Whatever you may think of him, his biography would make a good movie. I'm reading Reminiscenses for the fourth time now (first time was in the mid '90s), and I'm surprised Hollywood has yet to discover him. <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Oom7F-PrGWM&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Oom7F-PrGWM&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
It would make for a compelling story. Rags to riches to rags to riches and so on. Plus, it would be set during an interesting period when a lot of colorful historical characters were in their heyday. It would probably have a wide audience if done well.
It might make an interesting movie, but it's unlikely to get made unless a really big-name star or director gets behind it. Today's studios aren't run by filmmakers, they're run by Harvard MBAs who come from places like GE. They like formulas that work. That's why they're mostly interested in remakes, sequels, best-selling novels and comic books -- because they come to the screen with a built-in audience. I'd love to see a movie about Jesse Livermore, but I doubt it will happen.
Real life drama is not dramatic enough. Good only for A&E or something. No movie on Buffett, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs either. The story needs to sell. They need to have sex, they need to have love, they need to have conflicts, they need to have fights, they need to have conspiracies. Look at the book "Brining Down The House". They turned in into a movie "21" starring Kevin Spacey. They need to add "love" to the members to make the story more attractive. (Not in the book.)
I think the roller coaster ride would have wide appeal. You think Livermore didn't have women in his life? There is more to his biography than Reminiscences. Less exciting biographies have been put on the screen. Movies don't all have to have chase scenes and exploding cars.
On the other hand, they made a few movies on artists whom I have never heard of until the movie: Basquiat Pollock Frida The list goes on. The world of financials are too uninteresting, perhaps.
Exactly. As for the world of finance not having wide appeal, Wall Street was big in 1987, and we'll see how the sequal does soon enough. Further, after the bubbles we've had in recent memory, I think a true story of a different time would capture the imagination. There may not have been much in the way of physical action in his tale, but there was no lack of drama.
I sure would like to see a model T chasing another model T. Livermore's rivals were spying on him, sending assistants to stake out on Livermore's assistants seeing what he was up to.