Wall Street
HELEN
MACDONALD
Wall Street, A film direcred by
Oliver Stone.
WHEN WALL STREET frE opened there was much noise ahout this exposure of stock exchange dirty dealing:
Inhabitants of the stockbroker belt could be beard on television and radio either disclaiming the whole film, or, more afien hailing it as a devastatingly decurate portrayal of their own dirty dealings shaking their heads solemnly over the shame:
nfit all.
1 think that their tongues niust have been lodged larly m:
their collective checks, Hthis is the wuest that monopoly capitalism lias to offer ns, I reckon that we/ll live happily after all.
But it's a fairly enjoyable way uf'spending a couple of hours at your local cinema Jusr don't espect anyrhing vaguely political
- this is more of a moral tale for our times than a critique of the machinations uf big business and insider dealing.
Werc you to take this film ton scriously vou might end up slightly confased — why is
Terence Stamp infinitely prelerable to Michael Douglas wlien it conies to having your company taken over by some rampaging entrepreneur?
The general impression is that
Wall Street may have the odd
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SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no B July/September 1998
(large) puddle of corruprion, hur your average broker trally 1s a fairly doot chap. Sumehow this scems a contradiction in termEs.
The performannes are good, although biased rowards the evil. Michael Dunglas as Gordon Gekko of the greed is good"
philosophy stalke around in a sunubly malevolent manner and proves that if you re going to be a bad buy, it pays in be a mally bad guy as his somewhit nicer acolve Charlie Sheen seems Dever to emerge from wimpdon. even in his moment of glory
Martin Sheen is stock with a dog of a part as che honcurabic (alheir class collaboralionist) trade umion leader, but to his credit still manages to convince Apart, that is, from a hideous hospital scene where Wathering Heights meets ligh finaner with a swing
It would be pleasant to be able to write abour the woma Trads, but the film's main failing is that in appears to lave forgotten that they exist. As Nome Address... Post Code... Subscription to start from issue number one year subscription. *
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People that is. (We all koow that they exist as girlfmends, louse women and muthers.)
The only woman with any sort ofrole is Dars| Hannah, the interior decorator wlin specialses in making vour fat look like a building site. But dien she is allowed special signiticance as belonging to both
Gekko and Charlie Sheen one way or anothcr, aki being a sorr if sab-plor to their power struggle, Yuk.
This lilm is probably more itbout met and their struggles with both power and cach other than it is aboul high finance. As when Gekko says to Charlie at:
one point I gave vou your manhood: And that folks is what it's all abour •
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Daniel Bensaid addresses the Socialist Outlook '68-'88 rally, seated (l to r): Tariq All,
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