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Warm Springs

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One of the first questions I asked about Warm Springs, HBO's biopic of Franklin D. Roosevelt was how did Kenneth Branagh get his legs to look like a polio victim? If it's makeup it's amazing, and if it's digital photography it's even more amazing. But kudos should also be given to the wonderful Branagh, who as a Brit., transforms himself into the ill-stricken president with consummate ease.

Rather than focus on Roosevelt's political life, Warm Springs chooses instead to deal with his valiant fight to overcome the effects of polio, dealing with his life from 1920 to 1928. It's a valiant and stirring production with an insightful teleplay, a stellar cast, and a superb director that coalesces it all to bring forth a rich and inspirational film.

The year is 1921 and Roosevelt then thirty-nine, attends a summer camp for boy scouts. He washes his face with some contaminated water, contracting polio, a disease that rarely struck adults. It left him with paralyzed legs and little hope for the future. With a small glimmer of hope, he traveled to a rundown resort in rural Georgia for a possible cure from exercise in a pool filled by the warm mineral waters.

There, among the rural poor and other people with crippling disabilities, in what must have seemed like a completely different universe, FDR discovers his own humanity. It is this humanity and his innate sympathy for the common man that helps shape his democratic leanings.

Although the power of the warm springs never rehabilitated Roosevelt, or gave him the "miracle" cure, the positive energy that emanated from the other polio survivors gave the man a new lease on life. He ended up being instrumental in the conversion of Warm Springs from a backwater hellhole to a streamlined, ultra-efficiently managed polio-treatment center, a mecca for hundreds of thousands of others who had been crippled by the debilitating illness.

Kenneth Branagh gives a towering performance as Roosevelt, showing him as a fighter, who hides, dreams and, with the help of a few others, regains the will to be a political leader. More than that, he is convincing as, bit by bit, the inexperienced, self absorbed and somewhat philandering patrician gives way to a man of uncommon passion and heightened sensitivity.

Cynthia Nixon is also good as Eleanor Roosevelt, who broadens her own horizons and conquers her own fears. She proves herself to be a loyal and faithful wife, even when Franklin asks her whether she can really have a happy life with him being so crippled.

The supporting players are also strong with Jane Alexander playing as his over-protective and snobbish mother Sara; David Paymer as his crusty chief aide Louis Howe; Kathy Bates as his no-nonsense physical therapist Helena Mahoney; and Tim Blake Nelson as Tom Loyless, the man in charge of Warm Springs.

Warm Springs embraces the complexity of the situation by simultaneously approaching the story from personal, social, medical, and even political perspectives. And the film cleverly avoids the saccharine and overly sentimental. The intelligent and carefully scripted dialogue is both revealing and thought provoking. The set design is remarkably faithful to the period, and the costumes are beautifully recreated.

Perhaps Warm Springs is most significant for showing us how Roosevelt removed the stigma of polio from the public consciousness, forever abolishing the misguided notions that the disease adversely affected the brain, that it could be spread merely by physical contact, or that it represented some kind of moral punishment for the "sins" of the victim. But this fine film is also significant for showing how one man could beat all the odds and go on to become one of the United States of America's greatest presidents. Mike Leonard September 05.

Sometimes refered to as that charming cripple in the White House, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was many things to many people. He was a strong leader as evidenced by winning the presidency four times, a friendly voice as evidenced by countless radio broadcasts called "fireside chats" but first and foremost, he was a man of great determination as evidenced by the splendid HBO Production, "Warm Springs." Other reviews on this thread credit the wonderful cast and crew of "Warm Springs" so rather then repeat much that's already been said, let me say thanks to HBO for having the courage to produce such a moving and inspirational chapter of our history. F.D.R. was called many things during his life, a socialist, a political opportunist, even a traitor to his class for the federal programs he initiated such as rural electrification, a government insured banking system and social security. Viewing the HBO production "Warm Springs," will help you understand why F.D.R. was also known as a humanist.

WARM SPRINGS is one of the finest films ever produced by HBO and clearly belongs on the theatrical screens. But until that happens the news of the release of the DVD should allow those who missed this phenomenal film to feel greeted with well-earned joy.

Writer Margaret Nagle and Director Joseph Sargent have created an isolated time in the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the inception of his polio at age 39 and the treatment of his impairment at Warm Springs, Georgia, and use this potential tragedy to demonstrate how a man of means and high political aspirations was humbled by a debilitating disease only to find healing and consolation at the hands of 'the common people', a change in his priorities that marked his popular success as a President who inherited the leadership of a country devastated by depression and war.

Kenneth Branagh is superlative as FDR, finding just the right amount of bravado and churlishness and womanizing while continuing to be the man of great potential and a loving husband to Eleanor (a surprisingly terrific Cynthia Nixon). His overbearing mother Sara Delano Roosevelt (Jane Alexander who is still remembered as a perfect 'Eleanor' in the older 'Franklin and Eleanor') tries her best to belittle Eleanor, only to enhance Eleanor's blossoming into the world respected, humanistic First Lady she became.

