June 10, 2010, 5:43 PM ET
Dick FULD Is No Villain, Says New LEHMAN Bros. Movie
By Michael CORKERY:
"How do you turn a story about a bunch of guys sitting around conference tables at a bank into a movie that people actually want to watch?
That was the challenge Craig WARNER faced when he was asked by the BBC to write a tale about the weekend that LEHMAN Brothers collapsed. He isn’t alone. Since that fateful September 2008 weekend, there have been multiple documentaries, radio dramas and an coming HBO drama that sought to capture those critical 48 hours of the financial crisis, which were important and dramatic, but not exactly cinematic.
WARNER’s project–“The Last Days of LEHMAN”–airs for the first time in the U.S. tomorrow on CNBC at 9 p.m.
DEAL Journal spoke to WARNER from his home in London about why he is a fan of former SEC Chairman Chris COX and why he says Dick FULD didn’t do anything wrong.
DEAL Journal: So how do you make a movie about bankers interesting?
WARNER: It is a tricky thing. It’s not only a bunch of white guys in suits sitting around talking. Another problem is what they are talking about is hard to understand. But you have to make it clear so that the big moments will have the right impact. I had to be as respectful as I could to the truth and honoring the gravity of situation while bringing to life the characters, which is necessarily giong to involve a bit of invention. Another problem is that there were almost no women at those meetings that weekend. I like writing a good woman’s role and there didn’t seem to be any.
DJ: How did you help spice up the story?
WARNER: There is a fanciful banker (Dick FULD’s imaginary assistant) who helps to explain to the audience what is happening. He also has a sister (also fictional), who lives in Tennessee and explains how the disasters on Wall Street were connected to the subprime mortgage crisis and her own house. I also like slighly surreal and funny moments in films. I am a fan of the COEN Brothers for instance.
DJ: Who did you talk to for your research?
WARNER: I never spoke to Hank PAULSON [käme mir auch nicht in den Sinn; dafür hat der Kerl schon zu oft gelogen]. Christopher COX (former SEC chairman) talked to me for about an hour and was lovely, and very kind and very discreet. He seemed like a good citizen, who cares about the financial system and protecting the common man…I also had extensive research that had been collected by BBC researchers.
DJ: How does Dick FULD come across in the movie?
WARNER: The more I read about what happened the less I think he did something wrong"...
SOURCE / QUELLE dieses Ausschnitts:
blogs.wsj.com/deals/2010/06/10/...n-says-new-lehman-bros-movie
www.my.calendars.net/wmi
Vorhang AUF, der Krimi geht weiter:
www.my.calendars.net/lehman
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