The Insider
Legalized and lethal drugs

Wild horses are moving throughout an enormous free land area, brave cowboys are after them, trying to capture the animals and take them back to their ranches as major prizes to their efforts and courage. The cowboys are the closest picture to the idea of freedom, strenght and health that we can have. They are tall, strong and demonstrate by their actions the idea of success. Besides all of this characteristics that are equal in all of them, the other point that seems to unite them is the fact that they smoke...

Young people test and explore racing cars, boats and other vehicles. Besides that they risk their lives on parachute jumping, water ski, horse riding and many other radical sports. In the end, victorious, all of them flavour their success smoking a cigarette. They are all very beautiful, on their 20 to 30 years of age, very healthy and, even though they smoke, their teeth is white and bright, proper to toothpaste merchandising...

If we think about it we can certainly remember a lot of television advertisements that promoted the smoking habit. The powerful industry that makes cigarettes had extremely competent marketing teams that chose the youngsters as their target (and as a consequence teenagers also started smoking). To achieve their goals they made announcements in newspapers, magazines, television, outdoors,... These advertisements always used wonderful looking places as their background, gorgeous people, a lot of action, many victories,...

A few years ago, as effect of a law, cigarette advertisement was prohibited in Brazil. Besides that, the cigarette industry had the obligation to write messages in their products package allerting people to the damages caused to health by smoking. Pictures with sick people whose illness was caused by the continuous and long use of cigarettes were also strategically inserted in the packages to alert consumers.

All of these changes contributed to avoid that many other people started smoking but, even though the victories achieved, this industry continued to be powerful and prosperous.

However, some time ago, because of the report made by a prestigious tv program, important information about the cigarette industry became public. A high executive that was fired by one of these companies alerted the population that cigarettes sold in the United States were being made with some products that accelerated the dependence to nicotine.

What people really found out is that the companies that produced tabacco products not only estimulated its consuming by millionaire campaigns in television and other midias but also inserted products in its cigarettes to, literally, addicte rapidly its consumers.

“The Insider”, movie made by experienced director Michael Mann, starred by Al Pacino and Russell Crowe tell us this remarkable story of vengeance, cheat and this major news report made by television program “60 minutes”. Irresistible!

The Movie

Fired by one of the most important tabacco companies in the United States, executive Lowell Bergman (Russell Crowe) gives an statement to CBS’ television program “60 Minutes”. Among many revelations told to the tv journalists, Bergman divulges that the cigarette industry uses a chemical product to accelerate the dependence of consumers to nicotine (a product that is, already, addicte).

Bergman is persecuted because of his statements and the television program does not divulge the news (even knowing that it is extremely important) because the network is afraid that this could result on law suites and and enormous cut on publicity by its sponsors.

Moral dilemmas are confronted with financial needs in this impressive thriller starred by Crowe and Al Pacino. Spectators can’t foresee what is going to happen as the ex-executive fears more and more for his life and family security. Should he walks back and deny his statements or keep on fighting against all the strenght and power of his oponents?

The producers of the television program are also living a hard experience. They have the opportunity to achieve recognition and fame because of the impact of the information they have in their hands. However, this same information represents the possibility of financial losses for the network and unemployment to some of them...

For Teachers

1- To discuss the bad effects caused by cigarettes is the first work to be developed when we work with this movie. Tell students to research how people become smokers. Find out if and how some people get rid of this nasty habit. Interview doctors and other specialists about the consequences of nicotine in the body of a person. These could be the first steps on a project with “The Insider”.

2- Another possibility is to study the cigarettes packages. One can, for instance, find out the chemical ingredients of the cigarettes and find out what really causes dependence. Students can also have a close look at the pictures of the illness caused by this vice and find out more about them and their consequences to human body. To expose this research students could create panels with the images and data about the chemical ingredients of the cigarettes as a way of divulging the harm caused by the use of tabacco.

3- The history of tabacco as a product and merchandise of good value in the world commerce is extremely recent. This product comes from the american continent and was unknown to europeans until the sixteenth century when it began to be sold and consumed regularly. To make a research of the commerce of this product throughout history and of its industrial process is another good alternative to understand the enrichment and power of the tabacco industry.

4- The faint relationship of ethics, power and money is the basis of exchange and business made in the world everyday. In which moments ethics prevails? In which situations financial interests are more important? Can we conciliate profits and social responsability? Is it possible to live in an ethical way in the business world (at least on the top companies in which money is so often everywhere that people get corrupted with no difficulties)? “The insider” invites us to reflect about this strong and present theme that is the relation between business and ethics, profits and citizenship...

João Luís Almeida Machado
Master Degree in Education, Arts and History of Culture (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, in São Paulo); Professor at Faculdade Senac in
Campos do Jordão; Middle and High School teacher; writes weekly columns
for the website Planeta Educação

Send e-mails, comments, suggestions and critics for:
profjoaoluis@planetaeducacao.com.br

Technical Information

The Insider

Country/Year of Production: USA, 1999
Length of Time/Gender: 160 min., Drama/Action
Director: Michael Mann
Screenwriters: Marie Brenner, Eric Roth and Michael Mann
Cast: Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Devi Massar, Phillip Baker Hall, Lindsay Crouse.

Links
(in portuguese)

- adorocinema.cidadeinternet.com.br/filmes/o-informante/o-informante.htm
- www.cineguia.com.br/index.shtml?cod_filme=CNA0053&rg=0
- e-pipoca.cidadeinternet.com.br/filmes_zoom.cfm?id=153
- cineclick.virgula.terra.com.br/cinemateca/ficha_filme.php?id_cine=8195