Educational Media Reviews Online

This somewhat disjointed film explores consumerism and branding. It begins by examining the economy of knock-off designer goods sold on Canal Street in New York City. The film is in English, but viewers will quickly note that the identifying labels on speakers’ names aren’t in English – an oddity that will prove a barrier to many viewers and leave speakers’ authority in question. The commentators bring up a number of interesting issues: many of the vendors on Canal Street are immigrants and have limited employment options, the city relies on the tourist trade created by the district, the trade is believed to fuel mob and terrorist activity, and advertising has become ubiquitous in our culture. However, the film doesn’t go the extra mile to explore the issues or make a cohesive point. The viewer begins to get the idea that the filmmakers don’t think Canal Street is a good thing, but it isn’t clear why. In fact, much of the first half of the film follows various shoppers examining goods and works better as an advertisement for Canal Street than a condemnation of it.

From this, the film moves on to explore high-scale stores, billboards, and shoe shoppers in Harlem. Again, images, words, and ideas are presented without any clear, cohesive meaning. The film gets bogged down in its subject and the viewer has nothing to hold on to or react to. While the film gives a fine description of Canal Street, it barely touches other topics. Ultimately, it proves neither thought-provoking nor entertaining. Not recommended.