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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
John Frankenheimer's follow-up to The Manchurian Candidate is as intimate and subdued as its predecessor is flamboyant and energetic. Burt Lancaster is calm and calculating as the steely-eyed military hawk General Scott, who opposes the president's (Fredric March) plan to end the cold war with a bold nuclear disarmament plan. Lancaster's longtime friend and frequent costar Kirk Douglas is his smiling, joking right-hand man, Colonel "Jiggs" Casey, whose easygoing manner is jolted by evidence of a possible plot to overthrow the American government. Scripted by Rod Serling from the novel by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey, the film plays much like a classic live TV drama (the medium that spawned both Frankenheimer and Serling), with the drama arising from conversations and confrontations and the action largely limited to scenes within the Pentagon and the White House. An ominous undercurrent of danger seeps through the realistic (and often real) settings of the film, conveyed chiefly through the intensity of the excellent ensemble performances. Notable among the supporting cast are Ava Gardner as a lonely Washington socialite who was once the general's mistress, Edmond O'Brien as an amiable alcoholic senator, Martin Balsam as the president's shrewd but skeptical secretary, and underrated character actor George Macready as the wily presidential advisor. --Sean Axmaker
Product Description
The story of an attempt to overthrow the United States government by military coup.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 13-MAY-2003
Media Type: DVD
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 13-MAY-2003
Media Type: DVD
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
103 of 105 people found the following review helpful
By JLind555
Format:VHS Tape
"Seven Days in May" was a so-so book that John Frankenheimer turned into an absolutely brilliant movie. It's an excellent cold-war drama, made at a time when tension between this country and the Soviet Union was at boiling point. At the center of the story is President Jordan Lyman, a well-meaning, somewhat naive chief executive who has pushed through a nuclear disarmament treaty with the Soviets, which most of the country, and all of the military, fear the Soviets have no intention of honoring. The stage is set for a political confrontation between the president's supporters, who feel they must back him whatever their private apprehensions, and his opponents, who fear he is selling the country out. Enter at this point a career soldier with political ambitions, General James Scott, who plans to put his enormous popularity to work in devising a scheme that he thinks will save his country, which is nothing less than a military plot to overthrow the government. However, loose lips can sink a ship, and a few chance words reach the ears of Colonel Jiggs Casey, a Marine torn between his loyalty to his general, General Scott, and his commander in chief, president Lyman. What makes a good soldier, and what makes a true patriot? That is the dilemma Casey has to come to grips with as he realizes that the clock is ticking, the plot is underway, and there are less than seven days left before something very big goes down.
The movie has minimal action and a lot of dialogue, but the tension is maintained nicely throughout, and the acting is uniformly excellent.... Read more ›
The movie has minimal action and a lot of dialogue, but the tension is maintained nicely throughout, and the acting is uniformly excellent.... Read more ›
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful
By James L.
Format:VHS Tape
There were a number of excellent political thrillers in the Sixties, and Seven Days in May is one of the best. Fredric March stars as the President who is trying to push through a nuclear disarmament treaty, but he is meeting a lot of resistance. Chief among them is General Burt Lancaster, who has decided to take over the government to continue building America's military. Lancaster has developed an elaborate plan for his takeover, but his assistant, Kirk Douglas, has been left out. When Douglas begins to suspect something, the tension starts to rise. The plot sounds incredible, yet as written by the great Rod Serling and directed by John Frankenheimer, it is only too believable. The performances are all top notch by the stars, while Ava Gardner as Lancaster's former mistress and Edmond O'Brien as an alcoholic senator supporting the treaty shine in supporting roles. This is a smart movie that will take you back to a time not long ago when the Cold War had paralyzed the world. This is the kind of intelligent, tense thriller I wish we could see more of these days.
48 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"Seven Days in May" is a gripping political drama surrounding efforts of an American President to eliminate stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the midst of the cold war. He is opposed by a demagogic army general (B. Lancaster), whose chief of staff is a marine colonel (K. Douglas).
Tactile suspense develops as clues about behind the scenes military activities pop up here and there that lead one to guess that plans are in effect that could undermine the basic principles of self-government upon which the US Constitution is based.
Tensions of the cold war years are presented and preserved in this film, filmed and presented in black and white. As you watch this film you will notice that the special effects are not what they are today (there are few of them, anyway), since the center of this movie is philosophical rather than a visceral viewing experience. And that's fine...you will, regardless, find yourself drawn into the story as the plans of the primary protagonist (the president), and his antagonist (the army general) face off.
This is top-notch drama. The most important figure in the film is Douglas, who is caught between loyalty to his superior officer and his loyalty to the constitution and to his country. This film explores gray areas...come along for the ride.
This is the sort of film that makes you wonder if this kind of event may actually have taken place.
