By Monica Martin
In 1999 Michael Mann and his team of writers created a visual depiction of a man who many people call a "whistleblower." The Insider is a riveting movie filled with lies, greed, and a battle for the truth. As with any movie that is based upon a true story, the viewer must ask the question, “What is fact, and what am I being led to believe?” Our group set out to answer this question, but it wasn't as easy as one would think.
Unlike movies such as Titanic or 300, The Insider is mostly factual. Dr. Jeffrey Wigand described the depiction of his emotions as, “too good…eerie.” Nevertheless, Russell Crowe’s excellent acting skills couldn’t save Mann from the imminent presence of dramatization. There are a few scenes in the movie that, as simple as they seemed, were exaggerated or fabricated in comparison to the truth.
Differences
The Nature of Wigand’s Daughter’s Illness
(9:30)
This scene emerges within the first few moments of The Insider, and gives the viewer a glance inside the dynamics of Dr. Wigand’s family. We see a loving father, talking his daughter through an asthma attack. He does this while holding his wife’s hand, giving her the same comfort he provides for his daughter. Though this scene is simple, it sets the stage for what is about to transpire. Without it, Mann may not have been as successful in his depiction of just how important Jeffrey's daughters are to him.
Differences
The Nature of Wigand’s Daughter’s Illness
(9:30)
This scene emerges within the first few moments of The Insider, and gives the viewer a glance inside the dynamics of Dr. Wigand’s family. We see a loving father, talking his daughter through an asthma attack. He does this while holding his wife’s hand, giving her the same comfort he provides for his daughter. Though this scene is simple, it sets the stage for what is about to transpire. Without it, Mann may not have been as successful in his depiction of just how important Jeffrey's daughters are to him.
In reality, Dr. Wigand’s daughter suffers from spina bifida, a congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. In the film, Dr. Wigand's daughter has severe asthma, an illness that can be easily dramatized. Had the viewer known the truth of his daughter’s illness they may have had a better understanding as to why Dr. Wigand took the job with a tobacco company in the first place. When asked whether or not there was a moral conflict to take the job while knowing the harm cigarettes placed on American people, Dr. Wigand's response was simple. “I was paid very well, I had a very sick daughter," said Wigand. "I was held hostage to my health care benefits.”
Timeline
Timeline
The story of Jeffrey Wigand was one that unfolded over a long span of time. He mentioned during our interview that it took him seven months to decide that he wanted to come forward with the truth. If every Hollywood portrayal of true stories was completely accurate according to the timeline, we would be watching a single movie for years just to get to the climax. Naturally the director, Mann, condensed The Insider into a mere 157 minutes. For a full timeline by PBS go here.
Mike Wallace Depiction
At some points, The Insider depicts Mike Wallace as weak for not standing up to CBS. Lowell Bergman, in an interview with The Wrap, said “What he (Wallace) wrote, or wrote with a ghostwriter, in his autobiography is that his beef with me appears to be that he was classified in the film as someone who initially or at different points chose not to stand up to management.”
Mike Wallace Depiction
At some points, The Insider depicts Mike Wallace as weak for not standing up to CBS. Lowell Bergman, in an interview with The Wrap, said “What he (Wallace) wrote, or wrote with a ghostwriter, in his autobiography is that his beef with me appears to be that he was classified in the film as someone who initially or at different points chose not to stand up to management.”
"Anyone’s role in network news," Bergman said, "is to make the person on camera look good. You don’t do that, you don’t work there. The myth is that the person on camera has done all the reporting and knows every part of the story, but we know in the business that when they say 'this is Mike Wallace’s story,' that’s not true.” It is important to remember that Mike Wallace was the face of Bergman's journalistic endeavors, and didn't have the same personal investment in the story as Bergman.
Similarities
Even though Hollywood won a few battles concerning the factuality of Bergman and Wigand’s fight with the tobacco industry, the truth overpowered that of the truthiness. The number of instances in which the truth is available to the viewer is apparent not only in the physical dates and locations but also in the emotion that the actors convey. Here are just a few of the similarities within The Insider.
