Four years ago, the sensational black comedy by Martin Scorsese “The wolf of Wall Street". The film is based on the eponymous memoir of Jordan Belfort about the events of 20 years ago, when he and his fellow fraudsters robbed respectable American citizens worth tens of millions of dollars. It should be noted that the plot of the film and even all the dialogues of Leonardo DiCaprio, who played the main role, are almost completely borrowed from the book. You might be interested in article 11 Shocking Facts About Leonardo DiCaprio.
But a good book alone is not enough to create a truly breathtaking picture. Of course, Martin Scorsese's directorial talent played a huge role in the film's incredible success. The viewer loves interesting stories, and Scorsese knows how to give the viewer what he needs. The three-hour comedy film is full of events that will overwhelm the common man in the street. Some of them are real events from the life of the aforementioned Jordan Belfort, others are created only to give the film color and color, to emphasize the storyline favorably and ultimately to capture the audience.
However, the real facts about Jordan Belford and his company “Stratton OakmontOften look completely different from what can be read from the pages of memoirs or seen on screens in cinemas. But if you think you already know everything about Jordan Belfort, then this article may surprise you. So, 15 unknown facts about the real "Wolf of Wall Street"... Also take a look at article 10 cities that are good for capital growth.
15. He never worked on Wall Street.
Take, for comparison, one of the offices located on the most famous street in New York - Wall Street. A small company of about nine people makes about $ 5,000 a month. Staff "Stratton Oakmont”At the peak of its activity numbered about 1,000 people. By simple calculations (1000/9 * 5000 minus the cost of inflation, employee bonuses, etc.), we get a monthly rent equal to approximately $ 400-500,000.
A drop in the ocean for such a giant as a company “Stratton Oakmont". But Belfort also started small - the company did not immediately start raking in millions of dollars, and therefore it would be logical to locate the office geographically "Stratton Oakmont»On Long Island, an hour's drive from Wall Street.
What's the catch here, you ask? Belfort reportedly trained his team to tell investors they were calling from Wall Street. It seems like a very small trick, but the deal with brokers "Stratton Oakmont”Immediately became much more seductive. But in reality, this guy was the Wolf from Long Island, or could be, if not for one thing ...
14. Nobody ever called him Wolf
Isn't it a little annoying to hear that? An excellent, capacious, self-explanatory nickname that fully corresponds to the plot of the film. And suddenly some article debunks another myth in which you have long believed. I apologize, but the only one who called Jordan Belfort the Wolf was Jordan Belfort himself, and he gave himself such a nickname for the first time only in 2007 in his memoirs.
Former vice president of the company "Stratton Oakmont"(His role in the film was played by Jonah Hill) once said:"Working with him for eight years, I have never heard anyone ever call him Wolf.". I hate to be a bore, but the only nicknames this guy might have heard in the boardroom were Geordie, The Boss, and the charlatan.
13. He did "it" with a lot of money
It's funny, we scold Jordan Belfort for being a slippery guy who robbed ordinary decent citizens for huge sums of money. And, meanwhile, it was this fact that became a consequence of the fact that later they began to respectfully shake hands with him. In his book, Belfort describes one case. When he got home, he put $ 3 million in cash on the floor in front of his wife, Nadine, and then invited her to lie on top of this pile of money. The couple then made sweet sweet love on crisp banknotes, which later received the well-deserved name of dirty money.
Most of us have the ability to do the same for $ 5 or $ 15. But here it is appropriate to quote Margot Robbie, who played Belfort's wife in the movie. She happened to recreate this love scene. Margot warns those inspired by the story: “I got a million cuts on my back from all this money! It's actually not as glamorous as it looks. If any of you have planned to make love sitting on a pile of banknotes, you better not do it.».
12. The scene that shocked many is actually just a director's invention
Perhaps, the majority of viewers after watching the film “The wolf of Wall Street»There is a strong feeling that Martin Scorsese has applied maximum creativity in the story about Jordan Belfort. The filthy, vulgar, sometimes harsh scenes that are presented in abundance in the film seem so unrealistic. But in fact, most of them are absolutely true. However, the famous opening episode where Leo and his company begin to use midgets as a kind of "slippers" for throwing at a target is pure fiction.
Belfort mentions in his memoirs that “tossA dwarf would be funny. But, nevertheless, according to his recollections, there was only one party with a small participant. And no one threw him anywhere. Denny Porush (his real name is Donnie Asof, and in the film he was played by Jonah Hill) once commented on this scene: “We never insulted the midgets, much less abandoned them. We were friendly towards them. There was no physical abuse. Moreover, I wanted to emphasize - we no longer use the term dwarf at all, so as not to offend people of small stature and there was no abuse on this topic».
11. He didn't pay any of his victims
Jordan Belfort can confidently be called an absolutely shameless swindler and scoundrel. Belfort reportedly robbed more than $ 110 million of his investors. And most of his clients were not blue-blooded. These are the simple workers that you see every morning rushing to their factory, the so-called blue collars, working from 9.00 to 17.00. Therefore, they can be understood. When some sweet-voiced guy calls you and offers you the top investment deal of your life, it's hard not to succumb to the temptation to buy stocks.
