tellurikwaves Blog : CINEMA :Les blessures narcissiques d'une vie par procuration

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p12

09/04/2014 11:34 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p12

09/04/2014 11:34 par tellurikwaves

First-Time Filmmaker Deftly Handles the Financial Meltdown on Human-Size Terms
8/10
Author: Ed Uyeshima from San Francisco, CA, USA
23 October 2011

Having been the victim of corporate downsizing more than once, I was immediately engaged with this propulsive 2011 corporate drama from the beginning as Stanley Tucci's character, a seasoned risk management executive named Eric Dale, is told in a coldly indifferent manner that he is being laid off after 19 years with the same unnamed Wall Street firm.

It's a piercing yet dramatically economical scene that perfectly summarizes how bloodless the corporate world can be, and in first-time writer/director J.C. Chandor's effort set on the eve of the 2008 financial crisis , it is very cold indeed with 80% of the trading floor being let go. As Dale is escorted out of the building, he hands a flash drive to his prodigious assistant Peter Sullivan and tells him to take a look at it and "Be careful."

Once Sullivan analyzes the data, he realizes the universal gravity of Dale's warning - that the firm is so over-committed to underwater mortgage-backed securities that the total potential loss exceeds the firm's total market capitalization value. In other words, the projected scenario means the firm will soon owe a lot more than it's worth, and the market will be on the verge of an apocalyptic meltdown. What happens after this discovery is a series of sharply intense clandestine confrontations with each level of higher-ups recognizing the ramifications of the inevitable disaster, each one far more nuanced in character than we are used to seeing in films from Oliver Stone about greed and immorality.

Blessedly, Chandor doesn't stoop to the customary stereotypes in this corporate cage match, but what he does manage is capture the moral compass underneath each player by way of a cast that really delivers the goods with powerfully implosive performances. Zachary Quinto ("Star Trek") is initially at the center of the plot as Sullivan and performs well enough in the constraining, semi-heroic role, but the veterans really stand out here beginning with Kevin Spacey, who effectively plays against type as Sam Rogers, a genuine company man, the seen-it-all head of the trading team who rallies what's left of the trading floor with corporate brio but then faces his own cross to bear struggling to commandeer a fire sale of worthless assets dumped on unsuspecting clients.

The other standout is Jeremy Irons, who masterfully resuscitates the cool cunning of his Claus von Bulow from "Reversal of Fortune" as the acerbically survivalist CEO John Tuld. He handily controls the boardroom scene with cutting humor and hostile precision. One of the film's more pleasant surprises is Demi Moore in cool, brisk form as Sarah Robertson, the top risk officer and lone female executive who knows her career is at stake with the discovery of this folly. Tucci is excellent in his smallish role as Dale and gets to show off his resigned character's engineering aptitude with a brief monologue about building a bridge.

Comparatively less impressive but playing their more predictable roles fitfully are Penn Badgley as Sullivan's younger, overtly money-obsessed colleague Seth Bregman; Paul Bettany as Dale's nihilistic, snake-oil salesman of a boss, Will Emerson; and Simon Baker as the most morally despicable executive of the bunch, Jared Cohen. Mary McDonnell has a brief and frankly unnecessary scene as Rogers' ex-wife, and I didn't even recognize the usually hilarious Broadway personality Susan Blackwell as the hatchet woman in the opening scene.

There are a few flaws with Chandor's observant screenplay, for example, the overly analogous scenes of Rogers dealing with his dying dog and a rooftop scene that plays up Emerson's nihilistic nature too predictably. In addition, some scenes play either too murkily or too clinically to achieve the precise dramatic effect they should. I think the absence of a musical score also contributes to the sterility of the proceedings. However, as a first-time filmmaker, Chandor more than impresses with his deft handling of such a zeitgeist moment with the Occupy Wall Street protests gaining understandable momentum right now.

