Romancing the Supply Chain

Michael Giberson

Worthy of note for the film-going economists out there, Ann Hornaday sees “A Spike in Supply-Chain Muckraking”:

An unlikely star has emerged of late on the Hollywood firmament, one buried for years under a bushel of white papers, think tank policy recommendations, IT memos and unread op-eds. Ladies and gentlemen, for your consideration: the supply chain.

She cites big-screen fictions like Blood Diamond, The Constant Gardener and Syriana, and documentaries including Super Size Me, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of a Low Price and the just-out Black Gold, about the global coffee business.

Black Gold Movie

Black Gold just opened in DC, and I’m looking forward to seeing it. My prejudices going in lead me to expect that this “supply chain” documentary is, like much of the “fair trade” movement, mostly romanticizing the grower and demonizing the middle-men. With all due respect to the growers of the world, what about the dock workers, clerks, ships mechanics, truckers, packagers, sorters, and other assorted supply chain action figures? Well, maybe I should wait to see the movie before I start railing against it.

I’ll be back with a report when I have the time.