Marie: justice criminelle

In case you've never heard of Marie Ragghianti, she escaped an abusive marriage and went to work for a firm, only to discover some unsavory things about it. In the movie "Marie", Sissy Spacek plays her as well as can be expected. However, I would agree with a previous reviewer that the movie sort of uses her as a conduit to tell the story, and otherwise seems incomplete.

But overall, they do a pretty good job showing how Marie was finally able to make something of herself, only to be faced with the dilemma of maintaining this position or blowing the whistle. Maybe not exactly a masterpiece, but certainly worth seeing. Also starring Jeff Daniels and Morgan Freeman.

Uninteresting vehicle for Sissy Spacek, an adaptation of the book "Marie: A True Story" by Peter Maas (the biographer of Frank Serpico), concerns divorced single mother Marie Ragghianti, who was fired from her job as chairman of the Tennessee Board of Pardons and Paroles in 1977 after refusing to release certain convicts (all rotten and threatening for effect) whose pardons were the result of bribes going back to the governor (similarly rotten). Ragghianti sees the corruption, understands its origins, and is tempted to go along with it for the sake of her job, but eventually has to take a stand for justice. Sally Field's Oscar-winning performance in 1979's "Norma Rae" provided a much-needed boost for actresses looking for substantial roles in 1980s cinema; however, by 1985, audiences had cooled on female stars such as Spacek, Field, Jessica Lange and Meryl Streep all taking noble stances on-screen for the sake of audience empathy (and prestige). Nothing in "Marie" rings true, not Spacek's relationships with her co-workers, her troubles with doctors over her sick son, nor her humble beginnings as an undereducated and abused housewife (the actor playing Spacek's bad-tempered husband looks about 10 years younger than the actress). The writing is vapid, Francis Lai's music is 'heart tugging' in the worst sense, and Roger Donaldson's direction is scattershot, with artificial details dotting the scenario. Fred Thompson plays himself as Marie's attorney, and is the only cast member to successfully overcome the phony dramatics. ** from ****

This was a great thriller, and is especially timely today, with all the corruption and lawbreaking at the top of government,

But I disagree with Michael Morrison when he says that Ray Blanton ended his governorship the way President Clinton ended his presidency. I've seen the movie twice, and have researched Blanton. The truth is, Blanton was a very corrupt official who did very little for his constituents and did not care about upholding the law or about the people who elected him. Unless everything I've read about Blanton, and saw in the film, was incorrect, Mr. Morrison is wrong. The truth is, Blanton left office in disgrace, with a dismal record as governor. Among those who remember him, he holds very little respect. In fact, even though The Tennessee State Constitution was amended in 1978 to allow Blanton and future Tennessee governors to succeed themselves. he did not run for reelection. In fact, due to the controversy surrounding his administration and lack of respect the public felt about him, it was very unlikely he would have been renominated, let alone reelected, had he chosen to run.

So Mr. Morrison observations are 180 degrees wrong.

As far as the movie, itself, is concerned, the story is strong. I was actually getting hot under the collar watching the corruption going on, even though it was only a movie. Spissy Spacek's performance as Marie Ragghianti made me genuinely feel the frustration of being in a position where she has to choose between siding with the law and your citizens or siding with a corrupt government official (who will abuse his power and authority in order to put you down if you don't join his side). This is true testimony to her acting skills.

Fred Thompson plays himself in this film; a skillful performance which led to his eventual full-time career as an actor. As a real life politician, himself, he skillfully is able to draw on his personal experience to bring certain depth to both his role here and subsequent acting roles he carried.

Although the situation in Tennesee, back in the 1970s, doesn't come close to the level of corruption today, at the Federal level, it does serve as an excellent morality tale of what can and, indeed, has happened. It's a bite size version of the bigger story that is going on today.

Marie Ragghianti (Sissy Spacek) has enough of her abusive husband. She leaves him taking her three children back home to Tennessee. In 1973, she goes back to school. She gets a job from former classmate Eddie Sisk (Jeff Daniels). The head of the parole board, Charles Traughber (Morgan Freeman), is uncooperative. Bill Thompson is an unscrupulous operator behind the scenes. Sisk tells her to release a prisoner for the sake of a contributor to the Governor. He surprises her by making her the new chairman expecting more cooperation.

Sissy Spacek is great. I kinda remember this story from the news. Jeff Daniels is also great as something more than his normal nice guy. The ending is a little bland. The courtroom has some nice turns but the tension flattens out. More could have been done with Kevin's character. This is a compelling true story with some good acting.

This movie is based on a true story, a story that is, in fact, much worse than is portrayed here.

The governor of Tennessee, Ray Blanton, must rank as the worst the state ever had and, as a son of Tennessee, let me tell you that is really saying something.

Not to spoil the movie, let me add that Bill Clinton ended his presidency much as did Blanton end his governorship. That fact is sort of hinted at by the movie, but Blanton's governorship was so rife with corruption, with members of his family and his friends and allies living and profiting at the expense of the taxpayers, one movie cannot do the story justice. It would take at least a miniseries to tell the whole tale.

This movie, though, makes a good stab at part of the story, the part played by the title character, Marie. Sissy Spacek does her usual good job as Marie, displaying not only her own mature beauty but an admirable emotional range as both the put-upon government employee and the concerned mother.

Fred Thompson ... well, there are not enough superlatives in my limited vocabulary to express all my admiration and respect for him. He is a fine actor, and he was one of the greatest U.S. senators ever to represent the usually misrepresented state of Tennessee. Certainly the two there now (2004) don't begin to be big enough to fill his shoes, nor do they remotely resemble him in moral stature, intelligence, or knowledge of the Constitution. Well, he is better off back in acting, but it is a serious loss to good government that Fred Thompson decided not to seek re-election.

I'm tempted to say, too, that any movie with John Cullum is a movie to see, if only to watch his scenes. What a superb actor, what a major talent he is. His big scene in "1776" just steals that movie, to name merely one.

Not to slight any other person in this excellent cast, but I have gone on long enough. They are excellent.

I will carp about three things: Some of the expository dialog was trite and silly, especially the character Kevin's last scene. The courtroom scene was missing something. I believe if I had been on the jury, I'd have voted differently simply because the evidence was not presented well enough. (One can understand Sen. Arlen Specter {more-or-less-R.- Pa.} and his "not proved" impeachment vote.)

And why was Bill Sanderson not cast in this? He is a marvelous actor, could probably have handled beautifully almost any role, and besides he is from Tennessee. And he is usually in Spacek's movies. Too bad, for us and for him.

Still, I'm glad I finally got to see "Marie." The story is important, and the movie is extremely well done.

One more quibble: A very well-known Edmund Burke quote is used several times, but in an odd paraphrase. Not inappropriate, but jarring because of the different phrasing. Never mind. This is a good movie, and I hope everyone sees it.