Pere Goriot is an exciting novel filled with mystery, romance, and lust. The novel gives us a glimpse into life in 19th Century Paris and all of the drama that comes along with life in Paris during the time. We see Rastignac’s lust for the richer parts of town, the jealousy of those who crave another man's money, and the unfortunate results of a man who wanted wealth for his daughters, but sold himself so short he ended up with nothing at all. We see the lives of rich women, and their terrible disinterest in their husbands, with a glimpse into their secret desire for love over status. All of this liveliness, though, is limited. Here’s the vision: what would it be like to actually see the riches of the upper class’ glistening chandeliers in contrast to the rags of the poor man's flickering light bulbs on the opposite side of town? What would it be like to capture the looks of disinterest and boredom on these poor women’s faces when their husbands walked in the room in contrast to the sparkle in their eyes and smile from ear to ear when their lover entered the room? What would it be like to actually see the daughters of Goriot make excuses and move on with their lives and then seeing Goriot coughing on his deathbed, being delusional and thinking that his daughters were by his side? Imagine the scene where Victorine’s brother is found dead, and the look on ambitious Vautrin’s face when he knows his plan is working, disregarding the corpse on the floor? Imagine the pity and heartache you would have for the wrinkled up pale face of old and innocent Goriot? What does poverty versus wealth mean for a society? Should society run with values of money over truth, fairness, love, and justice? Actually seeing the riches of high society versus the poor man’s living conditions help the audience actually feel the hunger for money. This film is one in which you will see the beauty of every sparkling dish, drinking glass, and ball gown. On the contrary, you’ll experience the broken down, grey, sweaty boarding house where the tenants' clothes look older than Goriot himself. Once the audience grasps this imagery, they are able to understand the weight of social classes and its impact throughout the book. Only then can they understand its terrible weight and upsetting ways of destroying people’s lives.

The first scene of the movie will open up with the characters of the boarding house being called down to dine. Although that is not how the book actually opens up, it would be interesting to see them dining together because there is a lot to be learned about a person's social class from their meal time which includes: food, dress, and mannerisms. The lighting will be dark and there will be creaking sounds as the footsteps thump on the floor. The characters will each be in their rooms, but the scene will start with showing Goriot. He is a white-bearded old man who even appears older than he is because of his worry lines. He has a sad look in his eyes as he is putting slow effort into pressing silver dishes into blocks of metal. He is wearing glasses and is very focused on his efforts. He is someone that the audience empathizes with, although they cannot understand exactly what he is doing. There is a screeching sound of a microphone that interrupts the scene when Mme. Vauquer’s voice cracks and she announces that it is meal time. In the middle of her announcement the camera cuts to Vautrin, a tall and confident looking man with a mischievous look on his face, unlocking his door carefully and then grinning at himself in the mirror as he tucks in his shirt on his way out. The scene will then cut to the boarding house all dining together and the focus will be on the unpleasant feelings in there. The food will seem unappetizing by the looks on the tennants faces. The tenants will not be well dressed, nor will their overall appearance seem very clean. They will all be eating chicken and they’ll be biting every last piece of meat from the bone until there is not much left on their plates. The audience will feel their lack of air conditioning by the wet marks on some of their shirts, and the dirt marks on some of their faces. Rastignac will have a happier disposition than the rest of them in order to foreshadow his zest for life and to hint that he will not be stuck in this place, but that there will be hope for him. At the end of this scene, they will not be fully satiated, and the camera will show the outside of the grey boarding house as a runned down, poorly designed building with paint peeling off and a look which indicates a desperate need for a power-wash from the front.

Now comes the build up, bringing the characters along on Rastignac’s journey. He is excited about where he lives, and is eager to climb up the ladder of social hierarchy. He will get in touch with his aunt who gets him in touch with his cousin, the wealthy Mme. de Beauséant. She manages to have Rastignac invited to a ball. The ball will not simply be a ball for dancing, but the event will imitate modern day “dinner and dancing.” This visual will give the audience every flavor of excitement towards the beauty in upper society from the smell of expensive steaks and the glistening sparkle illusion of a rainbow on the glasses to the elegant dancing and the astonishing dresses worn by beautiful women. The scene will open with Rastignac opening the grand huge metal doors to the entrance of the ball. He enters, and there it is. He sees a magnificent chandelier hanging from a ceiling so tall, he’d have to strain his neck to see it. The room is lit up, matching his face. He turns his head to the side to see about 15 men standing in uniform suits behind the buffet serving some of Paris’ finest and most expensive pieces of meat. He will admire the live band playing classical pieces, and the fancy feeling it lends to the atmosphere. Rastignac will acknowledge the beautiful aroma in the room, maybe coming from the women’s perfume. And then, he mans up, and joins the dance floor. The camera will then show the stunning Countess de Restaud in action. She is wearing a dreamy, long, and puffy light blue ball gown, and her long blonde hair falls perfectly down her back. When suddenly, Rastignac ends up her dancing partner. At first glance, he is in awe. Woah. Her crystal blue eyes, high cheekbones, and red lips caught him off guard. She smiles back at him, and makes it as if they are equals. She gives him the signs that she’s in for whatever seems to be going on between them, and he cannot believe his luck.

All of this opposition between poor life and rich life are exactly the settings necessary to make the audience feel like the characters do: make them want it. Now - the audience relates. Once the audience relates, the horrible things that people will do for money is emphasized. Now, actually seeing the corpse on the floor and Vautrin not even caring about the fact that he took another man’s life for his own sake of money and power is all the more so a huge deal. The audience experiences such nerves while watching that scene, and they’ll be hoping that he won’t follow through. The audience feels sorry for the women, their lack of self-esteem, and their boredom towards their own husbands. The audience feels great empathy and sadness in that last scene when Goriot’s daughters are too caught up in the vanities of the world to care for their own father. All of this money, and the seemingly pleasurable desires for it lead up to the clear emptiness in the lives of the characters. And only by visualizing what living in Paris was really like, can the audience experience the drama and corruption of Pere Goriot.