''McLibel'' (also known as ''McLibel: Two People Who Wouldn't Say Sorry'') is a British

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

directed by

Franny Armstrong Franny Armstrong (born 3 February 1972) is a British documentary film director working for her own company, Spanner Films, and a former drummer with indie pop group The Band of Holy Joy. She is best known for three films: '' The Age of Stupid ...

and

Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a retiredhttps://variety.com/2024/film/global/ken-loach-retirement-the-old-oak-jonathan-glazer-oscars-speech-1235956589/ English filmmaker. His socially critical directing style and socialist views ar ...

for Spanner Films about the McLibel case. The film was first completed in 1997 as a 52-minute television version after the conclusion of the original McLibel trial. It was then extended with new footage to 85-minute feature length in 2005, after the McLibel defendants took their case to the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

Production

The 1997 version was shown at film festivals worldwide, and sold to TV in about ten countries. The 2005 extended version was released theatrically in the UK, U.S., Australia, and other countries and sold to TV around the world, notably to BBC 2 (as part of their prestigious " Storyville Classics" season, where it achieved one million viewers at 10pm on a Sunday night) and CBC in Canada. ''McLibel'' features courtroom reconstructions of the trial directed by well-known UK film director

, who gave his time for free. It also features interviews with Eric Schlosser (author of the 2001 book '' Fast Food Nation''), Morgan Spurlock (writer/director of the 2004 film ''

Super Size Me ''Super Size Me'' is a 2004 American documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003, during which he claimed to consume o ...

''),

Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and lawyer who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024 and as Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He previously ...

(who provided free legal support to the McLibel defendants for many years), and Howard Lyman of Oprah/Mad Cow infamy.

Release

''McLibel'' was broadcast on BBC 2 in 2005, to an estimated 1 million viewers. It was then also broadcast on TV in 15 countries – including Australia, Canada and the USA – and released on DVD worldwide. ''McLibel'' was released in cinemas and DVD stores in the U.S in summer 2005 and this was followed in the UK in 2006.

Reception

, the producers estimate that more than 25 million people have seen the film. Anti-McDonalds protest Leicester Square London 20041016

The film has a 100% positive rating on the review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 10 reviews. Metacritic gave the film a rating of 81% based on 4 reviews. Dennis Harvey of '' Variety'' magazine describes it as "an alarming if ultimately inspiring David-and-Goliath parable for today". Wendy Ide in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' described ''McLibel'' as “a very watchable little film about a big battle”. ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' said “An irresistible David and Goliath tale ... you can’t help but cheer along”, and ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' called it “An extraordinary example of independent filmmaking”. A '' Time Out London'' reviewer said “a radical screen full that will satisfy both head and heart”. ''McLibel'' was nominated for numerous awards, including the Grierson Documentary Award ( Grierson Awards) and the

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports, and promotes British independent cinema and film-making talent in the United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early Nov ...

. It was picked for the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

's prestigious series, "Ten Documentaries which Changed the World".

Home media

The DVD version was released in 2005 and features more than six hours of extras, including a spoof McDonald's commentary track from comedian Rob Newman.

References

External links

* {{Ken Loach 1997 films 1997 documentary films 2005 films 2005 documentary films British documentary films Criticism of fast food Documentary films about business Documentary films about McDonald's Films about food and drink Films shot in London Films directed by Ken Loach Films directed by Franny Armstrong 2000s English-language films 1990s English-language films 1990s British films 2000s British films English-language documentary films