For years I've shown films in class, primarily John Stossel's fine work and the PBS series "The Commanding Heights." I've usually shown at least half of the films, typically the entire works.

My approach is changing, however, thanks to Dirk Mateer's Movies For Econ. Dirk has documented short portions of economics content in many popular films (e.g., Legally Blonde and Dumb and Dumber).

To my wife's chagrin--I now stop films to jot down notes or to replay a segment--I'm also watching movies differently. To wit, here are two examples from films I've watched over the past few weeks:

1. In Bruges: In a scene (right at the 50:00 mark), I woman who is a prostitute is asked if she's American. She replies no, that she's from Amsterdam. The man who asked if she's American [it isn't clear if he knows she's a hooker or not] replies with the observation that Amsterdam is awash in prostitutes. She says she knows and that she came to Bruges so that she could get a better price for her services. [Warning--preview this clip before using it in class--she uses an R-rated word for her "services."] The scene is a nice illustration of the effect of supply on prices, people responding to price incentives, and labor mobility.

2. Mad Money: A four minute segment (roughly 3:45-7:45) raises issues of unemployment, downsizing, discrimination against and the employability of older workers, and so-called discouraged workers. For example, a character played by Ted Danson is asked by his wife why he hasn't applied for any jobs. He replies that he's given up because he had been searching for a year without success. His wife (played by Diane Keaton), who is also searching for a job, encounters difficulty finding a job because of her lack of computer skills (she's asked what programs she's proficient with an replies Google; her college degree was in comparative lit). There are two other short segments (roughly 8:55-9:10 and 44:10-44:40) that talk about the role of the Fed and the effect of increasing the money supply. [The premise of the film--supposedly based on a true story though I found nothing in a quick google search--is three low-level employees of the Kansas City Fed conspire to steal thousands of dollars of used currency that has been returned to the Fed for shredding.]

BTW, I don't consider either movie very good artistically. I thought Katie Holmes, who plays one of the thieves, and Ted Danson were especially bad in "Mad Money."

Two other films, sans detailed notes. "The Counterfeiters" portrays Nazi Germany's attempt to counterfeit millions of pounds of British currency; it's a very good film but I didn't find any scenes to be particularly useful for class. "The Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars" is a documentary about a band formed by refugees from Sierra Leone's civil war earlier this decade. The film provides a nice example of Paul Collier's conflict trap.

See also Art's post on "The Third Man."