Reviews

OK. I remember when this came out, I thought that business stuff is not my forte, and so I never bothered to watch it. But tonight my boyfriend was watching it on PBS, and the filmmakers and people being interviewed totally make it understandable. And I am totally appalled. It boggles my head that these people, not just Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, but also just the common traders on the floor, were so scarily insane and greedy. Some of the clips of traders talking on the floor or phones about events in California, etc., were the scariest and (I know I said it before, but...) appalling! I highly recommend this film. I feel terribly sorry for all of those people who got caught up in the maelstrom. Somehow, I find this documentary about corporate finance gone bad creepier than any horror film... cause it is real!

This hour and a half long program is pretty informative and adds a new spin to the Salem witch trials as being xenophobic and economic in origin. It is also very visual, with actors portraying all the major players, and being very clearly identified with their families and households, helping the viewer to better make the complex connections between accusers and victims.

I really liked it. It was just creepy, yet informative enough to enjoy watching at home by myself at night. Of course, I've always thought the girls who started it all should have been spanked, but I guess no one in Salem would be likely to ask me. ;) I think I'm going to look up some of the experts and read their books.