Greed is good, according to Gordon Gekko

On this tour of Wall Street, we enter a movie theater for a double session dedicated to the stock market and a conversation about the character who became famous for reasons contrary to expectations.Located in Manhattan, the narrow Wall Street extends for eight blocks, but gained a meaning that goes beyond physical borders to represent the entire US financial market and associated services. More than that, Wall Street is considered the largest financial center in the world; many see it as the beating heart of the capitalist system.In those tall buildings, among condominiums and luxury restaurants, are gathered commercial banks, brokerage agencies, insurance companies, the Federal Reserve Bank, the headquarters of the New York Stock Exchange, the Trump Building. It is also a place full of history, as it is the place where George Washington took the oath that made him the first president of the United States, in April 1789. And “Wall Street” is also the name of a film that gave the cinema one of its most mythical characters: Gordon Gekko.

The bag floor like a shark tank

Directed by Oliver Stone, the 1987 film appears on several must-see-before-you-die lists. The story is summarized in a few lines: Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) is a young stockbroker who does not look at the means to try to reach the top – if necessary, infringing even the laws that regulate the market -, associating himself to such as Gordon Gekko, a greedy investor. “Wall Street” was intended to highlight the ruthless side of the stock market and, to achieve this, the scenes on the stock exchange are filmed in frenetic movements, typical of a war zone. Conversations between brokers are more like a physical confrontation and Stone wanted the viewer to feel like they were inside a tank full of sharks. All this frenzy contrasts with the static image of the scenes with Carl Fox, young Bud’s father, as he represents more solid values ​​and principles. (Interestingly, Martin and Charlie Sheen, father and son in real life, were father and son on screen.) However, despite the intentions, fame would fall on a lapidary phrase by Gordon Gekko: “Greed is good.”Also read: 10 movies with financial lessons to watch as a family

Career goal: To be a Gordon Gekko

In this kind of moral tale, Gekko had everything to be a supervillain, a symbol of evil. However, for some young people, the figure of the entrepreneur would become in a source of inspirationnot only in the peculiar way of dressing – starched shirt, suspenders, tie –, but also in the ideology and career objective. able to tell the truths, whether through a quote from Sun-Tzu’s “Art of War”, or through a career goal, measured by boundless ambition. “Greed is correct. Greed works,” assured Gekko. Greed captured the essence of the evolutionary spirit; it would be the salvation of poorly managed companies and even the United States itself. Read more: 8 films to learn more about investments

A damn Oscar?

Michael Douglas would receive an Oscar for his performance. Later, he would confess to getting sad whenever a broker told him that it was the movie, or more specifically his character, to urge him to make a career on Wall Street. The director would also be displeased with the fact that some people not understand the intended message. After all, you were supposed to side with Carl Fox instead of idolizing Gekko! In 2010, Michael Douglas and Oliver Stone teamed up for a new movie. In “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”, recently released from prison Gordon Gekko seeks to ally himself with his future son-in-law, a stockbroker full of ideals, in an attempt to rebuild his economic empire. In preparation for his role, young actor Shia LaBeouf worked alongside brokers and specialists from the financial world and, according to the website imdb.com, he even invested 20,000 dollars which converted into earnings of over 400,000 dollars. But even more interesting is the fact that 90% of the people LaBeouf met during this character study phase claimed that the choice of economics and stocks was determined because of… Gordon Gekko.

Even without success, money never sleeps

Oliver Stone would be invited to ring the morning bell that starts trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange, as a way to mark the New York premiere of the new film. The previous success, however, would not be repeated. And, among the new lines by Michael Douglas that could have gone down in history, such as the one in which he refers that “the only thing I learned in jail is that the main asset in life is not money; it’s time ”, which he would echo more often seemed to exalt, again, the villainous side of the character. “Money is a goat that never sleeps”, said Gordon Gekko. And the phrase was immortalized in a simplified credo: “money never sleeps”. Paulo M. Morais grew up playing street football and listening to proverbs told by his grandmothers. He graduated in Social Communication and specialized in the areas of cinema, videogames and gastronomy. He is the author of novels and non-fiction books. He collects board games and continues to watch many movies. He likes to cook, look at the sea, read.