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C.Chandor (2011) p11

09/04/2014 11:19 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C.Chandor (2011) p11

09/04/2014 11:19 par tellurikwaves

Really good. Go see it.
8/10
Author: endecottp from United States
24 March 2011

Saw this at New Directors festival in NYC and really enjoyed and was engrossed in this film. A great cast with splendid performances. The film is very intense and although it is about a company involved in the financial meltdown of 2008,it really is about much more.I particularly liked the way the film depicts the frightening absolute and ruthless power of the corporation over the lives of people that work there as well as the implications and ripples for everyone else.

How those people get sucked in to the embrace, security and pleasures of what the corporations have to offer and the consequences and vulnerabilities of those choices.The freedom and comforts that we cherish here in twenty first century USA are not as secure as we might think. Don't want to say much more, other than that "Margin Call" is very involving and in the end affecting and thought provoking.It packs a powerful punch.

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115 out of 136 people found the following review useful:

Great psychological insight
Author: philipp82 from Berlin
16 October 2011

The movie "Margin Call" depicts the events that immediately preceded the Financial Crisis in 2008 within a nameless Investment Bank. What I like especially about the movie is the fact that it doesn't try to explain the technical causes of the Financial Crisis but the psychological causes - human failures, which are the real cause for the Crisis: greed, egotism, ignorance. Many scenes in this movie deal with very little dialogue, instead the body language and the unique atmosphere speaks for itself. The ensemble is just brilliant, especially Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons.

The movie works solely from inside the nameless firm – apart from minor steps outside. It only portraits the people working inside this company - the "normal world" is completely left out. The effect is a very clever one: The life of these bankers seems totally severed from the outside world, they have no real connection with normal people and seem to – speaking exaggeratingly – lack an understanding of real human values, that there could be more behind life than just maximizing and making money.

They are completely left behind in their own world, which somehow got out of control. Even when the imminent truth reveals and the consequences are becoming more clearer, it always feels like they are cut off; there is a scene in a taxi with Quinto and Badgley that underlines this. But one can also witness the cold-blooded atmosphere in the system itself, where every person could easily be mistaken as a number.

A key figure of the film, Eric Dale, who gets sacked in the beginning, is confronted with two managers in a scene like from "Up In The Air". Either are these women robots or have never experienced something like social warmth. One widely held position is that eventually bankers themselves didn't understand their own system and products with Derivatives and Futures, etc. anymore.

Almost hilarious, but sadly true is the fact that many people in these companies seem to have no understanding of Economics and just got into their position due to influence or money. When they are sitting in their conference room and discuss the incident, it feels somewhat grotesque. Although this movie works almost completely without music, the tension is so immense - thanks to the brilliant actors - that one is forced to focus.

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p10

09/04/2014 11:10 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p10

09/04/2014 11:10 par tellurikwaves

Quietly gripping morality tale - a near perfect movie
10/10
Author: mgorman-6 from United States
23 October 2011

Saw this last night. Set at a Wall Street firm on the night in 2008 when the leaders realize that changes in the market will wipe them out if they don't immediately stop selling the products that have been making them all rich, the movie centers on the moral dilemma - recognized by some characters but dismissed by others - that they face in unwinding their positions, saving themselves but shifting the pain to others.

The movie finds a way to hold the mirror up to our civilization, showing how we are all complicit in a collective 'dream' (one character says at one point, in response to another who says he feels like he is in a 'dream', 'Funny, it seems like I just woke up'). The dream is the illusion of easy, risk-managed wealth that the financial markets manufacture, again and again, since the emergence of capital markets 200 years ago, until the illusion morphs overnight into a panic.

Reality intervenes, fear takes over, and the 'survivor' is the guy who first reaches the lifeboat. So there are no villains in this movie, just people, richly drawn, beautifully acted characters realized by some of our best actors who relish the opportunity to show what they can do given a killer script and enough screen time between lines to actually be the people they are portraying.

