Gordon Gekko character still resonates on Wall St

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-16 11:20

Michael Douglas during a news conference for "Solitary Man" during the 34th Toronto International Film Festival, September 12, 2009.[Agencies]

Gordon Gekko's gelled-back hair and easy mix of beautiful women, black town cars and sharp suits made a lasting impression on Wall Street, and helped lure in new talent hoping to make it big.

"There is a sexiness attached to characters like that in the 1980s," said Steven Fraser, a historian who focuses on the economy. "Power tripping was part of the scene: that rip-their-eyes-out brutality."

Part of Gekko's enduring force is that he elicits both attraction and repulsion, and though he fascinates, he is not universally admired. Fraser wondered if his appeal was bruised by the severity of the financial meltdown.

"People thought the greed decade was over but it never really ended, and it came back tenfold. People said about the movie, 'Oh, it's outdated.' Then came Bernie Madoff and the thousands of others like him."

Weiser, the screenwriter, said his biggest regret about the original movie was that it didn't include a scene of Gordon Gekko behind bars.

Besides Douglas, the sequel also stars Shia LaBeouf, Susan Sarandon, Josh Brolin and Frank Langella and is scheduled for release in April 2010.

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