While this film is excellent, it may not be for everyone. If you are someone who must have non-stop action, explosions (a la "The Terminator" etc.), then this film is NOT for you. If you are a thoughtful viewer though, you will thoroughly enjoy this gripping film.
5 stars all the way for the story, character development, acting, and dramatic suspense.
... Read more ›18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
IN A NUTSHELL:
This is an absolutely compelling Cold War fable which dramatizes what might have happened had the President adopted a disarmament treaty which threatened the security of the United States in the minds of many Conservatives, including the military.
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT:
A popular Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Scott [Burt Lancaster] is not about to comply with the terms of a seemingly-disasterous nuclear disarmament treaty. Scott is willing to take immediate action to prevent this from happening and has enlisted a wide variety of "patriots" to assist him in his "conspiracy to overthrow the government". But who are they?
One of Scott's aides and a close friend, Colonel Martin "Jiggs" Casey [Kirk Douglas], discovers hints of a possible plot and brings them to the attention of the President, Jordan Lyman (Fredric March), a "liberal" who Scott later accuses of being a "criminally weak sister".
The film is all about getting solid evidence of a conspiracy, acting on it in a political/legal manner, and avoiding a military coup, which seems imminent throughout the film. How this is averted is what the film is all about. The idea of civilian control is dramatized, emphasized, and re-emphasized through a number characters and scenes. Colonel Casey's repeated assertion that once the decision has been made [by the civilian authority], "we have to go along with it" (despite the widely held view in the Pentagon that the treaty is not a good one), is lucidly presented throughout the film.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
This is a terrific film that emphasizes dialogue and a thought-provoking plot over action. Rod Serling's characterizations are powerful and reminiscent of the Twilight Zone which he also created.... Read more ›
This is an absolutely compelling Cold War fable which dramatizes what might have happened had the President adopted a disarmament treaty which threatened the security of the United States in the minds of many Conservatives, including the military.
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT:
A popular Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Scott [Burt Lancaster] is not about to comply with the terms of a seemingly-disasterous nuclear disarmament treaty. Scott is willing to take immediate action to prevent this from happening and has enlisted a wide variety of "patriots" to assist him in his "conspiracy to overthrow the government". But who are they?
One of Scott's aides and a close friend, Colonel Martin "Jiggs" Casey [Kirk Douglas], discovers hints of a possible plot and brings them to the attention of the President, Jordan Lyman (Fredric March), a "liberal" who Scott later accuses of being a "criminally weak sister".
The film is all about getting solid evidence of a conspiracy, acting on it in a political/legal manner, and avoiding a military coup, which seems imminent throughout the film. How this is averted is what the film is all about. The idea of civilian control is dramatized, emphasized, and re-emphasized through a number characters and scenes. Colonel Casey's repeated assertion that once the decision has been made [by the civilian authority], "we have to go along with it" (despite the widely held view in the Pentagon that the treaty is not a good one), is lucidly presented throughout the film.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
This is a terrific film that emphasizes dialogue and a thought-provoking plot over action. Rod Serling's characterizations are powerful and reminiscent of the Twilight Zone which he also created.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Movie.
Great movie on of the best of all times, great acting and a great story all combine for a great movie.
Published 6 days ago by James Dellinger
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lancaster's second best for me
Only Elmer Gentry beats the performance hear. This reminds me of Alexander Haige and Dick Chenney must have watched this numerous times to fashion their subversive moves to obtain... Read more
Published 21 days ago by Michael J. Harris
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cold War Drama at its best
Tense political drama with an incredible cast of both leading and supporting actors which withstands the test of time. As relevant today as it was when it was made.
Published 21 days ago by Jay Shuman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lancaster and Douglas again, and even better
This is the classic military knows best story, and Lancaster is brilliant as the megalomaniacal general who sees the move toward nuclear disarmament as weak. Read more
Published 24 days ago by K. E. Rayne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless !
Ask yourselves This One Q what have we witnessed in the last 10 years ? Now Our Congress Senate and te president are controlled by Whom !
Published 25 days ago by Ironman Irishman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rod Serling is great!
Rod Serling wrote the script. Burt Lancaster is the villain. And it's shot in beautiful black and white. One of the greatest cautionary tales of all time! Read more
Published 29 days ago by Joseph Grau
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still a good movie
This movie plot (an unauthorized take-over of the US Government) is still alive and well today. A very good movie.
Published 1 month ago by TucsonRich
5.0 out of 5 stars
A what if movie
Great cast great movie with a screen play written by a local hero, Rod Sterling. With my sense of history, I felt that the President should have had more of Truman in him than say... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reminds me of the Bible
The movie reminds me of the story found in the Bible of Satan who waged a war against the government of God and was cast out. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Kowalewski
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still a relevant film.
Superb film-- over a half-century since it was released and it still fascinates and resonates with possibilities. The cast cannot be topped!
Published 1 month ago by JHB-4
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