Gabriel's Trumpet

email this story
read comments (14)
post a comment

In February's Conde Nast Portfolio Amy Wallace wrote about last year's decision by 20th Century Fox to rewrite Stephen Schiff's Money Never Sleeps, an allegedly sturdy Wall Street sequel with Michael Douglas again playing Gordon "greed is good" Gekko. Stephen Frears (The Queen) wanted to direct Schiff's script and everything looked good.

But after last fall's financial collapse Fox decided Schiff's script "suddenly felt out of touch," according to production co-prexy Alex Young, so they hired another writer, Allan Loeb (21), to make it more reflective of today's meltdown vibe. Frears was no longer interested, but Wallace reports that Sleeps will roll sometime in the spring for release later this year. Why don't I believe that?

Nor do I believe that Martin Scorsese will ever direct The Wolf of Wall Street, a drama about Wall Street skunk Jordan Belfort that Terence Winter has written drafts of.

Why? Because people don't want to pay good money to see slick scoundrels revel in ill-gotten gains. The mood out there is clearly one of anger and revulsion at all the wheeler-dealers who got us into this mess. I therefore suspect that any portrayal of greedy thievery among young or middle-aged hotshots (a la Wall Street and Boiler Room) would be die of loneliness. Because the zeitgeist has reconstituted and the New Puritanism is upon us.

What might work, in terms of addressing the current anger and panic, is some kind of remake of Gregory La Cava's Gabriel Over The White House (1933). Some Came Running's Glenn Kenny reminded me of this morning, and the more I think about it the more here-and-now it sounds.

The story, based upon a book by Thomas Tweed and clearly focused on the crisis posed by the Great Depression, is a fascinating reflection of our current crisis. Just go to 1:20 in a speech given by President Judson Hammond (Walter Huston) and listen for a couple of minutes. The totalitarian powers that Hammond demands reflect what the Limbaugh crazies are afraid could happen today, and what some of us feel may be the only way out of the current malaise. We've got to get mad and forceful and slap down the righties and straighten this country out....or else.

The story is about Hammond, a fairly thoughtless and corrupt go-along politician upon his election, having a kind of religious revelation after getting into a car accident early in his term. A vision of the angel Gabriel comes to him and tells him to radically change tactics and proclaim himself a dictator in order to save the country from business-as-usual meandering. Describing himself as a kind of Jeffersonian fascist, Hammond comes off as an earnest and conscientious President who tackles unemployment, crime and the economy in the manner of of take-charge Abraham Lincoln. And then once Hammond has fulfilled his agenda and set the country on the road to recovery, he dies.

I spit on the idea of another bullshit Wall Street saga about bad guys in $2000 suits getting away with it until they don't. But some kind of variation of Gabriel Over The White House....that speaks to me. It could connect if done right.

Get Those Guys<< previous | next >>Way To Go

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 9, 2009 at 12:07 PM

comment #1

shanes5 says ...

Well said.

If someone really wanted to cash in--they'd do Fight Club II (or something like it), and have the heroes make the Madoffs of the world pay in various creative ways at the end. That would tap into the anger and frustration factor and provide an outlet.

Posted by shanes5 at March 9, 2009 1:59 PM

comment #2

BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey says ...

Yeah, Fight Club could be seen as a rant against the culture of excess that has partly caused this credit crisis.

I bet they make a load more of those Sweet Home Alabama type romcoms where the girl leaves the twatty banker for a blue-collar heartthrob.

Traders are twats, to be fair.

Posted by BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey at March 9, 2009 2:13 PM

comment #3

MikeSchaeferSF says ...

Um, didn't we just have a guy in the White House for 8 years who said God was talking to him, and who tried to assume (the equivalent of) totalitarian powers, in many ways? File under: "Be careful what you wish for."

Posted by MikeSchaeferSF at March 9, 2009 2:21 PM

comment #4

Gordie Lachance says ...

What if there is no way out of this mess?

Every year there are more and more people in the world. This is a constant that will never change.

