McLibel

"The Postman and Gardener Who Took on McDonald's, and Won."

2005 1h 25m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 24

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A deep dive into the historic 1997–2005 libel lawsuit, wherein fast-food conglomerate McDonald's sued environmental activists Helen Steel and David Morris over a critical factsheet. It became the longest trial in English legal history and a major free-speech PR disaster for the corporation.

“The Postman and Gardener Who Took on McDonald's, and Won.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Helen Steel
Self
Dave Morris
Self
Bruce Alexander
Richard Rampton QC
Pip Donaghy
David Walker
Ian Flintoff
David Green
Oliver Ford Davies
Dr. Arnott
Richard Hope
Judge
William Hope
Guardian Newspaper Representative

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Franny Armstrong
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Franny Armstrong, shot by Franny Armstrong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Chris Brierley. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David G. Hill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Helen Steel and Dave Morris and Bruce Alexander carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Postman and Gardener Who Took on McDonald's, and Won.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0458425 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Franny Armstrong directs. Franny Armstrong behind the camera. Chris Brierley scores. David G. Hill cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 21 years ago.
3Directed by Franny Armstrong, shot by Franny Armstrong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Chris Brierley. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor David G. Hill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Helen Steel and Dave Morris and Bruce Alexander carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The Postman and Gardener Who Took on McDonald's, and Won.".
8IMDB entry: tt0458425 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 24 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.