Customer Reviews

Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (Amazon.com Exclusive) [VHS]

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

 

 

This movie is informative with fiction added.The suspense of the movie is portrayed by the facts presented. It's the closest thing to what is likely the truth about J.Edgar Hoover's life you'll find---especially given the onslaught of one-sided written and movie attacks on one (Hoover) who gave a great deal more than most to the country he loved. While many did their best to destroy Hoover's reputation in the aftermath of his death,here,Broderick Crawford portrays Hoover as a great American but human--with his own skeletons in the closet (no pun intended) and who made his share of mistakes. The movie also touches on the lives of other great Americans--John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. One sees that they,just as Hoover,were human,made mistakes and had their skeletons just as we all do. (See the movie's version of the Kennedys and Marilyn Monroe). Although much of what we would like to know went to their graves with Hoover,King,the Kennedys and others,this movie is,in many respects,the closest to the truth about Hoover and,to a lesser extent,the Kennedys and King that's been attempted. It will probably anger all who see it,whatever their political slant,to some extent at least,and that fact alone points to the best reason to get this movie and watch it with an open mind.

Casting Broderick Crawford as Hoover was a stroke of genius on the part of the casting director of this film. He's perfect for the part. He brings out the gruffness and arrogance of the character, while simultaneously showing the insecure, low self-esteem inner man that Hoover is portrayed as being.

We see him first as a young idealist, working in the Justice Department, wanting to protect the legal rights of immigrants and fighting the internal corruption of the FBI in the 1920's. Then he becomes the "Top Cop" of the nation and a publicity seeker with the help of Walter Winchell. And finally as an old man jeolously guarding his power and firmly entrenched in the political system. But more importantly, we see the dual nature of his morality: on the one hand, his fastidious approach to sexuality and his ego crushing sensitivity to his own unattractiveness; and on the other hand, his sessions-------bottle in hand--------listening to the sexual encounters on FBI surveillance tapes.

The film is not without humor, however. Look for a scene about disposing of a fly in Hoover's office.

In some ways, a waxworks of a film with actors looking and sounding like famous political leaders, but more importantly a record------part fact, part fiction------of a very complex man, who's personality and inner demons helped to form the concept of justice in the American public's mind from the 1930's until his death.

Talk about absolute power corrupting absolutely. The story of J. Edgar Hoover is the epitome of this saying. Hoover was a young man when he was tabbed to clean up the corrupt and ineffective "Bureau of Investigation" during the Coolidge Administration. His reforms made the FBI the premier law enforcement organization in the world. But over the years---as he came to accumulate information on many public figures, he became entrenched as head of the Bureau which he considered his personal domain. Some say that he "blackmailed" his way into this position, preying on the moral failings of politicians and entertainment people----all very public people with very private failings. The irony of course (as many now suspect), was that Hoover himself was gay----but his public stance on such an issue was quite different---some say hypocritical.

If there is a signficant professional failing--it was that Hoover refused to believe that there was organized crime- instead, he focused after the war on fighting communism, even to the extent of assuming that Civil Rights groups (including Martin Luther King) were communist front organizations. With the impending new Clint Eastwood movie on Hoover, there is renewed attention on the man's life and more attention will be paid on revisiting his actions.

As far as this film, Broderick Crawford is excellent as Hoover and the story told is surprisingly even handed. It was made only five years after Hoover's death--right on the heels of the Watergate Scandal. But the movie does give due credit to Hoover's accomplishments---as well as his failings.

Although the description states "for playback device only", my experience was that this disc would not play in my region 1 player. It did, however, play on my computer using Realplayer. So be advised. The only other disc that ever gave me this problem was a Brazilian "all regions" disc. for a 1977 TV movie, this is surprisingly good. But that's only to say that it exceeds very limited expectations. The movie tries to dish dirt at the same time it also presents a sympathetic view of a defective human in power. The dirt is the same old dirt and they try to downplay it by having characters repeat it as hearsay. They make a point of showing his original office and home, but they are not integrated into the action. Just a flashby of Hoover highpoints, they never create an engaging plot based on the surviving files.

The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover, 1977 film

The story begins with machine guns shooting at targets. Next we see empty rooms. "I know what to do about the files." Hoover died. Can Nixon get those files and use them? No, they shredder does its job. There was fear of "radicals" after WW One. Suspects were rounded up and put in jail, political repression. Young Hoover asked about conditions and was told to go away. Rule 22 was suspended! We see a romantic event; Hoover is suspicious. [Was this a test?] Attorney-General Stone picked him as the successor to the Bureau of Investigations. Hoover promises to reorganize and select personnel on quality (lawyers and accountants). Publicity helps in their crime fighting. Melvin Purvis shot Dillinger, them became a commercial celebrity ("Junior G-Men"). Hoover arrested Karpis, the last member of the Barker gang. Hoover engineered the arrest of Louis Lepke as a Federal prisoner. We see more about his personal life.

