Classic Humphrey Bogart Film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Teaches a Classic Economics Lesson

Classic Humphrey Bogart Film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Teaches a Classic Economics Lesson

EconPop YouTube Series Examines Economic Themes in Movies

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- There are many movie review web series on the Internet, but only one dares to explore how popular films portray economic ideas. That series is Econstories.tv's EconPop. This month's episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4MagNKICiw ) explores the economics of the Humphrey Bogart classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

The 1948 film follows gold prospectors trying to strike it rich. EconPop host and MPI comedian Andrew Heaton uses the film to discuss what makes something valuable.

"Though most EconPop episodes review modern films, we had to cover The Treasure of the Sierra Madre because it's overflowing with economics!" said executive producer John Papola. "In one scene characters discuss why gold is worth so much," said executive producer Maurice Black, "that conversation explores competing theories of value."

Heaton's takeaway: A product's value is determined by how much people want that product -- not by how much labor someone puts into creating it.

EconPop is made in association with the Moving Picture Institute (MPI) and Emergent Order (EO). The show airs every month on the EconStories YouTube channel. Previous episodes have covered Elysium, Back to School, The LEGO Movie, WALL-E, Ghostbusters, Dallas Buyers Club, and House of Cards. Each episode is accompanied by in-depth, audio podcasts featuring EconPop host Andrew Heaton and scholars such as literature professor Paul Cantor and economist Steve Horwitz.

ABOUT ECONSTORIES: EconStories connects great economics with new audiences through storytelling and entertainment. Founded by John Papola (CEO of Emergent Order, the creative agency that produces EconStories) and Russ Roberts (John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution), EconStories' first two rap videos, Fear the Boom & Bust and Fight of the Century, have been seen by millions. John Papola is an award-winning writer, producer, and director with more than a decade of experience in broadcast television with MTV, Nickelodeon and Spike TV.

ABOUT THE MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE: The Moving Picture Institute (MPI) is a charitable and educational tax-exempt foundation that promotes freedom through film, comedy, and online media. It does so by developing its own media content in-house, and supporting filmmakers at every phase of their careers. MPI films win awards, appear in theaters and on television, and have drawn praise from the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and more.


Audrey Mullen
(202) 270-2772
Audrey@advocacyink.com

SOURCE Moving Picture Institute

Moving Picture Institute


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