Three years into the Depression, America was cynical of the institutions that had led to a system which had failed, and resentful of its professional classes. Films like 'The Match King' really illustrate this, and if for nothing else, they're worth watching for that reason. With Warren William playing a guy who rises to the top of the match empire through his ruthless behavior and cheating the system, you may see some parallels in the businessmen of today as well.
In the film, William will do anything to individuals around him or in the world at large to advance his own power and prosperity. It's all a giant game to him, one in which he cautions others to "never worry about anything 'til it happens, then I'll take care of it" usually before screwing them over. He borrows money to revive the family's business in matches, and then borrows still more money to pay off the first loan and expand the business - going into debt heavily in a pyramid scheme. He is comfortable in debt, heedless of what it might mean for the future, an approach that is mostly form and marketing, with little substance. He plays on the public's ignorance, pushing the myth about "three on a match" spelling doom in order to increase demand. He digs up dirt on people to use it as leverage to expand his business. He shows his character most when an inventor has come up with a breakthrough - a reusable match - which would clearly be great for humanity, but which might threaten his bottom line, so he schemes to have him silenced.
The scene with the inventor is interesting both for what William says and for what he doesn't say. He simply asks how much it cost to make the reusable matches, and whether anyone else knows about it, which shows he has only business in mind (it should also be noted that ironically, he doesn't care to use matches of any type himself, preferring a lighter instead). He doesn't ask anything at all about how the technology works, how many times the match can be used, whether the materials are safe, how the scientist figured this out or if there are other applications, etc - he doesn't care about any of that stuff. This is not some benevolent, enlightened businessman who is pushing humanity forward with his own personal success; he's the polar opposite of Ayn Rand's Howard Roark. We see a cold-blooded criminal in the white collared world, one who plays classical piano and speaks eloquently instead of toting a gun, but is a criminal nonetheless. We also of course see the deep cynicism America had towards businessmen in the 1930's.
William gives a fine performance, even if he was typecast. The film falters a bit in his love interest (Lili Damita), which is a bit of a clunky subplot. I loved the retrospective sequence showing the consequences of his actions, which I thought was a nice touch. If only those thoughts ran through the minds of all corporate crooks.