But, as we all understand, it is easier to catch a fabulous gnome than to wait for some of the investments in Belfort's company to bring at least a minimum income. When the FBI finally brought Belfort to court, he was ordered to reimburse all the money stolen from his victims. But now 2 decades have passed, first the book was released, and then the film of the same name, and Belfort reimbursed only about $ 10 million out of 110 assigned by the court. And even that money came from the sale of Belfort's property in the early 2000s.
10. He was hot-tempered and harsh
In 1991, Belfort married a second time to the former model Nadine Caridi (played by Margot Robbie). And as we saw in the film, their marriage can hardly be called cloudless. Belfort's love of drugs, drunkenness, evening parties, girls of easy virtue is a bad recipe for a long, happy marriage. Nadine had the opportunity to remain the wife of a wealthy millionaire husband, but she eventually filed for divorce. Speaking proof of their difficult romance, Belfort pushed Nadine so hard that she fell down the stairs.
At the same time, he rushed to her, threatening to take their daughter.And then he decided to carry out his threat. He grabbed his daughter, put her in a sports car (without wearing a seat belt) and jerked in reverse through the garage door at breakneck speed. Belfort stopped only because he crashed into a pole on the territory of their house. It is sad when drugs kill, but even sadder when innocent people are killed. Of course, no one died in this story then, but there was such a possibility.
9. He betrayed everyone
«People call them rats, as they will do everything possible and impossible to survive."Is a quote from another notorious Scorsese film"Good guys". The classic crime movie Scorsese and the collective image of a criminal who in the courtroom is ready to point at anyone just to shield himself and mitigate the punishment as much as possible. Of course, Jordan Belfort was no exception.
There is a scene in the film when Leo wears a tape recorder, but at the same time tries to transmit notes to his friends, hinting that they are being tapped. This behavior certainly deserves respect. Unfortunately, this is just a fiction for the film. In reality, Belfort turned in everyone who was involved in his scheme in order to mitigate his own sentence as much as possible. Apparently "Wolf"Could not come to terms with the thought that he would be in a cage and very quickly underwent a metamorphosis, turning into a rat.
8. He made his secretary buy drugs for him
There is no secret that Belfort loved all sorts of drugs. This was the main storyline in both the film and the book of the same name. His famous quote is also known, which has become a catch phrase: “I was rocked with such a mountain of drugs that it would be enough to calm Guatemala". Belfort did not remember exactly when he became addicted to drugs, but subsequently his daily “diet”Consisted of marijuana, morphine, cocaine, aderal, xanax and alcohol.
But the most beloved "dish"Was methaqualone. An influential politician made the drug illegal in the mid-1980s. Methaqualone is an infamous pill that Bill Coxby happily slips into unsuspecting ladies' drinks. Belfort, on the other hand, throughout the 90s swallowed these pills in packs and loved them so much that when he arrived at his brothel in London, he immediately turned to his secretary in New York with a request to help him out.
Belfort needed a recharge and for this he made an urgent call to his assistant right at home at 4 in the morning. She immediately sent him a package of drugs, mind you, across the ocean, on a plane reserved by the richest of the richest. While masses of innocent people are dying of hunger on the streets, this incident is the most shameful example of the abuse of money and power.
7. Is Belfort's prison term a difficult time for him?
Belford was sentenced to four years in prison on fraud and money laundering charges. Like many other criminals the size of Belfort (Pablo Escabar, officials of the Enron Corporation, etc.), he did not have to get into the usual cramped prison cell and deal with excellent bandits. Somehow it happened that people with big money were sent to more convenient and presentable prisons, and Belfort was no exception.
Moreover, thanks to the plea agreement, his sentence was reduced to 22 months. As a result, after spending a little time in solitary confinement, Belfort headed to a general regime forced labor camp, where he could enjoy tennis courts and libraries.... So if you think these white-collar crooks have received the punishment they deserve, then I will disappoint you. For them, it was just a vacation paid by conscientious taxpayers.
6. He didn't want to be a broker
Did any of us aspire to be a broker as a child? Show me one little kid who dreams of becoming a broker, not a superhero or a firefighter. If, after all, there is such a kid, I would advise you to check his passport. Perhaps it's just a little person masquerading as a child? The stock market is a pretty boring place, especially for young children.
It is essentially a group of adults yelling when they see the numbers on the screen. Therefore, it is not surprising that little Belfort did not have such aspirations. In fact, he chose another dull professional field - dentistry. As a kid, Belfort was selling popsicles on the beach and amassed $ 20,000 for a dental college (Whether fraudulently or not, we don't know. But it's certainly impressive).
However, his dream of becoming a famous dental doctor collapsed in his first year of study. Once the dean of the faculty took him aside and said: “The golden age of dentistry has come to an end. You won't make a lot of money in this area". For money-hungry Belfort, it was enough to quit college instantly and for all.