But much of the action is aptly placed at the healing resort of Warm Springs, a run down hot springs operated by Tom Loyless (Tim Blake Nelson) and the place where Helena Mahoney (Kathy Bates) nursed FDR back to health. The importance of this spot grows through the film and through FDR's life and in the end it is the beneficiary of his estate.

Watching Branagh tumble from political barnstormer to reluctant patient to humanized President is a heartwarming venture. His supporting cast is excellent - Bates, Nixon, Alexander, Nelson as well as David Paymer, Deborah Calloway Duke, Danny Connell, and many others. The direction by Joseph Sargent is one of simplicity, purity of purpose, and highly respectful of his story and his view of history. This is an important film. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, June 05

He was already rich, but before he became famous, FDR, at the start of his political career, was struck with polio. This is common knowledge today. What is not known, and truly should be, is the struggle he undertook first to cope with, then to master, the disability that would ordinarily have torpedoed his career. Generally underappreciated as an actor, Kenneth Branagh, turns in a brilliant performance in his portrayal of an FDR never really glimpsed before - broken, bitter, depressed, then increasingly hopeful and courageous, and finally, triumphant. Toward the end of this movie, when asked if polio has changed her husband, Eleanor as acted by Cynthia Nixon smiles and says emphatically, "Oh yes... it has."

An argument can be made that polio made Roosevelt. His quest to walk again brought him into contact with people he would never have otherwise met. Good people of all races, classes, and age. It opened his eyes to the needs of his countrymen, and made him as compassionate as any wildly successful politician can be. Franklin and Eleanor, though their marriage was far from perfect, grew together into America's first power couple. No longer the arrogant, detached rich boy, he went on to become one of America's greatest presidents in one of America's most trying eras, and she one of America's most influential women. Nearly 60 years later, their legacy is generally ignored. Watch this inspiring, beautifully made movie and you will never forget them.

This production was excellent from the standpoint of exploring the little known period of rehabilitation of FDR from the affliction of polio. Branagh is (as ever) spell-binding in his portrayal of FDR. The roles for Eleanor and FDR's mother, Sara, were either not well written or not well directed (I'm not sure which). The story seemed to play a bit footloose with a few facts of which I am aware. These being:
1.Ms Mercer's affair with the former president is portrayed as being a 'passing' dalience when in truth it lasted clear until his death with Ms Mercer at his side. So it was a significant factor in FDR and Eleanor's marital relationship.
2. Eleanor learned of the affair when unpacking FDR's suitcase and came across several letters from Ms Mercer. At that time, Eleanor demanded that FDR either end the affair or leave, which is a more contentious interaction than what the HBO presentation provides. The script has self-sacrificing Eleanor offering FDR his freedom.
3. The domineering aspect of FDR's mother, Sara, is alluded to, but not substantially portrayed. Again, going back to the affair, Sara threatened her son with disinheritance if he did not end the affair, while the presentation showed her to be disapproving, but not seemingly too distressed by the interaction.

I realize that the movie was focusing on the convalescence, however, in glossing over these familial interactions and their subsequent wounds and scars, it does a disservice to the marital relationship. At times, the film gets a bit of a 'Little House on the Prairie' feel to it. The script was obviously written as a centerpiece for Branagh, but the women's roles come off as way too flat and uninteresting. I think that more could have been done.

I've been a Kenneth Branagh fan for years. (I always struggle with the spelling.) I watched him make his feature directorial debut in Henry V and thought, "This man is destined for greatness." He was young, talented and had great vision and drive. He had been solid in Fortunes of War before that and interesting in Dead Again after. I loved his labor of joy in Much Ado About Nothing; but, unfortunately, I hated his interest in the macabre in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I have watched him go from project to project through the years, evidently trying to find his creative self or the right part. Some of them were worthless roles - like Dr. Loveless in Wild, Wild, West; some were thankless - like Professor Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Even his role as Shackleton in the A&E miniseries by that name somehow didn't quite ring true. Then Warm Springs came along about a forty-something Franklin Delano Roosevelt: a part that seemed to be made for him - and he filled it perfectly.

If his portrayal of FDR isn't his best performance to date, it has to be one of his top two or three. He's magnificent. I felt I was watching Roosevelt himself. The role is full of the ups and downs of a good dramatic piece, with his character going from youthful joy, to tragic despair, to newfound optimism, to blind determination, back to joyful victory. He shows a broad range of life experiences in that one role, and pulls it off beautifully.

