Item #: 30053DV Category: DRAMA Format: DVD MPAA Rating: U

Woolly Rating: 5/10 (127 votes)

MEMBER COMMENTS ON THIS VIDEO

DKB	Jun 18, 2006 @ 20:13:31

GOOD--NOT GREAT--POLITICAL DRAMA
Aside from a good (indeed, career making) effort from Broderick Crawford, it's hard to see why this film about a southern politician's rise to the governor's office has received such critical acclaim. (It was the Best Picture of 1949.) Crawford goes from an idealistic half-educated novice to a cynical whisky swilling pol who will commit blackmail ( and perhaps even murder!) to stay in power. Both the novel and the movie were assumed to be based on the career of Louisiana'a Huey Long. John Ireland (an actor born to play Richard Nixon) and Mercedes McCambridge as Crawford's hard-bitten, mannish chief of staff head up a decent supporting cast. On just about everybody's list of the best political films. OK, it's good--just not THAT good.

Overrated, alas
DKB's right about this one. It's didactic, simplistic and overcontrolled. Mercedes McCambridge is the one asset as the sort of Greek chorus, feeding us the cynical running commentary on the proceedings. She's the only thing in the movie that feels real. She reminds me of another cynical career woman thrust by her own complicity into corrupt Americana--Patricia Neal in Elia Kazan's 'A Face in the Crowd', a more astute movie along the same lines. Director Rossen directed only 11 movies, but had a remarkable track record that includes several acknowledged classics, including this 1949 film as well as "Body and Soul,' 'The Brave Bulls,' Alexander the Great', and 'The Hustler.' His best two are his last two--'The Hustler' and 'Lilith.' The latter is his loosest in execution and mood, and is my favorite. A comparison between this '...King's Men' and the 2006 remake might be in order at some point. ** All the King's Men (1949) reviewd 2006, Kevin Rayburn

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