Central to the movie's success:

1) It gets across the essence of what is going on in the financial markets without bogging us down or dumbing it down

2) finding a moral question that can be resolved in a night, yet which is nevertheless a perfect allegory for the whole set of moral questions raised by an economy that works the way ours does, rewarding false confidence, recklessness, and deceit as often as industry, skill, and integrity

3) the placement of young, innocent but perceptive characters at the center of the drama, who function as our eyes and ears, who are like stand-ins for all of us who weren't there, at the heart of the dream machine, when the latest fantasy of easy wealth was exposed as a collective delusion

4) really 'gets' the trader ethos and manner - they are a kind of warrior caste, foul-mouthed, impulsive, deeply selfish, surviving by their ability to outplay their counterparts, and yet living by a warrior code that sets boundaries on what they will and will not do to one another (having spent three years on Wall Street several panics ago, it rang as true as any movie I have seen on the subject)

It's like Mamet, except you don't have to work as hard to figure out what everyone's up to. It's like Chinatown, except the 'crime' is something far worse than molesting a single young girl. These guys f****d the entire planet, for Ch*****sake. It's like the best movie I've seen in a little while.

What an incredibly sure hand from a director on his maiden voyage! Who is this guy? Whoever you are, please don't stop. I would pay a lot to see what he could do with topics like 'the decision to go to war', or 'the emergence of China/India/Brazil/Indonesia from poverty to global player'. Hell I would go see him revive Mother Goose, after this debut.

I'll calm down now. Enjoy.

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p9

09/04/2014 06:16 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p9

09/04/2014 06:16 par tellurikwaves

Simon Baker : Jared Cohen

*

"Margin Call" is Well Acted with a Tense Tone
8/10
Author: ptg723 from Boston, United States
30 June 2011

If you want to witness an acting clinic put on by an incredibly talented ensemble cast, look no further than J.C. Chandor's take on the beginnings of the 2008 financial crisis. The film follows an unnamed firm, which awakens to the reality of the economic catastrophe that was to come. The tense emotion of the situation was held steady by the ensemble throughout the film. Bettany, Quinto, and Badgley, all turned in superb performances, but it was Tucci, Spacey, and Irons that stood out as excellent. It was witnessing the brink of a tragedy that draws parallels to the 2006 film, "Flight 93" (minus the deep heartbreak "93" leaves us with). For "Margin Call", the storyline and setting may be repetitive but not enough to let you sit back and zone out.

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p8

09/04/2014 06:10 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p8

09/04/2014 06:10 par tellurikwaves

External Reviews (liste partielle)

Showing all 276 external reviews

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C.Chandor (2011) p7

09/04/2014 06:00 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C.Chandor (2011) p7

09/04/2014 06:00 par tellurikwaves

the unofficial wall street sequel
9/10
Author: kosmasp
8 September 2011

While I am a big fan of Oliver Stone and I did enjoy his second Wall Street movie, I have to admit, that this one is superior in every way.(entièrement d'accord! même si je ne suis pas fan d'Oliver Stone)

Great acting talent at hand,great (unfortunately)real story,which might be a bit heightened for obvious reasons, but still very scary if you think about the whole thing. As stated above the actors make a big difference. They have to convey decisions and stand by things that you shouldn't normally do. But then again it's not as if this didn't happen (one way or the other).

The movie also seems to have affected people since its original slated release date got pushed forward. Festival releases (where I saw it too) and the general good response made that an easy decision. Watching this should be one too ...

*

"So That...We...May...Survive!"
8/10
Author: freecrafted from United States
23 October 2011

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

So here goes my first review on IMDb.

This is a movie for those that want to see the human element when an investment bank realizes their models are wrong and that they are sitting on a large amount of assets worth less than they are currently marked at.

There are 2 errors that just about everybody is making about this movie, though. The first is that this movie is about the September 2008 financial crash. That is false. This movie is about the collapse of the CDO/MBS market in *2007*(what led to I-Banks going belly up in 08). That also didn't happen in 1 day(while there were some very bad days), it occurred over several months. Google "ABX Index" and select images and you'll see that for yourself. But for the interest of time and simplicity "Margin Call" simplified the actions of firms over those several months into 1 day and the actions of dozens(if not hundreds) of people into a handful which is understandable.

