I like construction documentaries, like Hoover Dam, the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge. I admire the determination of the men (mostly men, anyway) who had such good ideas and did such excellent and lasting work despite such great odds against them.
A documentary about the Eiffel Tower is on right now, and, as fascinating as it is, what I like about it is that, apparently, Gustave Eiffel built the tower primarily to generate personal income. He agreed to finance 80 percent of the cost of production in exchange for the receipts from ticket sales to ride to the top. A shrewd deal that netted him more then $1 million in the first year.
He was a national hero for a time – and a rich one. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
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