Every year there are less and less jobs available (either due to technological advancements or consolidation of industries). This also is a constant that will never change.

You figure out where this is all headed.

Soylent Green was more prescient than Gabriel Over The White House.

Posted by Gordie Lachance at March 9, 2009 2:33 PM

comment #5

bluetide says ...

What if you turned Wall Street on its head? What if the trader's fall from grace happened in the first act and the rest of the movie was about what happened after?

Posted by bluetide at March 9, 2009 2:39 PM

comment #6

vp19 says ...

"Gabriel Over The White House" is a fascinating film because you really can't pin it down to one particular ideology; "Jeffersonian fascist" is as good a description as I can come up with. It was produced by William Randolph Hearst's Cosmopolitan group (which did many things other than Marion Davies vehicles) and released through MGM -- although its release was held until after the 1932 election at the behest of Hoover friend Louis B. Mayer. (Roosevelt reportedly loved the concept, and made some suggestions that were incorporated ino the script.) I did an entry on it last year at http://community.livejournal.com/carole_and_co/138321.html.

I always envisioned a "Gabriel" remake as a sort of comedy -- perhaps a painting of Lincoln could conk the newly-elected president on the head while sleeping, turning him into a take-charge superexec -- but it would be a comedy with plenty of bite, satirizing not just the use of power, but how we perceive power. We treat the president as too much of a kingly figure, but then we like royalty -- it's easier than thinking.

Posted by vp19 at March 9, 2009 9:35 PM

comment #7

vp19 says ...

I don't think the previous link worked. Hope for better luck with this one:

http://community.livejournal.com/carole_and_co/138321.html

If you still have trouble, go to the archive for Sept. 19, 2008.

Posted by vp19 at March 9, 2009 9:41 PM

comment #8

nisdbsa says ...

he myth of pandorapandora jewelry is ancient, appears in several distinct Greek versions,pandora schmuck and has been interpreted in many ways. In all literary versions,pandora schmuck armband however,christ schmuck pandora the myth is a kind of theodicy, addressing the questionpandora deutschland ,pop information,web easy get,sports fashion,news-fashionof why there is evil in the world. In the seventh hot-winter century BC, Hesiod, both in his Theogony (briefly, without naming Pandora outright vibram
,vibram five fingers,vibram schuhe

Posted by nisdbsa at September 10, 2010 1:12 AM

comment #9

escort-models.com says ...

Ukrainian escort is presented by ladies that are well-known to the large circle of people. Due to this they know the entire high society and will help you relax in the surrounding you will have.

Posted by escort-models.com at February 6, 2011 12:06 PM

comment #10

Strathmore says ...

Turkiye'de sohbet sohbet etmenin kolayligini chat chat sitemizde farkedebilirsiniz. Chat sohbet sohbet odalari sohbet sitesi Sohbet chat mirc Sohbet forum Sohbet Chat sohbet sohbet izlesene Oyun guncel haber

-------------------------------------------
forexmali
Shbt
porno
sex
sikis
porno izle
sex izle
porno film
adult videolar
porno
porno izle
sex
sex izle
sex
sikis
porno izle
porno
gubidik

Posted by Strathmore at February 13, 2011 2:18 AM

comment #11

luolujo says ...

One mend-fault is worth two find-faults,but one find-fault is better than two make-faults.Our Nike Shox Shoes store online tell you one Meaningful words, I hope you can like it.by Shox r4

Posted by luolujo at April 5, 2011 8:01 AM

comment #12

cheapetiffany says ...

I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers. And I hope that such prayers will also be the first of many. If you have not chosen me by secret ballot, neither have I gained office by any secret promises. I have not campaigned either for the Presidency or the Vice Presidency. I have not subscribed to any partisan platform. I am indebted to no man, and only to one woman -- my dear wife -- as I begin this very difficult job.cheap tiffany co jewelry

Posted by cheapetiffany at April 24, 2011 11:55 PM

comment #13