An economic autopsy of what killed once-great Detroit reveals a sad tale of irresponsible spending and borrowing by city officials, and an unrelenting refusal to admit that sooner or later such policies run out of “other people’s money.” [ How Cronyism and Corruption Brought Down Detroit credits: Dir: Ben Howe/ 41 min/ Documentary/ Incompetent government, Unions & monopolies]
Note: the full documentary may be viewed online here.
External Reviews
“It is a terrific movie and traces the dual collapse of the American automotive industry and the city of Detroit. Of particular interest is that the filmmaker, Ben Howe, tells the stories of the downfall of GM and Chrysler on the one hand and Detroit on the other as being intertwined and deriving from the same causes.”
–Washington Post
“It’s one of the most important cautionary civic tales in America – not just a requiem for a once-mighty city, but a warning to all the others lined up to fall in much the same way.”
–Human Events
“The new documentary Bankrupt: How Cronyism and Corruption Brought Down Detroit…explores the road to perdition American automobiles cruised down in their partnership with government. A story of the love the people had, and hope to have again, for this city of metaphors.”
–IJ Review
How to See It
YouTube Video Search
Online Video Search
Links
Official Homepage
Bloomberg: Detroit Bankruptcy Documentary Billed With DC Auto Show
Book: Detroit: An American Autopsy
Book: The Day Detroit Went Dark
Book: Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre: The Ruins of Detroit