Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"C'mon in! Don't just stand there!", July 30, 2002
Talk about an all-star cast: when Otto Preminger brought Allan Drury's epic study of a Senate confirmation of a morally ambiguous nominee for Secretary of State, he got just about everyone in Hollywood to participate. Though the best roles go to Charles Laughton as a manipulative (but intensely likeable) South Carolina senator and Franchot Tone as the tortured President, not everyone got so lucky; the novel had so many characters that some big actors (like Gene Tierney, wasted as a Washington hostess) are pretty much trapped in throwaway roles. Preminger was pretty progressive by Hollywood standards, and so the Senate he depicts is remarkably diverse, with senators of many ethnic backgrounds. There's a great cameo (the film's standout moment) from Betty White, who, as a shrewd Kansas senator, trounces George Grizzard, the despicable Senator Van Ackerman (from Wyoming, of course, so as to offend the least number of audience members possible) in open debate on the Senate floor. Preminger was really daring (for the time) in his willingness to tackle the subject of the blackmail of homosexuals in the film. It should be said, however, that the film's notorious depiction of a gay bar (the first Hollywood film to do so openly since the institution of the Hays code) as a nightmarish cesspool of vice, where the fat effeminate bartender hysterically beckons in the horrified Don Murray (see my title), probably did more to keep gay men in the closet in the Sixties than anything Hollywood ever did.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Defanged but still worthwhile, September 28, 2001
Otto Preminger's film version of Allen Drury's classic political novel was quite the event in 1962 but today, it all seems quite tame. Both the film and novel deal with the political intrigues surrounding the nomination of Robert Leffingwell to be Secretary of State. Drury's deeply cynical novel drew its power through its complex characterizations and its then shocking portrait of an American government dominated by self-interest and hypocricy. Preminger, in his film version, actually tones down the novel but, on the whole, sticks to Drury's basic vision. The film does a pretty good job of establishing the many different conflicts and subplots that swirl around Leffingwell's nomination but the film's characters are never quite as vibrant as they are in Drury's novel. As a director, Preminger usually alternated between being excessively lurid or courageously honest. Here, perhaps intimidated by the scope of the film, Preminger's direction is sadly stodgy and, if not for several fine perfomances, the film's pace would probably be too draggy for most viewers. As well, in today's times, much of the film's controversy seems rather dated. We're no longer shocked to see the President presented as a devious power broker or to find out that a Senator is secretly homosexual. However, in 1962, these were truly bold statements to make. The film has been rightfully criticized for its trashy portrayal of homosexuals (with the prerequisite decadent sax blaring when closeted Don Murray desperately runs from one gay tiki bar to another) but at the same time, its also one of the few films of that era in which a gay character is presented sympathetically and certainly Preminger made a strong statement, for the time, by casting clean-cut, Mormon Murray in the role as opposed to the typically shifty people usually given such parts.That said, this is a film that will entertain political junkies. The portrayal of the workings of the U.S. Senate are fairly realistic and the storyline is nicely complex and doesn't reduce the issues to the typical black-and-white issues of most overtly political films. The cast is literally all-star with Henry Fonda and Charles Laughton as the two big names. Both actors are actually a bit disappointing. As Leffingwell, Fonda is in full wise man mode and as such, comes across as a bit of a bore. As a Southern Senator, Laughton goes overboard and his fake accent is overdone even by the standards of most fake Southern accents. However, the lesser stars in the cast all turn in finely tuned performances -- even if it is a little bit jarring to see Betty White sitting in the U.S. Senate. Already in decline, former leading man Franchot Tone is almost painfully believable as the dying President while Lew Ayres makes the perfect likeable but lightweight Vice President. Walter Pidgeon, as the Senate majority leader, conveys the man's overall benevolence while still remaining a credible power player. As womanizer Lafe Smith, Peter Lawford at times seems to be channelling more of his famous brother-in-law than '60s audiences would have liked to admit while Burgess Meredith is both pathetic and heart-rendering as an unstable former communist who accuses Leffingwell of being a subversive. Its impossible, for me at least, to read Drury's novel without picturing Don Murray as tormented Brig Anderson, so powerfully does Murray inhabit the role. However, the best performance goes to one of the more unsung members of the cast. As Sen. Fred Van Ackerman, character actor George Grizzard perfectly embodies the man's evil blandness and creates a character who is actually much more menacing the more hysterical portrait presented by Drury in his original novel and its sequels. In short, this is not a perfect film. However, despite its flaws, it should still hold a lot of interest for political junkies or anyone who wants a chance to see some unheralded actors give some really outstanding ensemble performances.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Granddaddy Of Political Movies!, December 11, 2001
This ultra-realistic 1962 drama of the goings-on in Washington, D.C. must rank as one of the best films of its type ever made. It's a lengthy one (2 hrs., 19 min.), but it never gets dry. The many veteran actors assembled to comprise this cast see to that. The roster includes Henry Fonda, Franchot Tone, Charles Laughton, Lew Ayres, Walter Pidgeon, and Burgess Meredith! There's also Don Murray, who probably gets more screen time here than anyone else. And I think Murray shines bright in his role as the senator with a deep, dark secret! Pidgeon is also particularly convincing in this film. This was Mr. Laughton's final motion picture. If you've never seen Advise & Consent ..... then get it today! It's a thoroughly engrossing and powerful movie experience!
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