The second error is that this nameless firm is one of the I-banks that went under or was sold like Lehman, Bear, Merrill, etc. The movie is clearly (in my mind at least) modeled after Goldman Sachs. The first reason is because they are seen as the first I-bank to aggressively try to scale back their exposure to MBS. The second reason would be a spoiler, but lets just say that Goldman is pretty aggressive at "making way for new blood" relative to the others even though the movies depiction was way overblown.

I think many will be happy to know that the amount of "inside lingo" is kept to a minimum, but that doesn't mean that you will be able to understand a handful of things mentioned without a pretty good cursory knowledge of financial jargon. Don't worry though its not needed to understand the movie.For those that are looking for a story depicting causes of the financial crisis this movie isn't it. If your looking for a movie depicting evil people conniving in a board room to screw over the public this isn't it.

This movie is about an analyst who discovers that the volatility assumptions in their MBS portfolio were false and that it could very easily take down the entire company. Its a movie depicting the increasingly suspenseful and gripping atmosphere when a firm realizes they are sitting on a large pile of illiquid assets worth less than they thought. Its a movie depicting the concern of particular players that their reputation will be shot when they are forced to market make assets that will "kill the market" for MBS.

Its a movie that depicts the actions of a firm "So that...they...may...survive."Acting was great. Direction was great. Script was decent! Watch this movie if you want to understand the most accurate depiction so far of the types of characters inside Investment Banks during a scary period.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margin_Call

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p6

09/04/2014 05:37 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p6

09/04/2014 05:37 par tellurikwaves

à droite :le réalisateur J.C.Chandor

*

Production / Développement

Le réalisateur et scénariste J. C. Chandor a voulu faire un film sur les marchés boursiers et la finance mondiale sans pour autant diaboliser la profession :«J'ai essayé d’adopter un regard plus empathique, en abordant la question sous plusieurs angles. Le nœud de cette histoire repose sur l’humain. Ce n’est pas comme si j’étais le porte-parole des banquiers et que je cherche à les défendre. Mais je connais une bonne partie de ces gens et mon intention n’était pas de les diaboliser non plus. »

De plus, le père du réalisateur a longuement travaillé pour Merrill Lynch. J. C. Chandor s'est donc beaucoup informé auprès de son père ainsi que d'autres vétérans de la finance : "Beaucoup de gens se demandaient d’où me venait cette compréhension si précise du milieu de la finance, dans la mesure où je n’en faisais pas partie. Grâce à mon père, j’ai fini par savoir qui sont ces gens, à quoi et comment ils pensent, ce qui leur importe le plus dans la vie."

L'acteur-producteur Zachary Quinto ajoute : « un des aspects du scénario que je préfère, c’est qu’il ne juge pas. Il n’y a pas de lynchage en place publique. C’est avant tout une réflexion sur les choix que font les gens et leur marge de manœuvre. »On notera par ailleurs le nom du patron de la banque d'affaire interprété par Jeremy Irons : John Tuld, très proche de celui d'un personnage bien réel, Richard Fuld, CEO de Lehman Brothers au moment de sa faillite.

Tournage

Le tournage s'est déroulé à New York durant l'été 2010. La plupart des scènes ont été tournées au 42e étage du building One Penn Plaza, qui abritait avant cela une société de trading ayant fait faillite. Le choix des décors est très limité et assez simple, ce qui permet de respecter le budget modeste du film. Demi Moore explique alors que « tout avait lieu sur un seul et même étage, à l’intérieur de ces bureaux. Nous étions comme un mini studio dans le ciel. Ça crée une atmosphère très intimiste".

*
Casting

Carla Gugino devait à l'origine tenir le rôle de Sarah Roberston, mais elle a quitté le projet à la dernière minute, pour des raisons d'emploi du temps. Elle est donc remplacée par Demi Moore.Alors que Ben Kingsley, Billy Crudup et Tim Robbins convoitaient le personnage de John Tuld, c'est finalement Jeremy Irons qui l'a obtenu.

