Customer Reviews

All the King's Men

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are certain subjects that films in general and Hollywood in particular never handled very well--and chief among them are politics. But even some fifty years after it first hit theatre screens, ALL THE KING'S MEN still has plenty of power. Filmed in a "noir" style and based on the famous novel which was in turn based loosely on the rise and fall of Louisiana's Huey P. Long, the film offers the story of Willie Stark, a small-town lawyer who is nominated for govenor by a political party seeking to defeat their opponet by dividing the rural vote. When Willie gets wise to the plot he turns on his false benefactors and rockets to political power--but once in power the honest small-town-joe becomes even more corrupt than those who sought to manipulate him for their own gain.

Broderick Crawford justly earned an Oscar for his performance as Willie Stark, whose ego and thirst for power grows to horrific proportions--and whose corruption gradually taints even the most honorable people around him. The supporting cast of John Ireland, Joanne Dru, Anne Seymour, and Walter Burke (to name but a few) is also quite good. But the real knockout here is actress Mercedes McCambridge as Willie Stark's hard-edged assistant and sometimes lover; it is an astonishing performance which, in spite of its supporting status, remains locked in mind long after the film ends, a role for which McCambridge won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress.

The script doesn't really do full justice to Warren's novel, the film is a bit slow to start, and the story itself feels a bit dry in the telling--but the performances and numerous memorable scenes carry it through to tremendous effect. ALL THE KING'S MEN is so explicit in its portrait of how corrupt politicians manipulate the public that it should be required viewing for every one of voting age. Recommended.

I'm not much for political movies and thrillers, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this old classic still packs a considerable punch. Based on the life of Huey Long, it chronicles the rise to power of an obscure but ambitious backwoods Louisiana lawyer, Willie Stark, who initially seems to stand for honesty and reform in contrast to the entrenched and corrupt political machine he is fighting, which is determined to defeat him at all costs, rightly perceiving an honest man as a threat to everything they stand for.

Stark triumphs, however, and we watch as he himself takes on the trappings of official power, which he takes to like a duck to water. Stark builds new schools and colleges, hospitals for the poor, improves the roads, and seems to be everything the common man could hope for in a champion and leader. But there is a darker side to Stark, as he himself ultimately becomes assimilated by the corrupt machine he sought to topple and reform, and evidence surfaces that he has not only tolerated and even fostered corruption himself but was possibly involved in the murder of an innocent man who dared to challenge his authority. In the end, we see Stark using the same means and ends to further his power and to hold it at all costs that his enemies used against him at the very beginning of his career.

The movie raises the question as to whether Stark was really any different from the corrupt cronies he replaced, and the schools and hospitals he built just monuments to his ego and arrogance, or whether he was a good man who ultimately went bad in his quest and thirst for power. The question is left open for the viewer to decide, as Stark's career comes to a sudden and tragic end during a campaign where he's fighting for his political survival after he's finally implicated in the murder of the innocent man.

Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, and Mercedes McCambridge are really superb in their roles, and the movie is shot in dark, film noir style, which helps create an appropriately dark, conspiratorial mood and ambience. Overall, still a great movie and as I said, one that still packs a considerable punch and continues to be relevant today in its message about the dangers of demogogues and the abuse of raw, unchecked, political power.

This film is a fascinating study of the political process. It depicts the rise and fall of a Huey Long-like character, from his idealized beginning to his slow descent into corruption, alcoholism, blackmail and greed. Broderick Crawford gives the performance of a lifetime as Willie Stark, his powerful screen presence makes us at first admire his character, then we slowly start feeling bad for him, but at the same time scares and ultimately we get to pity this man that was corrupted by the system. Assured direction by Robert Rossen and a superb script keep the film moving at a steady pace. Also an amazing supporting cast of which Mercedes McCambridge stands out as Stark's tough-as-nails assistant. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 7!

select group of actors who peak early in their career. In his case it is 1949, he won an Oscar, & never again got close. Eventually Crawford moved to the small screen where we,of a certain age, remember him on "Highway Patrol". But his best was better than most. His character, in All the King's Men, is Willie Stark, an idealistic, honest, populist politician bucking the system. He is also ambitious & seeing his opportunity, seizes it. His greed, lust for power & ego run amok & turn him into the very thing he had fought against only worse. He corrodes everything & everybody he touches & comes to a fitting end a 'la Huey Long, the man on which the film & presumably the book were loosely based. Highly recommended for all who like this style of political noir or junkies.

All the King's Men is a wonderful movie about the corrupting effect of politics. It is a little abrupt in its transitions and glosses over the honest man becoming a demogogue to a great extent but it is still a brave and true film in having the guts to portray a system that leaves no character unmuddied. There are no heroes in this movie. It is not just about power corrupting but also about how appealing power can be to people in its vicinity. It turns strong men into toadies and women into, well let's just say it's in the Bible and Babylon had one. The script and direction by Robert Rossen are both very effective. There are also good performances by most of the actors, particulary Broderick Crawford. The stand out, though, is the stunning portrait by Mercedes McCambridge who allows the standard character of the fast talkin' dame to seeth with anger under her sharp tongue. There is more pain and defiance when she looks in a mirror that the other actors manage throughout the entire movie. A film that is still true and still powerful. It is the portrait of someone who kept his ambition on the outside where now a politician keeps it on the inside but it is the same ambition.

