Enron The Smartest Guys in the Room 09of10 - 2005

Based on the eponymous bestseller by Fortune reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, a multidimensional study of one of the biggest business scandals in American history. The chronicle takes a look at one of the worst disasters in corporate history in which top managers of the 7th largest company in this country has gone more than a billion dollars, so that investors and employees with nothing. The film offers an account of privileged information and rare corporate audio and videoTapes, which show colossal personal excesses of the Enron hierarchy and the total moral vacuum that is a business philosophy. The human drama that develops within the walls of Enron is like a Greek tragedy and produces a domino effect that could shape the face of our economy and ethical code for years to come. Enron dives from the seventh largest U.S. company to bankruptcy in less than a year in this tale told chronologically. The focus is on human drama, from suicide to 20,000 people sacked:characters of Ken Lay (with Falwellesque rectitude), Jeff Skilling (who of big ideas), Lou Pai (gone with $ 250 million), and Andy Fastow (the Dark Prince) dominate. The way we see Enron Game deregulated electricity market in California, get a free pass from Arthur Andersen (which okays the dubious mark-to-market), use greed to manipulate the banks and brokers ( Merrill Lynch fires the analyst who questions Enron's part), and to hear from both Presidents Bush what these big boysare.