your film idea sounds interesting…
what is the wealthy connection in the film? like is there a reason wealth can make people have low morals?
when dealing with morals u can choose writing a good and/or bad outlook however u seem 2 focus on the bad side more
is this correct or do u have good intentions with the film?
Have you seen Eyes Wide Shut?
Perhaps The Picture of Dorian Gray might fit your project if you haven’t seen it yet. I’m thinking of the ‘45 version, but there is a more recent version, which I haven’t seen, as well.
Well, the whole idea actually has little to do with economic standing and more with the rigidity of intellectualism, I just figured I’d mention the fact that the protagonist was wealthy because other films regarding well-off characters are closer to this world of major league academia. I intend to focus heavily on the grittier aspects of life as this is essentially a film dealing with the moral implications of both red and blue blooded lifestyles.
peter medak’s the ruling class is a bitter satire on the aristocracy. also american psycho comes to mind for some reason. yes i know these are comedies :/
That idea sounds to me more like an adrenaline addiction thing than moral degradation. I mean, when I watched Man Bites Dog, what stood out to me was the way it made me hate the filmmakers more than the killer, even before they got personally involved in the murders. Their behavior seemed to be more about the adrenaline addiction and moral relativism than anything to do with class, and that’s how your idea comes off to me as well. I just don’t see what it has to do with class.
Edit: Before anyone says anything, yes, Man Bites Dog does have heavy class themes. But, they’re more about media hypocrisy than moral degradation.
Perhaps The Picture of Dorian Gray might fit your project if you haven’t seen it yet. I’m thinking of the ‘45 version, but there is a more recent version, which I haven’t seen, as well.
That would seem to fit perfectly what the OP was asking for, just with the sexuality being constantly hinted at. There are a few more recent versions, but yes, Greg, the Hurd Hatfield/George Sanders version is the most definitive, for me, anyway.
Like I said above, it has nothing to do with class. The main character is the film editor for The New York Times or a non-existent publication of similar merit, a graduate of Harvard and quite wealthy as a result. The film is about the lack of “living” that occurs when one spends the better part of his existence watching films and engaging in high academic discussion about them. He becomes so desperate that the first occurrence of even remotely lively activity provokes a long-awaited snap and the beginning of a gradual distancing from his bleak reality at any cost. Indulging in this debauchery is not so much an adrenaline-fueled high for him as it is a rebellion from the life he has deemed as oppressively boring. The film’s own moral standpoint will be a somewhat open-ended take on the nature of escaping the standards of contemporary society and the sometimes pathetic means in which people attempt to achieve liberation. The fact that the protagonist possesses money has almost nothing to do with the story itself. I hope that cleared up some of the confusion. But, then again, much of the film has yet to be fleshed out as I have only recently actually begun writing it, hence my desire to delve into this type of film for inspiration.
Drew, have you seen “Edmond”?
It’s probably only a partial fit, and probably too elegant rather than grim, but also from Spain (as you mention Bunuel) there’s Death of a Cyclist (1955), by Bardem
Elements that may suit in 2 films i’ve not seen: Sing a Song of Sex (Oshima), centred more on students but involving a professor, and Oki’s Movie (Hong Sang Soo). Look up the plots and Daniel Kasman’s article for a better idea if they’re the sort of thing you want.
The Vanishing, 1988 version, for how a mild mannered professor gets his kicks maybe?
American Psycho
Although I detest the presumptousness of people who say, You might want to check out a list I made . . . you might want to check out two lists I made on “Intellectuals in Crisis.” A number of the protagonists are in similar straits, Drew.
I’m definitely going to check out Edmond, the Macy/Mamet collaboration has yet to let me down. These are all excellent, completely on-point recommendations.
“Moral degradation of the wealthy” you have too see The exterminating angel and Discreet chartm of bourgeoisie.
Mikel, those are perhaps my favorite films of all time and a tremendous influence on this project.
Drew Boggemes
I am the process of writing a film about the malaise and moral degradation of the wealthy and I’m looking for inspiring films of similar style and content. My film centers around a disaffected Manhattan film critic, long since tired of his work and existence in general, who one day, via a back alley mugging, receives a dark wake up call that leads to a seemingly insatiable thirst for the excitement and experiences he has been neglecting in favor of cold, cerebral intellectualism. He begins small as he has virtually no track record in the realm of sordidness; renting a porno, shoplifting a can of beer etc., although this does not satisfy his newfound urge to “live”. The film’s trajectory will be a steadily mounting, dryly humorous series of escapades that climb the ladder of moral repugnance. The films I have seen so far in this vein have been nearly the entire oeuvre of Bunuel as well as Man Bites Dog and, in terms of pacing and atmosphere, Police, Adjective and Romanian New Wave cinema in general. I know this may be a stretch, but does anyone know of any films that deal with this sort of subject matter (grim, sexually charged morality plays)? Any help at all is appreciated.