Black Monday & Beyond

Opening with a barrage of film footage and superimposed subtitles chronicling the biggest stock market crash in history, which took place last October, Black Monday & Beyond tosses out enough financial terms during the first ten minutes to make you think you're hearing Martian. But then the filmmakers provide the key to the linguistic puzzle, and over the next hour explain, in layman's terms, everything from securities and futures to Ginnie Maes and Freddie Macs. Part of filmmaker Jim Auker's point is to demonstrate that the economic environment has changed radically over the past few decades, and that a merely cursory knowledge of the stock market could very well translate into losing one's shirt. Using interviews with experts from the financial field, the film reconstructs what happened and why on October 19th and 20th, offers a scenario of the new money market (including explanations of corporate takeovers and how the Federal Reserve System works), and concludes with advice from both independent financial planners and representatives from the National Association of Investors. Throughout the video, summary subtitles are used, so that viewers may pause and reflect on what is being said: This is an excellent video, and a worthy low-price addition to the growing collection of business tapes being offered. Highly recommended. (Available from: Yukon Video, P. O, Box 889, Birmingham, MI 48012.)