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John Law and the Mississippi Bubble

1979 9 min
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In this animated short, Richard Condie offers up a history lesson about one of the most sensational get-rich-quick schemes that took place in France over 200 years ago. With economist John Law at the helm, the plan was to open a bank and exchange bank notes for gold at wildly inflated share prices to mask the fact that the country's gold had been depleted in the building of Louis XIV's palace. When the inevitable rush to cash in the notes takes place, poor John Law is left broke and broken-hearted. For more background info on this film, visit the NFB.ca …

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John Law and the Mississippi Bubble

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In this animated short, Richard Condie offers up a history lesson about one of the most sensational get-rich-quick schemes that took place in France over 200 years ago. With economist John Law at the helm, the plan was to open a bank and exchange bank notes for gold at wildly inflated share prices to mask the fact that the country's gold had been depleted in the building of Louis XIV's palace. When the inevitable rush to cash in the notes takes place, poor John Law is left broke and broken-hearted.



For more background info on this film, visit the NFB.ca blog.

  • director
    Richard Condie
  • producer
    Jerry Krepakevich
  • executive producer
    Michael Scott
    Kenneth Shere
  • script
    Stanley Jackson
  • narrator
    Stanley Jackson
  • sound
    William Eakin
    Ken Page
  • editing
    William Eakin
    Ken Page
  • animation
    Richard Condie
    Sharon Condie
    Gordon Manson
  • music
    Patrick Godfrey

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Education

Ages 15 to 17
School subjects
Possible activities include: Discuss John Law’s role in the economic collapse of France in 1720; Research the life of King Louis XIV of France; Research the successes and failures of royal edicts throughout history; Discuss your understanding of the gold standard and why it exists today. Explain get-rich-quick schemes, citing historical examples, and suggest reasons why they are rarely successful.
John Law and the Mississippi Bubble
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Licencing information

Home licence (worldwide); Classroom licence (Canada only)

You may download this film for private, personal or classroom use only. Public screenings and institutional (non-educational institutions) uses are not permitted. Download films in standard or high definition. (Please note that bonus materials are not available for DTO films.) You can copy each file up to 5 (five) times, onto various devices. DTO films cannot be hosted on a streaming server. To add DTO films to an institutional or educational streaming server, please contact a sales agent to discuss pricing.

Institutional licence

The institutional price includes the rights to screen this film in institutional settings and in free public screenings.