Art and Money in Movies

Here is a draft of the article I have written about how business is portrayed in film.
In general, films reflect the struggle between artists and capitalists. Filmmakers are not anti-business, but they like what they see as the creative side of business, not the constraints capitalists place on creativity. My first few posts list categories of films based on the article. More recent posts follow up on some points in the article, including those raised by visitors and by current events and films. I also devote some posts to specific films. Thanks to The Internet Movie Database for the links. By the way, that guy on the left is not me.

Comments

[Kaimi Wenger]

Interesting article. A few films I would suggest adding some discussion of:

1. Citizen Kane. Often listed as the greatest film of all time, it clearly has both positive and negative messages about business.

2. There is a common movie theme or genre which you may want to address, the rags-to-riches movie. This movie produces conflicting messages, as a poor person is thrilled to become rich, while the rich person typically learns that "money isn't everything."

Sabrina, which you have already mentioned, has elements of this genre. Two other very popular and well-known movies that fit this theme (and that discuss business in particular) are Pretty Woman and Trading Places.

Both involve a poor person who is thrilled with the benefits of capital, a heartless capitalist or two, and a resulting conflicting message -- business is not all bad (it creates money, money is good) but many business people become too fixated on the money.

Pretty Woman and Trading Places also involve discussion of particular areas of business (mergers, wall street) which are characterized as heartless. (The classic line from Richard Gere's heartless businessman to Julia Roberts' prostitute -- "You and I are such similar creatures, Vivian. We both screw people for money").

[Director Mitch]

I was posting on this topic this morning after seeing "Paycheck", where the antagonist is a CEO, and thought: why are the bad guys (nearly) always CEOs and business people?

In addition to your detailed analysis, I would add that "business" does not have a group that goes out and protests when it is portrayed negatively in a film.

Muslim groups protested the release of "True Lies" and it is generally agreed that the movie "Sum of All Fears" changed the terrorists to white neo-Nazis from Muslim extremists in the book in order to avoid any controversy.

For me the question is: when Hollywood can make anyone the antagonist (i.e. it is not a business specific movie, not necessary for the plot), do they make the antagonist a business person anyway?

[Crawford Kilian]

Nice blog, provocative arguments! I've linked to "Busfilm" at my site "Writing for the Web."

[Greg Kauffmann]

Your whole site is a great read. I stumbled across it while researching for a paper comparing business in literature. I know you do not discuss this issue too much, however you do mention your curiosity to elaborate on this subject. Your disection of the films I've read so far are on the money. Keep up the good work, and I'm going to add this site to my favorites.

[Rex Hammock]

Several years ago, the magazine MyBusiness ran a story on "small businesses in movies." Here is the URL: http://www.mybusinessmag.com/fullstory.php3?sid=488

Also, on my weblog, I have a running feature on movies that are related to the magazine business, in some way: i.e., the current, "In Good Company."

URL: http://www.rexblog.com/stories/storyReader$1160

[bhavna]

I read your blog on outsourcing. This blog is quite informative for my business, even I have blog on outsourcing so can we exchange the links to share our knowledge resources.

http://www.offshoreoutsourcingworld.com

[Tibor R. Machan]

I haven't gone through everything here but I would suggest discussing Cameron Hawley's book Cash McCall (of which a movie was also made with James Garner and Natelie Wood, if I recall right). Also, Ben Stein did a book, if I recall correctly, called Hollywood's Heavies, of which a documentary was also created. You may like to check out Tibor Machan (me) & James Chesher, The Business of Commerce, Examining an Honorable Profession (Hoover Institution Press, 1999). I am working on a book I have tentative titled "Wealth Care," intimating that business is akin to medicine, concerned primiarily with enhancing a vital part of our lives, namely, our prosperity.

[John]

This has caused much debate at our film school classes.

[liz]

Ooh - I have a request: what about films that portray salesmen?

[Mike Guttentag]

Professor Ribstein has certainly watched more films more carefully than I have, and the question of why businesses or capitalists, in particular, are portrayed in a certain way in film is, I agree, an interesting one. But on a quick review of this article, two of the main premises strike me as incorrect.

First, I get the sense from Ribstein’s article that he believes the process of filmmaking is driven by a tension in Hollywood between the artist and the capitalist. The idea that those making the film are artistes chafing under the burdens of funding their projects is not consistent with my ten years experience working around the film industry. In my experience, every one in Hollywood, financier and artist alike, is working as hard as they can to make films that are entertaining, and so, profitable. Equally odd is the thought that there is a group of capitalists that are “tolerating” an anti-capitalist slant, because they have no choice due to agency costs. Who does he think these capitalists are: Rupert Murdoch, Bain Capital, the Weinstiens? It is as if Professor Ribstein has been informed about Hollywood and business by reading an odd combination of books by Karl Marx and the pulp fiction about “how movies get made.”

Second, Ribstein seems to hold a rather Pollyanna view of business or, as he may prefer, capitalism. Ribstein dismisses the portrayal of business generally presented in films as “fantasy.” Is it really a fantasy that business often do bad, or, at a minimum, amoral things, or that the experience of the vast majority of individuals working in business are unpleasant, more about political survival than productive activity? I certainly have my own set of experiences, but one can also read the studies of the work environment by sociologists such as Jackall and Melville to realize that there is a large audience rightly sympathetic to anti-business views.

The problem as I see it with Ribstein’s analysis is this: he has been reading too many Ayn Rand novels and not enough Dilbert.

[thebizofknowledge]

I stumbled across your blog while I was doing some online research. I think the portrayal of the evil capitalist exploiting the poor worker is one that gets an emotional response from most people as everyone's had a bad boss at some point!

[Andy]

Great blog buddy, and it was a nice article, have a look at http://www.badmovieknights.com/ if you get time! :>

[Andy]

nice site you have, thanks for sharing, have a look at http://badmovieknights.com/ when you get time :>

[Eugene]

Hi. My name is Eugene Gershin. I'd like to welcome you to Obadiah Shoher's blog, Samson Blinded: A Machiavellian Perspective on the Middle East Conflict.

Obadiah is a pen name of a politician. He writes extremely controversial articles about Israel, the Middle East politics, and terrorism.

Obadiah advocates political rationalism instead of moralizing. He is economic liberal and political conservative.

Google refused advertising our site and Amazon deleted reviews of Obadiah's book. Nevertheless, Obadiah’s is the largest Jewish personal blog, read by more than 100,000 people monthly. 210,000 people from 81 countries downloaded Obadiah’s book. The blog was voted the best overall in People’s Choice: Jewish and Israeli blogs Awards, received Webby Honoree and other awards.

Please help us spread Obadiah's message, and mention the blog in one of your posts, or link to us. We would greatly appreciate your comments at www.samsonblinded.org/blog

Best wishes,

Eugene Gershin

Jewrusalem.net – Israeli Uncensored News

[Mike Artherton]

Nice stuff... tough to keep track of all that is happening. I end up reading 100 odd blogs daily. Plus there is news. You could also enrich your blog by adding current news on your blog... try out the news widget from widgetmate.com

[Jenn]

Movies have become a business really.
Well, I think now a day's enterprenuers are thinking about trading them as businesses also. They are just developing a good movie/business..or Buy a good movie/business.. Develop it..& Sell the kmovie/business. with handsome profit.

[czworld]

nice site you have, thanks for sharing