Accueil/Box-office

Selon Box Office Mojo, Margin Call, budgété à un modeste 3 500 000 $, a rapporté après 3 semaines d'exploitation le double de son investissement, pour moitié aux États-Unis, le reste essentiellement en Espagne et en Allemagne .

États-Unis/Canada 5 354 039 $ 16 février 2012
Mondial 19 504 039 $ 13 mai 2012

Scène coupée

Grâce Gummer, la fille de Meryl Streep joue l'ancienne petite amie de Zachary Quinto. Malheureusement sa scène est coupée au montage mais sera peut être visible dans les bonus du DVD.

Un projet soutenu par ses acteurs

Découvert par le public grâce au rôle de Sylar, le grand méchant de la série Heroes et de Spock dans le reboot Star Trek de J.J. Abrams en 2009, Zachary Quinto produit également le film par le biais de sa société de production Before the Door Pictures.

Réception critique

Margin Call reçoit en majorité des critiques positives. L'agrégateur Rotten Tomatoes rapporte que 85 % des 103 critiques ont donné un avis positif sur le film, avec une bonne moyenne de 7,1/10. La critique qui fait le plus consensus est : « intelligent, affûté et solidement interprété, Margin Call transforme le complexe maelström financier de 2008 en un drame stimulant. ». L'agrégateur Metacritic donne une note de 76 sur 100 indiquant des critiques positives.

Autour du film

*
Margin Call n'est pas le premier film qui traite de la finance mondiale. On peut citer avant lui Wall Street (1988) et Wall Street : L'argent ne dort jamais (2010) d'OliverStone, Les Initiés (2000) de Ben Younger ou encore Krach de Fabrice Genestal (2010).

*
Si la société du film n'a pas de nom, le nom de son PDG (John Tuld, interprété par Jeremy Irons) ressemble à celui de l'ex-PDG de la banque d'affaires Lehman Brothers (Richard Fuld). Cette entreprise avait elle aussi connu la faillite en 2008, après le passage de la crise financière mondiale de 2008.

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p5

09/04/2014 05:28 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p5

09/04/2014 05:28 par tellurikwaves

Revue de presse frenchy

«La mise en scène est un peu théâtrale et bavarde, et les métaphores visuelles un peu appuyées mais le casting est impeccable, de Kevin Spacey et ses débuts de scrupules à Jeremy Irons en P.-D.G. glacial dont la devise est »pour gagner, il faut être le premier, le plus intelligent ou tricher«, en passant par Zachary Quinto qui, malgré son apparente candeur, est un futur P.-D.G.» (Studio Ciné Live) «On regarde ça avec le même mélange de fascination et d'effroi qu'un accident à grande échelle. » (Excessif) «Vous pouvez y investir les yeux fermés.» (Première)

Revue de presse frenchy

*
Le réalisateur de Margin Call, J.C Chandor, va faire des envieux. Pour son tout premier long-métrage, le cinéaste s’offre le luxe de scruter à l’aide de sa caméra des acteurs comme Jeremy Irons, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore et Zachary Quinto entre autres. Est-ce que le film est pour autant à la hauteur de ce casting prestigieux ?

Les studios ont trouvé un remède infaillible pour appâter le public vers un film où le réalisateur demeure complètement inconnu : poster des vedettes dont la réputation n’est plus à refaire sur l’affiche. L’opération est loin d’être une supercherie. Si les acteurs de 1ère division aident à nous installer confortablement dans l’intrigue, le sujet fin et truffé de messages est d’autant plus intéressant.

D’emblée, Margin Call nous englobe par sa tonalité froide, austère et pas très accueillante. Un peu comme lorsqu’on se trouve dans n’importe quelle compagnie, à savoir que le film se déroule en majorité dans les bureaux d’une firme. Le scénario se révèlera compliqué au premier abord, puis d’une simplicité infantile pour finir. Le récit s’intéresse aux requins du monde professionnel, au capitalisme et à l’humanité qui est mise de coté dans les open space.

