Michael Moore's 'Capitalism: A Love Story' sounds the alarm on money and power

Capitalism vs. democracy.

That's the struggle at the heart of Michael Moore's powerful new documentary, "Capitalism: A Love Story," which tends to see democracy losing in the propaganda wars.

"I'm awed by propaganda," says a Catholic priest who fears that Christian principles cannot compete with the millions of dollars thrown into political campaigns.

While other church leaders echo his despair and wonder what Jesus would make of modern capitalism, Moore uses images from Westerns and ancient Roman epics to underline the notion that the country is headed for a fall.

In scenes that might have been lifted from "The Grapes of Wrath," Moore films a family being evicted and humiliated into cleaning their house at the same time. He also records their anger, which is aimed directly at Wall Street.

In his first film since the similarly damning health-care documentary, "Sicko," Moore decorates the nation's financial center with yellow tape indicating a crime scene. Still, he hasn't given up.

"I refuse to live in a country like this," he says. "And I'm not leaving."

Moore finds enough cases in which justice has prevailed to keep the movie from becoming an utter downer. Using clips of the selfless Dr. Jonas Salk, and morality-driven speeches by Presidents Carter and (Franklin) Roosevelt, he focuses on the promises of the Constitution.

The script gradually becomes an ambiguous mixture of hope and desperation; at times it feels almost bipartisan in its politics. While the Republicans don't come off well, neither do the Democrats who helped a retiring Republican president save Wall Street from a meltdown.

"Chicken Little himself" is how Moore now sees former President George W. Bush, who is portrayed as rushing into an economic solution (a "coup d'état," Moore suggests) that appears to have left the chief offenders in charge.

John Hartl: johnhartl@yahoo.com