5. He's a good speaker.
V "The Wolf of Wall Street»Belfort delivers inspiring speeches to his employees. The goal is to raise the morale of your "troops", To calm the conscience of the staff and give the right attitude to conduct transactions. This fact is true, and there is no exaggeration here. Jordan Belfort certainly has a gift for eloquence. And the main confirmation of this is the countless number of people whom he persuaded to invest in outright trash.
But what is left for a guy to do if the law prohibits him from running such a profitable business? Of course, he begins to teach others. As soon as he was released from prison, Belfort made a name for himself by giving lectures and motivational workshops for all those seeking to build a successful business. The cost of one training is about $ 400. And, you will not believe, people are ready to pay for the opportunity to hear well-known sales training techniques - “sell me this pen" or "The only obstacle facing you and your dreams is yourself and the boundaries that you create in your head.».
4. Now he earns a lot more.
As previously mentioned, Belfort's debt to defrauded investors was about $ 110 million. At least this is the amount that law enforcement agencies were able to estimate. According to Belfort himself, his income was about $ 49 million a year, and once he even earned $ 12 million in 3 minutes. As soon as Belfort was released, he began to earn money as an author of a book, then as a coach at various kinds of lectures and seminars, and, of course, he received his share of the copyright from the release of the film.
Later, he announced that in 2014 he intends to receive income of more than $ 100 million. By a simple calculation, it turns out that this is 2 times more than his income in the 90s. For each performance Belfort is paid from $ 30 thousand to $ 80 thousand. A huge amount. Especially if you take into account that he gives about 45 such lectures a year. And you probably think that now Belfort is working strictly within the law and honestly earns his living. But I will still disappoint you. Every time he makes a speech or tells his life story, in fact, he cuts off the victims of his fraudulent scheme over and over again. Jordan Belfort is a rich man and he makes it clear that he wants to remain that way.
3. There has never been a chimpanzee in his office.
In film "The wolf of Wall Street"There are many interesting scenes, as in fact in any joint work of Scorsese and DiCaprio. For example, one of them. Leo, playing the role of Belfort, walks around the office "Stratton Oakmont"With a chimpanzee on his shoulder. In fact, the role of this scene in the film is only figurative - it emphasizes how primitive and unceremoniously wild the atmosphere reigning in the company was "Stratton Oakmont».
But alas, in reality there was no such episode during the entire existence of the company.Danny Porush (or Donnie, played by Jonah Hill) commented on the episode a few years ago: “No chimpanzees have ever been in the office, like any other animal. I would never allow rough or inappropriate treatment of animals". However, there is a reliable fact that Porush, proving his innocence to one of the employees "Stratton Oakmont", Swallowed a goldfish. From his memoirs: “I told one of our brokers that if he didn’t get to work properly, I would eat his goldfish.". Which Porush actually did.
2. Belfort really drowned his yacht
As has been mentioned many times, there are many impressive moments in the film. But some events seem quite real and you are sure that they actually happened (as, for example, the case of the chimpanzee). Other episodes are so fantastic that to many of you they will seem like just a creative director's idea. Too these circumstances are extravagant. But in fact, it turns out that just such events actually happened.
For example, the case of Jordan Belfort's yacht. A 45-meter luxury vessel named after Belfort's ex-wife "Nadine"Was the venue for many wild office parties. And according to FBI reports, it actually sank off the coast of Italy. In 1996, cruising through the choppy waters of the Mediterranean, Belfort, imagining himself higher than the Empire State Building (or whatever else, God only knows), ordered the captain to move at high speed through the storm. Although, probably, his favorite methaqualone was to blame.
But the fact remains. The yacht capsized almost immediately after sailing. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Crew members and passengers were rescued by the Italian navy. According to Belfort's comments regarding this episode, the only thing that surprised him in the film was the helicopter, which went under water along with the ship. In fact, they had to physically push the helicopter into the water in order for the rescue helicopter to land.
1. Tommy Chong is the main reason for "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Isn't it a strange phenomenon? But Tommy Chong and Jordan Belfort are best friends. I suppose this is a surprise for you too? A millionaire stockbroker from Long Island and a famous Mexican drug addict actor, whose fame thundered in the 70s, were able to become pals. Fortune loves Belfort. Serving time, after having deceived millions of people, he ends up in the same cell with a man who was called all over the world nothing more than “cute trembling old man».
Chong was serving time for illegally selling marijuana pipes (yes, it was illegal in 2000). It was he who pushed Belfort not only to lecture, but also to write his memoirs. If not for Tommy Chong, perhaps "The wolf of Wall Street"Would never have appeared, Leo and Scorsese would not have teamed up to create another film, and Belfort would not have raked in fabulous money after serving his time. Although no, I probably would have raked in anyway, but not at the sale of a book.
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Want to know even more information about one of the most famous financial tycoons and scammers? Then watch the video, which presents 10 more facts about the real Wolf of Wall Street - Jordan Belfort.