The CBS and Westinghouse Merger
In 1995 five a multibillion dollar lawsuit was brought against Capital Cities and ABC Inc. for airing a piece on Phillip Morris which was considered to be damaging to the tobacco industry and libelous. It was that lawsuit that had the lawyers and CBS worried for how Brown & Williamson would react after one of their own spoke out against them. Mike Wallace spoke to The New York Times concerning the ABC lawsuit and the future of their piece covering Brown & Williamson, "The ABC lawsuit did not chill us as journalists from doing the story," said Wallace. "It did chill the lawyers, who with due diligence had to say, 'We don't want to, in effect, risk putting the company out of business. " It was the CBS and Westinghouse merger waiting in the wings for stockholders to vote on that kept the truth about tobacco away from the public for some time. Luckily Mann didn’t keep the truth from viewers about the impact that a few wealthy men had over the lungs of Americans.
500 Page Smear Campaign
When Brown & Williamson started the feel the heat after Dr. Wigand began to talk to different outlets, a smear campaign was created by Brown & Williamson to try to dismiss the credibility of the “whistleblower". The dossier contained accusations concerning not only Wigand’s mental health, but whether or not he sparred as an Olympic athlete. This smear campaign was not just an extra scene in the movie, made to throw a fast ball at the protagonist. It was a piece of factual information, something that Wigand had to handle in a level-headed manner while still sticking to his roots in the Bronx. He fought hard and smart by doing an interview with The Wall Street Journal, which discredited the lies that Brown & Williamson created. Suien Hwang, who wrote the article, gives insight to exactly how serious this dossier was at the time it was given to The Wall Street Journal. "B&W's tactics aren't unheard of in high-stakes litigation," wrote Hwang, "but the vivid details seldom come to light. And, whatever they turn out to prove about Mr. Wigand, they provide sometimes-chilling insight into how much a company can find out about a former employee -- and the lengths it may go to discredit a critic."
The CBS and Westinghouse Merger
In 1995 five a multibillion dollar lawsuit was brought against Capital Cities and ABC Inc. for airing a piece on Phillip Morris which was considered to be damaging to the tobacco industry and libelous. It was that lawsuit that had the lawyers and CBS worried for how Brown & Williamson would react after one of their own spoke out against them. Mike Wallace spoke to The New York Times concerning the ABC lawsuit and the future of their piece covering Brown & Williamson, "The ABC lawsuit did not chill us as journalists from doing the story," said Wallace. "It did chill the lawyers, who with due diligence had to say, 'We don't want to, in effect, risk putting the company out of business. " It was the CBS and Westinghouse merger waiting in the wings for stockholders to vote on that kept the truth about tobacco away from the public for some time. Luckily Mann didn’t keep the truth from viewers about the impact that a few wealthy men had over the lungs of Americans.
500 Page Smear Campaign
When Brown & Williamson started the feel the heat after Dr. Wigand began to talk to different outlets, a smear campaign was created by Brown & Williamson to try to dismiss the credibility of the “whistleblower". The dossier contained accusations concerning not only Wigand’s mental health, but whether or not he sparred as an Olympic athlete. This smear campaign was not just an extra scene in the movie, made to throw a fast ball at the protagonist. It was a piece of factual information, something that Wigand had to handle in a level-headed manner while still sticking to his roots in the Bronx. He fought hard and smart by doing an interview with The Wall Street Journal, which discredited the lies that Brown & Williamson created. Suien Hwang, who wrote the article, gives insight to exactly how serious this dossier was at the time it was given to The Wall Street Journal. "B&W's tactics aren't unheard of in high-stakes litigation," wrote Hwang, "but the vivid details seldom come to light. And, whatever they turn out to prove about Mr. Wigand, they provide sometimes-chilling insight into how much a company can find out about a former employee -- and the lengths it may go to discredit a critic."
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