The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron

The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron is an American television movie aired by CBS in January 2003, which was based on the book Anatomy of Greed by Brian Cruver.[1] The film, which stars Brian Dennehy, Christian Kane and Mike Farrell, and was directed by Penelope Spheeris, was a ratings hit for the network.[2][3]

The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron
Directed byPenelope Spheeris
Produced byRobert Greenwald
Written byStephen Mazur
StarringBrian Dennehy
Shannon Elizabeth
Christian Kane
Mike Farrell
Cameron Bancroft
Release date
January 5, 2003
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

Based on the first-person book by Brian Cruver, Anatomy of Greed, The Crooked E television movie chronicles the rise and fall of the Houston-based Enron Corporation. The film offers the perspective of Cruver, played by Christian Kane, depicted as a brilliant but naïve young salesman who was seduced by the company's "get rich quick" mantra. The extravagant company culture is shown through scenes of extreme office parties, over-the-top expense accounts, and sexy female employees. When the company inevitably crashes in the fall of 2001, the film shows how shareholders and employees suffered the most. Real-life executives are portrayed in the film, including Enron Chairman Ken Lay played by Mike Farrell, CEO Jeff Skilling played by Jon Ted Wynne, and whistleblower Sherron Watkins played by Jan Skene, while other characters are renamed (presumably to protect the innocent) such as senior executive Mr. Blue played by Brian Dennehy.

Production

The Crooked E was filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Criticism

The author of the book and ex-Enron employee says that the strippers hired as secretaries have more exposure in the film than they did in his book and that the employee rallies were more dramatic in real life than in the film, but for the most part, the TV movie gets it right.[1]

References
  1. Hart, Hugh. "Writing Enron's last chapter Ex-employee's 'Anatomy of Greed' book made into TV movie." San Francisco Chronicle. Saturday January 4, 2003. Retrieved on July 23, 2011.
  2. McDaniel, Mike and Clifford Pugh. "'Crooked E' scores direct hit in local ratings battle." Houston Chronicle. January 7, 2003. Retrieved on July 23, 2011.
  3. Article about The Crooked E
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