If You Had Wealth, Time, Great Health, What Would You Do With It? Turn To Film
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November 27, 2024,
We’re not sure when it started but, from time to time, it swirls around our mind what it is like for people who have substantial wealth and live a complete life of leisure.
In a time period where so many are struggling financially, there are many around the globe who are not.
A study by the World Institute for Development Economics Research at United Nations University reports that the richest 1% of adults alone owned 40% of global assets in the year 2000, and that the richest 10% of adults accounted for 85% of the world total.
The bottom half of the world adult population owned 1% of global wealth.
A 2006 study found that the richest 2% own more than half of global household assets.
We sense you can see where we are going with this.
If you manage to qualify for the above wealthy categories, we sense it is safe to say, that you have plenty of money to do what you want with it and, you can work, if you choose to.
The power of that situation is that you can spend your time and money doing exactly what you want and paying the people you desire to give you exactly what you want.
Haven’t you thought about that at least once?
To get your creative juices flowing, let’s turn to film and see how some in that category spend their time. First, the basic storyline and then to the point.
The Heiress is a 1949 American romantic drama film directed and produced by William Wyler, from a screenplay written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, adapted from their 1947 stage play of the same title, which was itself adapted from Henry James‘ 1880 novel Washington Square.
The film stars Olivia de Havilland as Catherine Sloper, a naive young woman who falls in love with a handsome young man despite the objections of her emotionally abusive father who suspects the man of being a fortune hunter (hint, he is).
Montgomery Clift stars as Morris Townsend, and Ralph Richardson as Dr. Sloper.
The film received a leading eight nominations at the 22nd Academy Awards, including for the Best Picture, and won four awards (more than any other film nominated that year): Best Actress (for de Havilland), Best Original Score, composed by Aaron Copland, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.
In 1849 New York City, Catherine Sloper, a plain and shy young woman, lives with her wealthy father, Dr. Austin Sloper, in the prestigious Washington Square. Catherine’s mother, who was charming and talented, died early, and quiet Catherine constantly disappoints her father with her lack of social graces. Catherine’s widowed Aunt Lavinia Penniman moves in and suggests she help Catherine improve her social skills.
At some point Catherine and Morris decide to elope. The challenge is, something may have changed in Catherine’s inheritance because, against her father’s wishes, she stayed true to Morris.
Or did it change?
Morris thinks it has changed and doesn’t show up for their appointed time.
This is an all-time classic, one of the best films in history.
For our discussion here was Catherine’s lifestyle. What does she do with all of that free time and money?
Embroidery.
Don’t laugh. The pattern you will find with people who have all the money they want and plenty of time on their hands is that they get to do what they want with their time. Whether it is 1849 in Washington Square or any other time period that will be a pattern.
Time to move forward.
Mad Men has to be one of the classic TV series that spoke to the 1960’s like none other. For our discussion here, there was an episode that we easily watched 10 times, not just because of how it was written, but because of how it made us feel.
It was the episode in season two, titled, “The Jet Set”. Here, Don takes a business trip to Los Angeles, where he romances and meet up with some fascinating, wealthy acquaintances who have a lot of money and time on their hands.
Here, there is the addition of a young gorgeous woman who fancies Don Draper (don’t they all?). The key to the episode is the mood it places you in. An abundance of wealth, beautiful women and all the time you want to indulge. Is it deep? Does it have to be? It is Southern California, sunny, wealthy and quiet, where you live the life you want to.
We wanted to. Instead of the life some of us lived where we spent decades not doing what we wanted. Not living our life but living for religion and others.
There is something very refreshing, captivating, soothing and deeply sad about that unique episode.
Finally, next is Netflix’s Ripley.
Ripley is an American neo-noir psychological thriller miniseries created, written and directed by Steven Zaillian, based on Patricia Highsmith‘s 1955 crime novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. This is a story so good, there have been several remakes.
It stars Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley, with Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood and Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf, the eight-episode limited series is the first adaptation of Highsmith’s novel to a series.
Here is the storyline.
In New York in 1960, Tom Ripley is a down-at-the-heels con-man. Unaware of his situation, a wealthy man hires him to convince his prodigal son to return home from Italy. Tom’s introduction to Dickie Greenleaf’s comfortable and leisurely life abroad is a game changer. He now wants Dickie’s life and is willing to kill to get it.
This fictitious story is a classic.
What was so appealing was the lifestyle of the people involved where money and time were both abundantly at their disposal. What did they do with that time?
Pursue their love of art and little else.
True, the lifestyle was also married to the usual pleasure subjects of partying, travel, drinking, smoking and relaxing on the beach. It is a life of asking yourself, what do I want to do today? This week? This month?
You are only limited by your imagination.
If you get a chance to have an abundance of time and money, it would be wonderful to add substance and unselfishness to the menu.
But, is it okay if you don’t?
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_of_wealth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heiress
https://madmen.fandom.com/wiki/The_Jet_Set
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripley_(TV_series)
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