More movies about ridiculously rich people
Everyone’s going to watch Crazy Rich Asians during the long weekend. Hooray Asian representation in Hollywood! Also: It is a truth universally acknowledged that we want to see movies about rich people. Because they own everything and we all work for them, and because everyone wants to be them, i.e. rich.
People want to know what they’re wearing, what they’re eating, what it looks like inside their houses, and so on, so they can photograph themselves wearing, eating, and sitting on similar things in their social media accounts.
Movies about poverty and social injustice will get into prestigious film festivals, but very few people will watch them at home. However, many people will pay to watch movies about ridiculous wealth and excess, because why would you want to be reminded of your financial problems (Romantic-comic problems: Bring them on). Money is attractive. Why do you think the Marvel Cinematic Universe was anchored on a billionaire superhero character?
Now I have seen a ton of movies about rich people. Here are some excellent ones, with oversimplified descriptions.
1. Oro, Plata, Mata by Peque Gallaga. Two hacendero families in Negros survive World War II then find themselves in a world entirely changed.
Gallaga had planned to make a sequel to Oro, Plata, Mata. We want to see it. For Chrissakes let him do it. Netflix?
2. The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) by Luchino Visconti. In a newly-unified Italy, a prince deals with the fact that his class is on the wane and the newly moneyed bourgeoisie is on the rise.
3. The Rules of the Game (La Regle du Jeu) by Jean Renoir. Just a weekend party in the country with everyone’s spouse and lover present.
4. The Lady Eve by Preston Sturges. A con-woman goes after a gullible heir who doesn’t know what hit him.
5. Metropolitan by Whit Stillman. During Xmas vacation, a group of “urban haute bourgeoisie” adopt a less privileged young man who claims to hate the rich.
6. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie by Luis Buñuel. Wealthy people get dressed to go out to dinner but always get interrupted, and that’s as far as I will try to summarize a Buñuel plot.
7. The Age of Innocence by Martin Scorsese. The rich of old New York close ranks to protect their own.
As highly regarded as this movie is, I still think it’s underrated.
8. Sabrina by Billy Wilder. A fairy tale set on a Long Island estate, in which two brothers compete for the love of Audrey Hepburn as the chauffeur’s daughter.
9. The Philadelphia Story by George Cuckor. A society wedding is imperilled by the arrival of the ex-husband and the media.
10. Suspicion by Alfred Hitchcock. A sheltered heiress falls for a good-looking wastrel who might be trying to kill her.
More: The Great Gatsby by Baz Luhrman (tacky new money), Blue Jasmine by Woody Allen (scammed money), Dangerous Liaisons by Stephen Frears (decadent aristocratic money), The Makioka Sisters by Kon Ichikawa (money in decline), and of course Citizen Kane by Orson Welles (money, media, power).
And early Sharon Cuneta movies and Danny Zialcita all-star movies.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
August 26th, 2018 at 21:57
Have you seen the movie though? It was ok – but I felt they could have done much better – the characters mostly seemed one dimensional except for Michelle Yeoh’s. Constance Wu was good as well.
The mahjong scene towards the end kinda makes up for the lackluster wedding and reception scenes
August 29th, 2018 at 08:15
I actually like the 1995 version of Sabrina with Julia Ormond.
To add to the list, The Talented Mr Ripley
September 4th, 2018 at 12:08
American Psycho!