Search - Biography - J. Pierpont Morgan: Emperor of Wall Street on DVD

Important for His Times

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 09/08/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"As I've written before, the Biographies of the B-list and C-list famous just aren't as interesting as those of the A-list famous. Clearly, watching something on Abe Lincoln or Van Gogh would be more exciting than this. Still, if you think of Morgan as the Gates or Wal-Mart guy of his time, then maybe his relevance becomes more clear. After all, his company still exists at a time when Montgomery Ward, Pan Am, and Enron are long gone.



This work doesn't just delve into his successes. Like Poe, his first wife died young of tuberculosis and he had a bulbous, nasty nose in those pre-Nip/Tuck days. I love that Biography isn't ashamed to show the HUGE number of famous men who were womanizers and JP Morgan belongs on that list: it was not just Clinton and JFK. I loved hearing of his love of art. Biography implies that he was a great negotiator, but twice they mention him locking parties in a room and basically saying, "Don't come out until you've come to a compromise!" Not very tactful, it's almost like when the Simpsons stopped the strike at Springfield Elementary.



Luckily this work does not include cheesy reenactments. Though much of his life was lived in the 1800s, they show footage from the early 1900s that did add depth to the work. They also show those well-down political cartoons of the era. Though they state that Morgan had children and grandchildren, this is the first Biography I have seen where none of his descendants are interviewed."

Morgan's Biography Missing One Big Player

Brian C. | Philadelphia, PA | 11/11/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"A&E's Biograghy of Pierpont Morgan is an excellent account of Morgan's life as told by many biographers. Yet it is missing the huge role that Anthony Drexel played in his shaping of Morgan's life and business career. Tony Drexel took Peirpont on as a partner in Drexel & Co., already a well established banking house, which had ties to Junius Morgan in Europe. It was Drexel that purchased the land for Pierpont in New York and he served as a role model and the principal decision maker in the combined firm. Not until after Drexel's death, when Pierpont was 56 years old, did the Drexel, Morgan & Co. bank get renamed to J.P. Morgan as we know it today.



After watching the biography or reading "The House of Morgan", I'd encourage you to read Rottenberg's, "The Man Who Made Wall Street".

The Man Who Made Wall Street: Anthony J. Drexel and the Rise of Modern Finance"

Great

Florida Shopper | Florida United States | 03/27/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I thought this was a very interesting piece of history. Great for anyone interested in Wall Street."