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DVD Advise and Consent
Otto Preminger expanded his vision in the 1960s with a whole series of ambitious, expansive dramas with huge casts and big themes. Advise and Consent, an examination of deal making, party politics, and congressional diplomacy in Washington's legislative halls (based on the novel by Allen Drury), is one of his best. Preminger broke the blacklist with his previous film, Exodus, and it rings through in this drama about a controversial nominee for secretary of state (a confident, stately Henry Fonda) accused of being a Communist. The nomination process becomes the center ring of the political circus, with fidgety accuser Burgess Meredith in the spotlight; devious, silver-tongued Charles Laughton cracking the whip as a southern senator with a grudge against Fonda; and party whip Walter Pidgeon lining up votes behind the scenes. Arm twisting and diplomatic hardball turns to perjury and blackmail, and a melodramatic twist gives this lesson in party politics a salacious soap opera dimension. Preminger's style has been hailed as "objective," but it's really a matter of attentiveness: he gives all the character their due and their say, eschewing heroes and villains for an exploration of people clashing over opposing goals. In fact, the weakest elements of the film are the unscrupulous populist senator played by George Grizzard and the badly dated caricatures that populate a notorious underground club. The video preserves the handsome widescreen black-and-white photography, keeping Preminger's careful and measured editing intact. --Sean Axmaker
This film features an all-star cast and was a real event when it opened in the 1960s. The acting in the film is uniformly excellent, as one might expect with such a distinguished cast.
This is the story of a president who nominates a very controversial individual for the office of Secretary of State. The nominee, one "Robert A. Leffingwell," is suspected by conservatives of being further to the Left than he openly acknowledges. In fact, it is suspected that the president has nominated Leffingwell as the opening move in what will be a policy of appeasement towards the Soviets (remember: this was the 1960s).
The film follows the novel of the same name upon which it is based pretty faithfully, with one major exception. In the novel, Robert A. Leffingwell was a bad guy and pretty much a communist (small "c"). Here, (played by Henry Fonda, so of course he cannot be a bad guy) Leffingwell is a good guy, albeit Left of center, but someone who only flirted with communism for a short time, in his youth. Here, Leffingwell's lies to the Senate were motivated by the "noble" purpose of avoiding McCarthyistic persecution and blacklisting for what is portrayed as nothing but a youthful intellectual indiscretion. That is, of course, Hollywood, which always hates McCarthyists more than Communists.
The film's portrayal of gay people is unfortunate, but typical of 1960-era attitudes, I suppose. Here the film dates itself.
This is an intellectual film, which will engage those who are interested in politics and the operations of the American government. But there is enough drama to engage everyone; this is no dry political yarn. Some reviewers have compared this film unfavorably to the Drury novel. I disagree. The Drury novel is somewhat satirical (for example, the Left-wing peace organization is hilariously called "COMFORT" -- Committee On Making Further Offers for a Russian Truce). This film is deadly serious with no humorous component. This is a drama. The ending is unforgettable.
This is a splendid film, and a wonderful but tragic story. The acting is superb, and makes up for much of the somewhat slow and deliberate storyline. Walter Pidgeon is absolutely perfect as Senator Robert Munson, the Majority Leader. Charles Laughton turns in his usual stellar performance as Senator Seab Cooley. Don Murray absolutely becomes Senator Brigham Anderson, the central player in this drama. All of the other members of this cast are superb. George Grizzard, as the villain of the story, Senator Van Ackerman, in particular totally embodies his character, and almost seems to walk out of the novel and into the film. One cannot say enough good things about the performances that each member of this cast turns in.
The DVD itself is of flawless quality. I watched it on my 19 inch LCD TV on a progressive scan DVD player. The print is crisp, clear, and without noise. They did an excellent job transferring this film onto DVD.
Overall, this is a keeper to which the thoughtful viewer will return from time to time.
Advise and Consent
ADVISE AND CONSENT, Otto Preminger's political potboiler from 1962, is salvaged by a deep cast of talented performers, all hitting their marks and some, I'm sorry to say, rising above the movie.
President Franchot Tone nominates old friend Henry Fonda to be Secretary of State. Majority leader Walter Pidgeon, a loyal soldier, supports the President's nomination. A special Senate foreign relations committee, chaired by Senator Don Murray, convenes to vet the nominee. Codgy old Senator Charles Laughton, from South Carolina, opposes the nomination. He's an old foe of Hank Fonda. Feisty young firebrand Senator George Grizzard supports the nominee, and will go to great lengths - any length, actually - to assure Senate consent. Everyone's got a feud going with someone and just about everyone's got a skeleton or two in the closet.
This one's a lot more melodramatic soap opera than gripping political drama, although Pidgeon, Laughton, and a couple others keep it grounded and relatively entertaining. Professor Drew Casper gives a very well organized and thorough commentary, detailing the history of the Allen Drury best-seller this movie is drawn from, background on Preminger and a fairly complete breakdown of the Preminger Style - the way Preminger gives star entrances to his stars, his preference for location above studio sets in the interest of realism, his preference for two-shots as opposed to reaction shots (it allows the audience to make up their own mind), etc. I have to admit I enjoyed Casper's commentary track quite a bit more than I enjoyed the movie. A tepid endorsement for ADVISE AND CONSENT.
Behind closed doors revelation of government
Under the deft guidance of venerable director Otto Preminger and an all star cast, "Advise and Consent", based on an Alan Drury novel gives us an unfettered seldom seen view of the machinations of Washington politics.
