “That '70s Show,” “Fast Food Nation” does not have a clear point of view.
“I don’t think it has a giant agenda; it doesn’t say what you should or shouldn’t do,” Hawke said. “What you see is the invisible hold of corporate America – making money at the bottom line.”
“It just puts info out,” Valderamma said. “We’re just showing and creating a window.”
The movie does not tell audiences who is the “bad guy or good guy” added Moreno, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for best actress in “Maria Full of Grace.”
Some scenes -- such as a conversation between two fast-food executives played by Bruce Willis and Greg Kinnear – present valid points that fast-food corporations might make, Linklater said.
“It’s such a complex issue,” Linklater added. “There’s not one person in the world (who can change things) and there’s not one bad guy – it’s the system.”
posted by Wayne Ma at
5:11 AM
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