Richard Haridy investigates how Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street both excites and repels while implicating its audience in creating a world that not only excuses but celebrates the excessive debauchery depicted.
Please note: this video essay depicts scenes from The Wolf of Wall Street that are Rated R.
"In this video essay I will show how Martin Scorsese deploys several formal devices in The Wolf of Wall St to illustrate the ways capitalism nurtures some of humanity’s more unpleasant, hedonistic tendencies. I also examine how the film implicates its own audience as responsible for creating a world that excuses this type of excessive amoral behaviour."
The Wolf of Wall Street - Capitalism and the Seductive Appeal of Cinema from richard h on Vimeo.
Richard Haridy is a Melbourne-based film critic with an interest in digital publishing and new media. He has written for an number of online and print publications over the last decade and also acted as film critic for several ABCFM affiliates. Richard was Chair of the Australian Film Critics Association for two years (2013-2015) and currently is producer/host of The Parallax Podcast, an online film debate podcast which features many of Australia’s most prominent film critics.
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