Television on fire

Getting into the head of Madoff

STOCKBROKER, investment adviser and financier Bernie Madoff made headlines around the world when he was arrested for perpetrating perhaps the largest financial fraud in US history in 2008. The new HBO Original Film, The Wizard of Lies, examines his Ponzi scheme - his deception, lies and cover-up.

Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro plays Madoff, with Golden Globe winner Michelle Pfeiffer starring as his long-time spouse and unwitting partner Ruth during the events that would lead to financial ruin for countless people and institutions, as well as his and his family's destruction.

The film is directed by Barry Levinson from a script by his son Sam Levinson, who co-wrote it with John Burnham Schwartz and Samuel Baum. It is based on The New York Times best-selling book The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust (2011) by Diana B Henriques (who plays herself in the film), which featured unprecedented access and more than …