Franklin starts off as a wealthy politician with the world at his feet, totally oblivious to the feelings or circumstances of others, including his wife. He then discovers he has polio - infantile paralysis - and his life is thrown into a tailspin. After a bout with self-pity, he agrees to check himself into an obscure and run-down health spa in Warm Springs, Georgia - the other side of nowhere for a man of his background. It takes a lot to humble him, to get him to care for others and to start believing in his own recovery - but he finally makes the transition, with the help of the goodhearted proprietor of Warm Springs, Tom Loyless, played touchingly by Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother, Where Art Thou). He's also bolstered in his quest by the handicapped residents of the spa, many of whom came there because they knew he was there. Before long, they've become one big happy family, with most of the residents on the road to recovery, and Roosevelt turning the failing spa into a successful enterprise. Unfortunately, his own recovery is not so successful, and he must face a future confined to a wheelchair.

The film does not show FDR's presidency; but we are given to understand that what he accomplished at Warm Springs - his attempts at recovery, which helped build his character; his desire to connect with people, which he learned from the other handicapped residents; and his success at turning the Warm Springs spa around - all helped prepare him for his life's greatest challenge: the office of president of the United States. Even though he tried to keep his handicap a secret from the American people through four terms of office, he never lost his heart for the less fortunate, and fought for them throughout the Great Depression and World War II.

I actually got to be in this film and talk with Kenneth Branagh briefly. He seemed very much a man of the people, humble in spirit, in spite of his background - just as Roosevelt became through his tortured journey. I'm not saying Branagh has necessarily suffered as Roosevelt did; but his performance seems to testify to an empathy that could only have come from going through a place similar to Roosevelt's. I think Kenneth Branagh, director Joseph Sargent and writer Margaret Nagle have given us a very special gift in this film, and I don't think you'll ever think of FDR or Branagh in the same way again.

There are other remarkable performances as well, most notably Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) as Eleanor, and Kathy Bates (About Schmidt) as Helena Mahoney, an innovative physical therapist and friend. Director Sargent has done a superb job utilizing the actual locations of FDR's experiences in Warm Springs, Atlanta and surrounding environs. The entire production is a masterpiece, and very worthy of the sixteen Emmy's it's been nominated for.

Waitsel Smith

It won the Emmy for Best Movie and if it had been released in theatres it would have won Best Picture. This film is up there with The Best Years of Our Lives and To Kill a Mockingbird. To tell the true story of FDR's polio and reveal the extent of his disability in todays mixed up world reminds us what true courage really is. The film tells the story of Franklin and Eleanor going on unlikely journeys far from their safe world of Hyde Park. Franklin must face the fact he is a paraplegic at Warm Springs in the backwoods of Georgia surrounded by poverty and racism the likes of which he had never imagined. Eleanor, too must find her identity without her husband. Their parallel journeys brings them back together as real friends. All the actors are brilliant. Kenneth Branagh channels the turmoil of a man who has lost his morings. Cynthia Nixon captures the deep pain of Eleanor. Tim Blake Nelson, Kathy Bates, David Paymer and Jane Alexander round out this brilliant cast. Great for all ages.

Kenneth Branagh is brilliant. Cynthia Nixon, less so, but convincing. Wonderfully filmed. How FDR came to terms with his polio is an inspiration. I would like to believe that 2006 is a more inclusive period in history in which people see 'difference' and not 'disability', but I think the record is mixed. I have read a lot about FDR. Conrad Black's FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT: CHAMPION OF FREEDOM is a recent one-volume biography which I would heartily recommend, as well as this film.

I saw this movie on HBO and I can't wait to get it on DVD. I ordered one for my grandmother also as FDR was her favorite president. I know that she will love it too! The movie is very moving. FDR is brilliantly played by Kenneth Branagh (Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in the Harry Potter movies). FDR was so sympathetic to others less fortunate than himself, whether they had polio or were just extremely impoverished. Also, it really shows how strong his wife Eleanor was -- played by Cynthia Nixon (Sex in the City.) The actors in this movie ALL did an amazing job. This is an unbelievably interesting movie on FDR's pre-president days. Don't hesitate! You WILL love this movie!

I don't know anything about Franklin Roosevelt, but I found this film very interesting because at the beginning we see him just starting his rise in politics and he came off, to me at least, as a shallow, self-centered politician who cared nothing about the people. Then he gets polio, looses use of his legs, hides away deep inside himself behind booze and self-pity with no plans except to slowly rot away.

One day he receives a fateful letter from a gentleman in Georgia who operates a resort called Warm Springs. The waters of the springs are supposed to have a healing effect. With nothing else better to do Roosevelt goes. Warm Springs is located in a poor area and it's here that Roosevelt meets the true America for the first time. I have no idea how factual any of this is but it a great story.

I was impressed by all of the performances but especially by Cynthia Nixon as Eleanor Roosevelt. If the real Eleanor was truly as caring as she was portrayed here then Franklin was a lucky man.