guest post: The 6 Greatest Scenes in Movies Featuring Business Cards

July 6, 2012   //    1 Comment

We’ve got a guest post here today on average film reviews. I don’t usually take them but I’m a big fan of Moo.com – I used to trade Moo cards back when I had more time for photography – so when they asked if I wanted a guest post from them I said Yes please! This post was written by Simon Goble of MOO.COM.

If you were asked to name a movie where a business card plays a pivotal role then there really is only one place to start. While the famous scene in American Psycho will immediately come to mind, are there any other instances where business cards feature so memorably?

“It’s bone”

This and many other quotes have arisen from the immortal scene where Christian Bale’s character Patrick produces his card only to have its quality and design dismissed and improved upon by his colleagues.

“Look at that subtle off-white colouring.
The tasteful thickness of it.
Oh my God, it even has a watermark.”

These and many other quotes will be uttered around boardroom tables across the US and beyond and while the scene is very brief, it perfectly encapsulates the fragile mind of Bale’s character. This, is the quintessential business card movie scene.

Whoever introduced the concept of using a business card in this particular movie clearly had their own views about the lengths lawyers would go to in order to snare a new client.

In the relevant scene, Paul Newman’s character Frank Galvin attends a funeral where he offers a cash bribe to the funeral director as a means of getting introduced to the grieving widow.

Upon that introduction he offers his sympathy and presses a business card into her hand asking her to get in touch if there is anything he can do.

“I’m CEO, bitch”

This famous quote comes from the movie ‘The Social Network’ released in 2010 and it sparked off a host of rumours claiming that Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg really did have business cards with this legend on the reverse in order to get back at a girl from high school.

In this pivotal scene, Zuckerburg (played by Jessie Eisenberg) takes delivery of the now legendary business cards just as his (ex) business partner Eduardo Saverin demands to know why his Facebook shares have been diluted without his knowledge.

Zuckerburg is left reeling at his desk, while examining his business card with the famous words etched on the reverse. I’m CEO, Bitch.

While the notorious American Psycho scene is the best example of where business cards tell us all we need to know about a character, there are countless films where they appear. Although they may only be on screen for seconds, they are important otherwise they wouldn’t be there.

In Fight Club, from 1999, cards play a role for many characters, including Tyler’s and Richard Chesler’s and they also serve to introduce the Paper Street Soap Company who are crucial to parts of this movie.

Written as a vehicle for the English entertainer Tommy Steele in 1967, Half a Sixpence charts Arthur Kipps’ development from humble orphan who inherits a fortune and transforms into a country gentleman.

In one scene, Kipps’ girlfriend Ann finds his new calling card and decides that he has changed beyond all recognition. The song, ‘I know what I am’ follows and the main character is forced to reassess his remarkable journey.

It’s been rumoured that the classic TV series is to be turned into a film but how many of the original, classic features will be kept? Everyone remembers the introduction to each programme – ‘This is Jim Rockford. At the tone, leave your name and number. I’ll get back to you’ so said James Garner’s character in a scene that was memorable for many reasons – not least because few people even realised answerphones existed at the time.

There is however, a whole host of paraphernalia that would have to be faithfully reproduced in order to appease die hard Rockford fans, including this iconic and unmistakable business card.



Author Bio: This post was written by Simon Goble of MOO.COM, business card printing specialists. MOO are a digital printing company with a difference, we print business cards, greeting cards, stickers and labels. Visit us at http://us.moo.com/

image sources:
1. http://www.trashness.com/american-psycho-business-card-scene
2. http://www.threedonia.com/archives/36571
3. http://www.yourprops.com/Mark-Zuckerberg-s-Business-Card-other-replicas-movie-props-The-Social-Network–2010–prop-47222.html
4. http://filmgraphics.tumblr.com/post/25028720277/fight-club-1999-dir-david-fincher-graphic
5. http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Half-a-Sixpence-Posters_i7815828_.htm
6. http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/32295/rockford-files-season-five-the/