FDR assigned subversive investigations to Hoover. Hoover had to be careful about any romantic involvement, or the lack thereof. Earl Warren rounded up Japanese in California and put them into reservations. [Would they get their property back?] Organized crime replaced the small gangs. After the war Communism became the main menace. Hoover gave information to Senator Joseph McCarthy (who bungled the facts). We see the arrest in New York of a wanted man. Hoover gives a tip to his favorite waiter. "Its been taken care of." The election of JFK brought change, RFK became Attorney-General. The Director goes to RFK's office for a meeting. The FBI doesn't recognize Organized Crime. Hoover is well-informed. There is an airline hijacking; the FBI ends it. Hoover wants authority to wiretap M. L. King. Hoover denounces King as a "liar". Anonymous letter writers are traced and punished. RFK sends twenty lawyers to a voter registration project. He finds Hoover napping. One agent is punished for being friendly with an employee.

Hoover talks to a widow about Dillinger. She is friendly towards Hoover. "There are no secrets in Washington." Hoover listens to tape recordings. JFK arrives in Dallas, and is shot. Hoover tells RFK the news. LBJ (like FDR) loved to read about the personal details of his friends and enemies. Hoover is exempted from the mandatory retirement age of 70. Hoover meets with M. L. King. Hoover hits his target. RFK runs for President and goes to Los Angeles. Can a writer smear Hoover and Tolson? The "New Left" became a new target for wiretapping. A man explains how it was done. Is there a trick here? This agent complains about the operations. Giving guns and explosives to radical to create crimes? People demonstrate in Washington. Hoover objects to the "Huston Plan" from Nixon. Will they put it in writing? Will Nixon do something about it?

Nixon orders wiretaps on his staff. "Trust no one?" But can they do that without Hoover? Who is listening? Hoover finds records missing, and learns who turned them over to Nixon. He acts to remove this assistant. Later that night Hoover become ill. Nature decided it is time to retire. What will happen after Hoover? More scandals? The next minutes tell about the resignations of Agnew, Nixon's staff, then Nixon as well. Who or what caused this? [Could it be Hoover's records?]

The best book on Hoover was written by Curt Gentry. This movie is only an introduction to this once powerful man. It doesn't tell about the support from many corporations.

Lets see,how many actors have played the FBI director?Jack Warden(The Kennedys)Bob Hoskins(Nixon),Enrico Colantoni(Kennedys Mini Series)and of course,Leonardo Di Caprio(J Edgar)etc

MR Crawford does the part justice as we look at the life of the FBI head.From his start in the early part of the twentieth century to his death in 1972.

Good cast,Llyod Nolan,Dan Dailey,Juse Ferrer,Celeste Holm,Michael Parks,Rip Torn,Howard Da Silva,June Havoc,John Marley(This time he didnt have a horses head as a costar)etc

Not a bad film.

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I went into this film with somewhat diminished expectations. J. Edgar Hoover's reputation in recent years has been somewhat sullied by our perceptions of what law enforcement should be in this day and age. I was nine years old when Hoover passed in 1972 so I don't have a first hand opinion of the man. My image of Hoover was burnished by the foppish turn of Bob Hoskins in Oliver Stone's excreable "Nixon". Clint Eastwood's new film withstanding, which I have yet to see, director Larry Cohen's depiction of the man to me seems even-handed and sympathetic. Hoover, like all men, was the product of his times. He had preconceived notions of enforcing the law and he utilized it as he saw fit. Early in his career as an F.B.I. attorney he saw the greatest threat to the nation's security to be Communism and to his deathbed he never wavered from this conviction. During the Prohibition when his agents were besieged by thugs with firearms he began employing the tommy gun as a means of keeping the peace. Post World War II when red paranoia was rampant electronic wiretaps and other means of surveillance were used to maintain order or as popular belief goes to keep his position as the nation's "top cop". His tenure spanned eight administrations though the film focuses primarily on his strained relationship with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and a somewhat testy one with the Nixon White House. The film stands and falls on the performance of Broderick Crawford and the power of his turn here recalls his Willie Stark in "All the King's Men". Crawford's Hoover is at once tough and hangdog that you are led throughout to believe that he grasped the nation's top law enforcement agency in his pudgy iron fist. I also liked Michael Parks' take of Bobby Kennedy whose views on civil rights ran counter clockwise to Hoover's. Like any historical film certain liberties are taken, my main gripe would be the film let's Lyndon Johnson off the hook, otherwise it isn't a bad reference point for those who want to know more about the man whose name is emblazoned on a building that was his personal fiefdom for forty-eight years.