Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who caused a stir by eating only McDonald’s for a month to expose the dangers of fast food, has died at the age of 53, a victim of cancer.
Spurlock, whose documentary “Super Size Me” sparked controversy in 2004, died Thursday in New York.
“Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. “I am very proud to have worked alongside him,” said his brother Craig Spurlock in a statement issued this Friday.
Morgan Spurlock and
xposed the harmful effects of fast food
The late documentary filmmaker was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004 for “Super Size Me.” In the film, Spurlock chronicled the harmful effects of fast food.
By eating only those types of foods for a month, he gained about 25 pounds (11 kilos), increased his cholesterol and lost his sex drive.
“Everything is bigger in America,” he said in the film. “We have the biggest cars, the biggest houses, the biggest companies, the biggest food and, finally, the biggest people.”
In one scene in the documentary, Spurlock showed children a photo of George Washington and none of them recognized the Founding Father of the Nation. But everyone knew the Wendy’s and McDonald’s mascots.
In 2019, he directed “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!”, which focused on chicken farmers trapped in the financial system and fast-food chains’ attempt to trick customers into thinking they are. eating healthier.
“We are at an incredible moment in history from a consumer standpoint, where consumers are starting to have more and more power,” he told the AP in 2019. “It’s not about profits for shareholders. “It’s about profits for consumers.”
Spurlock was an eccentric filmmaker who leaned toward the bizarre and ridiculous. His stylistic touches included energetic graphics and playful music, blending an on-camera storytelling style similar to that of Michael Moore, but with his own sense of humor and pathos.
Since exposing the fast food and chicken industries, there has been an explosion in restaurants emphasizing freshness, artisanal methods, farm-to-table goodness, and ethically sourced ingredients. But nutritionally it hasn’t changed much.
“There’s been a massive shift and people say to me, ‘So, food has gotten healthier?’ And I say, ‘Well, marketing has,’” she told the AP in 2019.
Not all of his work had to do with food. Spurlock made documentaries about the boy band One Direction and the geeks and fans at Comic-Con. One of his films focused on life in the Henrico County Jail in Virginia.
With “Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?” 2008. Spurlock embarked on a global search to find the leader of Al Qaeda, who was assassinated in 2011. In “POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” Spurlock addressed placement issues of products, marketing and advertising.
Controversy over #MeToo movement
“Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” It was going to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, but was shelved at the height of the movement #MeToo when Spurlock detailed his own history of sexual misconduct.
He confessed that he had been accused of rape while in college and that he had settled a sexual harassment case with an assistant. He also admitted to cheating on numerous partners. “I am part of the problem,” he wrote.
Spurlock grew up in Beckley, West Virginia. Her mother was an English teacher. She is survived by his children Laken and Kallen, his mother Phyllis Spurlock, his father Ben, his brothers Craig and Barry; and her ex-wives Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, mothers of her children.
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