An assertive and ailing president played by Franchot Tone is trying to push through the confirmation of his nominee for Secretary of State Robert Leffingwell. Leffingwell, an intellectual is played by Henry Fonda. Senate majority leader Munson played superbly by Walter Pidgeon is being used by the president to strong arm support for Fonda among his colleagues. The opposition is led by South Carolina senator Cooley played by acting nonpareil Charles Laughton in his final role before his death. Laughton still believing in the chivalrous and cavalier ways of the old South is vehemently opposed to the nomination. It seems that Fonda, as a student, sat in on some meetings with leanings toward Communism. In these Cold War times, such a background was unthinkable for a potential secretary of state.
Humble and even tempered Vice president Harley Hudson played nicely by Lew Ayres is strangely being left out of the loop in the confirmation battle. A Senate subcommittee is formed to investigate Fonda and is lead by a young Don Murray playing Utah senator Brig Anderson who is being backed by Laughton. The always terrific Burgess Meredith is brought in as a witness to smear Fonda exposing his Communist affiliations.
These revelations start the wheels turning for the behind the scenes intrigue. Tone fearing his demise desperately wants to place Fonda as a man who will continue his policies. Dirty politics rears its head as Laughton digs up dirt on Fonda and Murray, the head of committee is threatened with the exposure of a homosexual affair in his past.
The superbly acted movie ambles towards its conclusion which will ultimately make these actions an exercise in futility. Excellent performances in supporting roles are turned in by Peter Lawford, Betty White and veteran character actors Paul Ford and Edward Andrews.
This silky smooth film noir pits gruff police detective Dana Andrews, stiff and blunt in his street-bred manners, against a cultured columnist and acidic wit (Clifton Webb at his prissiest) in a battle of wits during a murder investigation. The cop is a romantic hiding under a hard-boiled exterior who falls in love with the beautiful victim through the portrait that hangs in her apartment. Gene Tierney, whose heart-shaped face mixes the exotic with the girl next door, brings the poise and calm of a model to her role as the object of every man's gaze and the target of a killer. Laura, handsomely shot in dreamy black and white, is the first and best of Otto Preminger's cool, controlled murder mysteries. In the gritty world of film noir it remains the most refined and elegant example... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gene Tierney - Dana Andrews Director(s): Rouben Mamoulian - Otto Preminger DVD Release Date: Released the 15 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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One of the first Hollywood films to deal openly with white racism toward Japanese Americans during World War II, this drama directed by 1950s action maestro John Sturges (The Great Escape) stars Spencer Tracy as a one-armed stranger named MacReedy, who arrives in the tiny town of Black Rock on a hot day in 1945. Seeking a hotel room and the whereabouts of an ethnic Japanese farmer named Komoko, MacReedy runs smack into a wall of hostility that escalates into serious threats. In time it becomes apparent that Komoko has been murdered by a local, racist chieftain, Reno Smith (Robert Ryan), who also plans on dispensing with MacReedy. Tracy's hero is forced to fight his way past Smith's goons (among them Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin) and sundry allies (Anne Francis) to keep alive,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Spencer Tracy - Robert Ryan Director(s): John Sturges DVD Release Date: Released the 10 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky (Marty) sinks his satirical fangs into this story of an American naval officer (James Garner) selected to be the first victim at the invasion of Normandy. Julie Andrews plays a prim, British war widow who falls for him. Cynical in tone, the story becomes an interesting collision of manipulative interests and renewed life, the same formula that worked so well in Chayefsky's scripts for Network and Hospital. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): James Garner - Julie Andrews - Melvyn Douglas Director(s): Arthur Hiller DVD Release Date: Released the 10 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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John Wayne personally produced many of his '50s films, which is why some of them have languished in corporate limbo following his death. The High and the Mighty was one of his most popular vehicles (no pun intended). This long, necessarily sedentary drama aboard an endangered airliner is a CinemaScope bridge between 1932's Grand Hotel and 1970s disaster movies. Despite Wayne's iconic presence as a pilot--now copilot--who survived the plane crash that wiped out his family, it's an ensemble movie with an impressive cast: Robert Stack sharing the cockpit, Oscar® nominees Claire Trevor and Jan Sterling, Laraine Day, Robert Newton, Paul Kelly, John Qualen, Regis Toomey, the ubiquitous Paul Fix, and director William A. Wellman's good-luck character actor Douglas Fowley.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): John Wayne - Claire Trevor - Laraine Day Director(s): William A. Wellman DVD Release Date: Released the 02 August 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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More timely now, perhaps, than when it was first released in 1957, Elia Kazan's overheated political melodrama explores the dangerous manipulative power of pop culture. It exposes the underside of Capra-corn populism, as exemplified in the optimistic fable of grassroots punditry Meet John Doe. In Kazan's account, scripted by Budd Schulberg, the common-man pontificator (Andy Griffith) is no Gary Cooper-style aw-shucks paragon. Promoted to national fame as a folksy TV idol by radio producer Patricia Neal, Griffith's Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes turns out to be a megalomaniacal rat bastard. The film turns apocalyptic as Rhodes exploits his power to sway the masses, helping to elect a reactionary presidential candidate. The parodies of television commercials and opinion polling were cutting... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Andy Griffith - Patricia Neal Director(s): Elia Kazan DVD Release Date: Released the 10 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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