ACC 104 Business Finance
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Essay
2: Greed is Good
Film: Wall Street
Collin Shaw
November 8, 2012
The Business and Success on Wall Street
The film Wall Street focuses on Bud Fox, an up-and-coming businessman trying to make ends meet, and Gordon Gekko, a man who gained his wealth through numerous business deals. The film depicts a world in which the characters focus on business to achieve personal success. After closely reading, both aspects of business and success become evident through the analysis of the plot, music, and lighting used throughout the film.\Related topics:
INFS21600 Management Information SystemFilm: Wall Street
Collin Shaw
November 8, 2012
The Business and Success on Wall Street
The film Wall Street focuses on Bud Fox, an up-and-coming businessman trying to make ends meet, and Gordon Gekko, a man who gained his wealth through numerous business deals. The film depicts a world in which the characters focus on business to achieve personal success. After closely reading, both aspects of business and success become evident through the analysis of the plot, music, and lighting used throughout the film.\Related topics:
ACCT26600 Management Accounting
Business and success are evident from the beginning of the film, and continue
to be the overarching theme as the plot develops. The film opens with a picture
of a clock. The business day begins with the ticking of a clock. From this
point on, the film focuses on Bud trying to attain financial success. During
this scene, Bud states, “my dream is to be on the other end of the phone.” Bud
one day wants to be the man with money, instead of the man handling the money.
He is eager to attain success similar to that of Gekko, which then leads Bud to
seek out Gekko. Bud walks into Gekko’s office for the first time with the idea
that, “life comes down to a few moments, this is one of them.” He realizes his
version of personal and financial success lies with Gekko and that he is the
definition of success in the business world. Gordon Gekko is money. And to
Gekko, time is money and business is business. In other words, time spent not
making money is time wasted. Gekko measures his success through the amount of
money in his bank account. Bud realizes that to gain Gekko’s version of success
he must push the limits in the business world. Bud and Gekko begin to partake
in insider trading with one another. Life for Bud takes off. With Gekko by his
side he is all of a sudden a successful man. He moves into a fancy apartment,
begins seeing an attractive lady, while also accruing wealth. Bud has done
whatever it takes to use business to become successful, even to the detriment
of his moral values. In contrast to Gekko and Bud’s characters, the film
depicts a hard workingman through Bud’s Father. Bud’s father works hard every
day, leads a happy family life, and earns a stable income. To Bud, his father
is not successful. We learn this when Bud tells his father, “I got to live in
Manhattan to be a player. There’s no mobility in poverty.” This quote shows
that Bud believes he has to live in a fancy high-rise condo in downtown
Manhattan to be successful, whereas his father is content with living happily
in Queens with his family. Bud and Gekko need business prowess in order to
believe they are successful. Without business success neither character
believes they can achieve their self-worth. The first time Bud joins Gordon
Gekko for dinner sums up Gekko’s obsession with business. Bud sits down for
dinner and Gekko quickly starts the conversation with “how’s business?” Gekko
and Bud are unable to separate their business life from the rest of their life
due to their obsession over financial success instead of personal success.
Instead of drooling over business success, these two characters would do better
to pursue success in their personal life, before success in their business life.
The director of the play uses music and lighting throughout the play to imply what is important to the movie. The use of music is a key element in the play. Whenever Gekko and Bud are on the verge of making a major business decision, suspenseful music is playing in the background. This music is then followed by a louder sound. For example, when Bud first meets Gekko the music is slow and suspenseful. However, when Bud crosses the line and tells Gekko the inside information the music picks up to a quicker pace. The drastic change in music symbolizes a drastic change in Bud. It helps the viewer realize Bud will pursue his business career at all cost. The director continually does this throughout the play to allow us to realize the key moments in the film.
The director also uses lighting to his advantage. When the scene is focused on Gekko, the lighting is bright with exuberant colors and painting on the walls. The bright lights represents the notion that Gekko has achieved what he thinks is success. To contrast these bright lights and lively colors, the director chooses to use dimmer lighting and less flashy colors when portraying Buds father and his co-workers. When Bud visits his father at work the lighting is noticeably darker, and men are wearing beat up clothing with less vitality. The depiction of these men represents that they are inferior to the upper-class businessmen.
In Wall Street, Bud Fox and Gordon Gekko are depicted to be wealthy businessmen who will do anything to achieve financial success. They believe money defines success. Although Bud Fox finally became the guy on the other end of the spectrum who he so desperately yearned to become, it came with a cost. It came with the cost of breaking the law. To Bud and Gekko, time was money, and business was business. They lived by this in their attempt to achieve personal success in the business world.
The director of the play uses music and lighting throughout the play to imply what is important to the movie. The use of music is a key element in the play. Whenever Gekko and Bud are on the verge of making a major business decision, suspenseful music is playing in the background. This music is then followed by a louder sound. For example, when Bud first meets Gekko the music is slow and suspenseful. However, when Bud crosses the line and tells Gekko the inside information the music picks up to a quicker pace. The drastic change in music symbolizes a drastic change in Bud. It helps the viewer realize Bud will pursue his business career at all cost. The director continually does this throughout the play to allow us to realize the key moments in the film.
The director also uses lighting to his advantage. When the scene is focused on Gekko, the lighting is bright with exuberant colors and painting on the walls. The bright lights represents the notion that Gekko has achieved what he thinks is success. To contrast these bright lights and lively colors, the director chooses to use dimmer lighting and less flashy colors when portraying Buds father and his co-workers. When Bud visits his father at work the lighting is noticeably darker, and men are wearing beat up clothing with less vitality. The depiction of these men represents that they are inferior to the upper-class businessmen.
In Wall Street, Bud Fox and Gordon Gekko are depicted to be wealthy businessmen who will do anything to achieve financial success. They believe money defines success. Although Bud Fox finally became the guy on the other end of the spectrum who he so desperately yearned to become, it came with a cost. It came with the cost of breaking the law. To Bud and Gekko, time was money, and business was business. They lived by this in their attempt to achieve personal success in the business world.
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ACC 202 Management Accounting
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