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Thursday, December 18, 2014
Unlikely Holiday Films
One of my favorite "unlikely" holiday films, which has many useful teachable moments of clips to use in the classroom, is "Trading Places" (1983). This brilliant film is still one of the best business films ever made, and, personally, I think it's one of Murphy's and Aykroyd's best. It is also an "unlikely" holiday film because it just happens to be set during the holidays, and the season is not its primary focus. Instead, the film provides commentary on "nature versus nurture" and how good fortune can be fleeting (if left to someone else, such as the Dukes), or ready for the taking (with a little teamwork and creativity). What are some other great films set during the holiday season that have useful clips for the classroom?
Posted by Kelly Anders on December 18, 2014 at 10:00 PM in Film, Teaching Law | Permalink
Comments
A person on another blog flagged "Die Hard" (which takes place at Christmas time) because of recent events -- a police officer character was very upset about killing child who had a toy gun and Bruce Willis' character (also a cop) was sympathetic. This was contrasted with some comments regarding wrongful shootings, including those involving toy guns, these days. I'd add that unlike recent movies, Bruce Willis was not quite a caricature of himself at that point.
Posted by: Joe | Dec 24, 2014 11:18:52 AM
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/07/09/200401407/episode-471-the-eddie-murphy-rule
Posted by: anon | Dec 19, 2014 6:08:27 PM
Very true, Howard. These scenes would be great to show and discuss in a Corporations or Ethics course. When I was in law school, my Corporations class attended a screening of "The Hudsucker Proxy."
Posted by: Kelly Anders | Dec 19, 2014 8:12:45 AM
"provides commentary on "nature versus nurture" and how good fortune can be fleeting (if left to someone else, such as the Dukes), or ready for the taking (with a little teamwork and creativity)."
To say nothing of insider trading and other violations of the securities laws
Posted by: Howard Wasserman | Dec 19, 2014 7:57:48 AM
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