Zachary Quinto, amplement découvert dans Star Trek de J.J Abrams incarne un génie dont les compétences éblouiront ses patrons Kevin Spacey et Jeremy Irons. Sa découverte sur des comptes déclenche un véritable tsunami au sein de la firme, s’ensuit une interminable remise en question dans l’enceinte du groupe. Pour faire face aux problèmes, la société va devoir lâcher plusieurs de ses collaborateurs pour pouvoir avancer.

Un vrai drame humain a lieu dans les murs de l’établissement et c’est sur ce sentiment que Margin Call s’appuie. En faisant appel à des acteurs prometteurs, J.C Chandor transmet aisément le message voulu, il n’hésite pas à filmer ses comédiens de près pour pouvoir capter toute l’immensité de leur prestation pour ensuite délivrer le maximum d’intensité au public.

Cependant, les personnages ne débordent pas d’émotions malgré les différents déboires rencontrés. Le milieu professionnel qui les entoure étrique leurs pensées comme retenues par la profession qu’ils habitent. Un thème moderne et encore une fois, miroir de la société qui ne manquera pas de toucher le commun des mortels. La dépression au travail est largement abordée, l’ascension des uns et le déclin des autres n’échappe à aucune firme, et l’intrigue met précisément le doigt sur ce sujet.

Margin Call est aussi une histoire humaine, d’hommes qui, comme à la guerre, combattent ensemble et doivent faire face aux possibles chocs et pertes humaines. Un monde calfeutré où les costards/cravates sont vus comme des nouveaux soldats. Si on regarde ce premier long-métrage au premier degré, on y verra juste un film plutôt propre, avec une photographie léchée, des plans joliment composés. C’est le coté métaphorique qui s’en dégage qui apporte une force indéniable.

Margin Call fait partie de ces films qui campent notre esprit des jours durant, à cause de sa cascade de personnalités incroyablement en place mais aussi pour son ambiance morose et zen à la fois. Une œuvre emplie de messages et d’humilité qui amène à la réflexion.

Par Vanessa Seva

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p4

09/04/2014 05:19 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C Chandor (2011) p4

09/04/2014 05:19 par tellurikwaves

Zachary Quinto : Peter Sullivan & Penn Badgley : Seth Bregman

*

Fiche technique
Titre : Margin Call
Réalisation : J. C. Chandor
Scénario : J. C. Chandor
Direction artistique : John Paino
Décors : Robert Covelman
Costumes : Caroline Duncan
Photographie : Frank G. DeMarco
Montage : Pete Beaudreau
Musique : Nathan Larson
Production : Robert Ogden Barnum, Michael Benaroya,
Neal Dodson, Joe Jenckes, Corey Moosa et Zachary Quinto
Sociétés de production : Before the Door Pictures,
Benaroya Pictures, Margin Call,
Sakonnet Capital Partners et Washington Square Films
Sociétés de distribution :
États-Unis : Roadside Attractions.
France France : ARP Sélection
Budget : 3 500 000 $
Pays d’origine : États-Unis
Langue originale : anglais
Format : Couleur - 35 mm - 1.85:1 - Son Dolby numérique
Genre : Drame
Durée : 109 minutes
Dates de sortie :États-Unis : 25 janvier 2011 (Festival du film de Sundance 2011)
21 octobre 2011 (sortie nationale)
France : 2 mai 2012

*

Cast
Kevin Spacey : Sam Rogers
Paul Bettany : Will Emerson
Jeremy Irons : John Tuld
Zachary Quinto : Peter Sullivan
Penn Badgley : Seth Bregman
Simon Baker : Jared Cohen
Mary McDonnell : Mary Rogers
Demi Moore : Sarah Robertson
Stanley Tucci : Eric Dale
Aasif Mandvi : Ramesh Shah
Ashley Williams : Heather Burke
Susan Blackwell : Lauren Bratberg
Peter Y. Kim : Timothy Singh

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C.Chandor (2011) p3

09/04/2014 04:17 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MARGIN CALL de J.C.Chandor (2011) p3

09/04/2014 04:17 par tellurikwaves

Paul Bettany : Will Emerson

*

Sites externes (sans les foutus trailers et les extraits vidéos)

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