Customer Reviews

Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This film produced for TNT in 1995 would deserve attention if only for John Goodman's bravura performance. He is fascinating to watch here. One seldom sees an screen actor (on large or small screen) get to sink his teeth so completely into a character. Leonard Maltin's review above, however, suggests that Goodman IS the sole reason to watch this film. I'd have to disagree. The direction by noted TV director Thomas Schlamme is solid, and the script by Paul Monash is compelling. The sets, lighting and cinematography capture that 30s aura perfectly. And the rest of the cast is fine, particularly Ann Dowd, Anne Heche, Matt Craven, Hoyt Axton and Jeff Perry. Goodman dominates--as well he should--but this is overall a well-acted, serious and intelligent film. It's significant, for instance, that actors like Goodman and Heche are as good here or better as they've been in any number of cinematic releases. We occasionally hear from actors that in this era of big budgets and special effects,the meatier roles are on the small screen. A film like KINGFISH certainly helps prove the point.

First, I'm not a big fan of John Goodman. But I really admire his performance here. I'm impressed with the degree to which he immersed himself into the role of the Kingfish! He captured all the mannerisms, traits, and expressions. I've done extensive research and have watched numerous films on Huey P. Long. At points in this film, John Goodman actually becomes Huey Long!!! Maybe I've now become a fan of Goodman! One of the best films on American politics I've seen--I actually prefer it to Crawford's performance in "All the King's Men."

This film is the best part John Goodman has ever done. The historical part of Huey Long is one of the most colorful in American history of the era. No one could play this part better than John Goodman. As a history buff, this is one of the best portrayals of one of the most interesting politicians in American history.

This is a great movie that should be available on DVD. I don't know why it isn't. John Goodman is an underrated actor. It is also a film that does not over-romanticize Huey Long.

KINGFISH (1995)
directed by Thomas Schlamme
approximately 1 hour 36 minutes

This is a TV movie about the controversial Louisiana populist Huey Long. I believe it was originally produced for TNT. The best part of the movie is John Goodman's performance as the title character. The director, Thomas Schlamme, is best-known for the comedy 'So I Married an Axe Murderer'.

We see more or less everything Long is known for, from his rowdy stump speeches condemning big oil to his behind the scenes deals to amass political strength. We watch his ambitions swell as he goes from the Governorship to the U.S. Senate. With each step, he made more and more enemies. His actions mobilized an anti-Long coalition of business interests and politicians in his home state. There was also a lot of tension within the Democratic Party about Long's potential challenge to FDR. In some ways, Huey Long represents the best and worst aspects of American political savvy, a fact that this movie shows well.

The movie is subtitled "a story of Huey P Long", but there are more than a few stories that have been thrown in for dramatic effect. One of the conflicts in the movie shows the long-married Huey having an affair with a woman named "Aileen Dumont". This woman did not exist in real life, but in the movie she becomes the Louisiana Secretary of State! Also, the movie portrays Huey's brother Earl as a doofus sidekick. While Earl Long may not have been the most intelligent man in politics, he was very quick on his feet and was later elected Governor of Louisiana three times! He was no slouch.

Huey Long was a larger than life individual who led a very interesting life. He was a huckster to some and a messianic figure to others. There are plenty of stories about him from his fans and from his critics. He is not somebody whose story need to be made "more interesting" with imaginary characters or speculation. This is an alright movie with great acting (particularly from Goodman), but if you are interested a somewhat more accurate narrative about the man you should probably see the Life and Assassination of Kingfish with Ed Asner.

Goodman was good in "The Babe" but this film was his best.
I remember seeing it on television when it first came out, but its journey to VHS took forever, and we are yet to see the DVD version (why not?)
As he did with Babe Ruth, Goodman immerses himself in the role and you end up thinking you're really looking at Huey Long.
This is a must-see for anyone with a sense of political history.

This movie was in great condition. I was looking for a DVD of this movie but it seems that it is not available on DVD. I needed a real good tape to create a backup DVD for this movie. Our family was in this movie as extras. It was a fun summer with a great experience.