King Corn (2007)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Aaron Woolf

Writers:

Ian Cheney (writer)
Curtis Ellis (writer)

Release Date:

25 April 2009 (Japan)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

You are what you eat

Plot:

King Corn is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation...

Plot Keywords:

Corn | Food | Iowa | Farm | Diet

Cast

Earl L. Butz	...	Himself (as Earl Butz)
Ian Cheney	...	Himself
Curt Ellis	...	Himself

Runtime:

USA:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (HDCAM) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Greene, Iowa, USA

Company:

ITVS

Quotes:

Ian Cheney: It was already clear that when the time came to say goodbye to the corn from our acre, we would never know exactly where it would end up. After the crop is delivered to the elevator, following corn into the food system becomes a game of probability. Of the 10,000 pounds of corn our acre is likely to produce...

To the commenter above

The film did not demonize corn as a species. It demonized the particular strain of highly selected and genetically modified corn that we use for high fructose corn syrup and cattle feed, a type of corn that requires intensive fertilization and herbicide regimens, and which actually kills off other strains of corn such as the sweet corn we all love eating at a summer barbecue. Also, cows are ruminants, which means that they have basic, low-acidity stomachs, evolved to digest grass. In order for them to digest the starchy kernels from corn, the acidity of their stomachs have to be artificially increased, causing myriad health problems for them which can only be remedied using antibiotics and hormones. This also makes them vulnerable to diseases that threaten us. It is absolutely naive to think this doesn't impact our health. Finally, the "Harvard professor" you refer to is Michael Pollan, a UC Berkeley professor. He is the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book perhaps you should consider reading if you value facts so much. I think it is you who have not carefully understood the information presented by this film.