"All The King's Men" is the political melodrama that swept the Oscars and made actor, Broderick Crawford a household name. Pity that in the intervening decades he's all but been forgotten. Crawford is Willie Stark - an honest man butting heads in the political arena until he finally gets his chance to rule when he sweeps the every man's election. Too bad for Willie that the power goes to his head. John Ireland costars as the reporter who wants so desperately to believe in Willie that he's willing to overlook the slow spiral out of control. Mercedes McCambridge is a publicist with only greed in her heart and poison on her mind. John Derek is cast as Willie's son - the tragic victim of his father's scaling to great heights.
TRANSFER: Somewhat of a disappointment. Though the gray scale is reasonably well balanced though at times the contrast levels seem to be a shade too low. A lot of wear and tear has gone into this film's original camera negative. Scratches and age related blemishes are glaringly obvious. Some sections of the print appear to have been lifted from third generation masters instead of the film's original camera negative. There are moments when aliasing and pixelization crop up but these don't terribly distract. The audio is MONO but nicely balanced.
EXTRAS: NOT A CHANCE!
BOTTOM LINE: The drama is compelling. If you can get through all the surface issues with regards to the print elements, then you are in for a very stirring film.

You know what I really appreciated about this political story? The filmmakers went overboard NOT to paint the main character as either a Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal. It winds up, then, being more a human-interest story. In other words, there was no political agenda....unlike most films, especially in the last 50 years.
At any rate, Broderick Crawford does an outstanding job portraying the self- proclaimed "hick" Willie Starks, who rises from nothing to become governor of a state and then gets carried away with power and ego.
Mercedes McCambridge is equally riveting as one of his aides. She was a great actress, one of the most intense females I've ever seen on film. I'm sorry she didn't achieve stardom and make more movies than she did. She certainly had the talent. In fact, she won an Academy Award for this performance.
John Ireland also does very well here as another person helping "Willie." Add some good cinematography and you have a fascinating film start-to-finish. I look forward to viewing it again, especially since it's offered on DVD with a good transfer.

It astonishes me to see that the spectators of this film don't value them beyond three stars. I think that it is a rare and exceptional movie, and that if people not appreciates it is because he has the taste spoiled by the special effects and the bad screenplays of the cinema of today. But this movie is for real adults. No matter if it is in white and black: it rather seems to me that it enforces his dramatism and quality. And in Spain we have extra- cinematographical reasons to think so right now,, because there is a politic man that seems an exact copy of the governor Stark including an astonishing physical resemblance so he seems a brother of Broderick Crawford. This man is doing exactly that what Stark does at the screen, and uses identical methods. The extension of Spain is as a medium size state of America, and of course, her economic power, a toy industry compared with the USA. But the background seems very close for not to say identical. Our government seems don't know how to stop his activities, because people votes him, and if not, he buys anyone. Scarcely one week "All the King's Men" has been issued by one of the governmental spanish TV channels. I think that it has been timely and not casual. Real life is frequently unpleasant, and perhaps for that we prefer to see absurdities and evasion movies, but from time to time, it worth value to return to see good, excellent cinema. This film is one of the better, but best quality is not for all.

Undoubtedly this is one the greatest films about the politic corruption filmed in any age . A superb script a magnificent cast : Broderick Crawford gave the role of his life and Mercedes Mc Cambridge too won deservedly an Academy Award for this picture.
One of the giant American films and to me the masterpiece of Robert Rosen.

All the Kings Men starts off with an "honest" man, Willie Stark, running for the office of County Treasurer. He then catches the eye of the campaign manager of the candidate that is running for the Senate. The manager persuades Willie Stark to run for the Senate also, even though there is "no chance" for Willie to win. Willie has no clue that it is a set up. Willie runs for office claiming he is against all the tactics the other candidates are for that drive them to seek office, but as the movie unfolds, Willie uses these very same tactics to get what he wants. One of the obvious aspects of this movie is the actual personality of Willie. He starts out as an honest man just wanting to truly help the people. As he is influenced by power and money, however, he takes on the persona of those he dislikes the most in politics. Willie finds himself doing the same things that he finds so distasteful. There is also the irony of Willie Stark wanting to help people in political office. Throughout the movie, Willie begins putting himself first. He becomes a heavy drinker, where he did not drink before. He becomes an adulterer, when it is apparent his wife sacrificed for him and actually encouraged him and prodded him to go to the finest law school. He actually caused his own sons paralist by angering him to the point that his son agrees to play football just because the crowd was booing him. It doesn't seem to matter who Willie steps on or who he hurts to achieve his goals. Ann Stanton is another interesting character in this movie. We often see an imposing picture of her father, who appears to be the persona of the truthful person. Her brother is a doctor, who heals people. Her uncle is a judge, who strives to do what is right. Even with all of these positive influences surrounding her, she turns against her family and does what ever she feels will help Willie Stark the most. Even after her uncle commits suicide, she continues to see Willie Stark against her brothers intense displeasure. Its as if she closes her eyes to the cruel side of Willie Stark. In the end, she loses it all, even Willie Stark. Willie Stark never does really seem to get it. Even though he uses his power to step on people and even destroy them, he seems truly surprised whe Dr. Stanton shoots him. Its as if Willie, himself, is beleiving what he is telling the citizens. In conclusion, All the Kings Men show how you can take the most honest of men, with a desire to help others, and corrupt them to the point that their whole personality changes. This movie also shows how power and money can corrupt others as well. It shows us how people can see the obvious, yet close their eyes to truths, and to believe what they want to believe because they are driven by the power of greed.