Advise & Consent

With the election of John F. Kennedy, in 1960, Hollywood took a heightened interest in politics, and the behind-the-scenes drama of lawmaking. Allen Drury's massive novel of wheeling and dealing, "Advise and Consent", was a natural choice for the big screen, and under the sure direction of legendary Otto Preminger, a classic 'political thriller' was born.

The premise, the nomination of a controversial new Secretary of State, and the actions of the President and Congress to help or hinder his approval, is still a remarkably timely issue, over forty years later, and it is surprising how little things have actually changed. With Henry Fonda as the nominee, you'd expect that he'd be the 'good guy' of the tale, but when he lies under oath (even for the best of reasons), Preminger makes it clear that in politics, as in life, there is little that can easily be divided into 'black' and 'white'.

Certainly, there are recognizable historic figures in the cast, under different names. The most obvious is skirt-chasing Sen. Lafe Smith, a thinly-disguised JFK, himself, who cut quite a social path prior to marrying Jackie (and afterward, too, as the years have revealed). That his real-life brother-in-law, Peter Lawford, plays the role, is a grand piece of 'tongue-in-cheek' casting (as is Gene Tierney, one of Kennedy's early 'conquests', as a Washington social maven). One character has become even more fascinating, since the film's release; wily South Carolina Sen. Seabright Cooley (a brilliant Charles Laughton, in his final role), was said to have been based on Illinois' legendary Everett Dirksen, but in a real-life parallel, South Carolina produced a 'real' Sea Cooley, in the amazing Strom Thurmond! The 'Who-Is-Who?' aspect aside, the film is populated with many fascinating characters, from wise and sympathetic Senate Majority Leader Robert Munson (Walter Pigeon, in one of his finest later roles), and his 'right-hand man', Senate Majority Whip Stanley Danta (Paul Ford, also wonderful), to the Minority opposition, headed by the perfectly-cast Will Geer. Women, who were finally achieving greater political status, aren't as well-conceived in the film, but are present, with Betty White(!) in a small but visible role.

The key 'players' of the drama, however, are the wily, dying President (screen veteran Franchot Tone, in a terrific 'comeback' role), the enigmatic Vice President (Lew Ayres, another screen legend making a 'comeback'), young, idealistic Sen. Brigham Anderson (Don Murray, who nearly steals the film in his tragic portrayal), and opportunistic Sen. Fred Van Ackerman (George Grizzard, as easily the film's most hiss-able villain!) As with all Preminger films, there is an element of controversy in the story, with homosexuality as the issue addressed. While later film historians have complained that the director fell back into an almost caricatured approach to the gay lifestyle, considering the era the film was produced, and the censorship restrictions of the time, to even mention it was a courageous move, and that Preminger kept this key plot element in the story should be applauded.

"Advise and Consent" may not be the kind of film that will appeal to everyone, but each time I hear Jerry Fielding's stirring opening theme, I find myself drawn back into this ever-fascinating world of Politics and Power, and I think, if you give it a chance, you'll be hooked by it, too! This one is a keeper!

A brilliant adaptation of a known bestseller dealing with politic intrigues and plenty of familiar faces formed by an all-star-cast who gives extraordinary acting . Senate investigation into the President's newly nominated Secretary of State , gives light to a secret from the past , which may not only ruin the candidate , but the President's character as well. Then the USA senate presided by the Vice President (Lew Ayres) at is called upon to confirm the controversial nominee by President (Franchot Tone) for Secretary of State (Henry Fonda) . But the nominee is accused as communist by Herbert Gelman (Burguess Meredith ,in real life, he was himself named an "unfriendly witness" by the House Un-American Activities Committee, which nearly ruined his career and Will Geer, who plays the Senate minority leader, was also blacklisted for refusing to name names before the same Committee) , he testifies against Leffingwell at the latter's confirmation hearing, claiming that the two of them were members of a Communist cell . A Southern Senator (flamboyant acting by Charles Laughton) strongly opposes himself the appointment . Meantime , a senator (Don Murray) is blackmailed (the blackmail attempt is based on the case of Wyoming Senator Lester C. Hunt, who was blackmailed by members of the Republican Party).

Gripping and long movie that contains over-the-top performances, engrossing drama , intrigue , corruption , political events and a special vision of US Senate and its behind-the-scenes Washington . Thought-provoking and stimulating film in which abounds top-drawer acting among the popular stars ; interesting screenplay from Allen Drury bestselling novel wheeling with a suspenseful intrigue about a controversial senator promoted to Secretary of State . When Allen Drury was writing the novel , John F. Kennedy, upon whom the character Senator Lafe Smith was based, was a young Senator with ambitions to be President. When the movie came out Kennedy was President, and Lafe Smith was played by Peter Lawford who was, at that time, married to Kennedy's sister Patricia . Main and support cast are very fine , there abounds magnificent performances as Don Murray , Paul Ford , Walter Pidgeon , Peter Lawford , Gene Tierney , Edward Andrews , Malcolm Atterbury and Franchot Tone , among others . Fascinating interpretation by Charles Laughton at his final movie , easily the most stimulating acting . Furthermore , stands out Henry Fonda who gives an adequate underplaying and the scene-stealing best , George Grizzard . Good production design by Lyle Wheeler , for the scenes taking place inside the US Senate, Columbia dusted off its senate set built for Mr Smith Goes to Washington. Appropriate cinematography in Panavision by Sam Leavitt , though also there is a horrible version being shown in computer-colored . Atmospheric and appropriate musical score by Jerry Fielding .

This engrossing , riveting picture was effective and compellingly directed by Otto Preminger . At the beginning he became a stage director and subsequently a notorious secondary actor . Otto directed several films , nowadays many of them are considered as classic movies . He made ¨Laura¨ that was released in 1944 and Preminger ranked as one of the top directors in the world . He realized all kind of genres as Court drama such as the great success ¨Anatomy of a murder¨, ¨Court martial of Billy Mitchell¨ , Noir film as ¨Laura¨ which made him an A-list director in Hollwyood , ¨Angel Face¨ , ¨Man with a golden arm¨, Religious drama as ¨The Cardinal¨ , Musical as ¨Porgy and Bess¨, ¨Carmen Jones¨ , Western as ¨River with no return¨ and historical as ¨Saint Joan¨, ¨Exodus¨ though also had some flop as ¨Rosebud¨ getting scathing reviews , though with ¨The human factor¨ won him respectful notices . However , his powers began to wane after and by the end of the decade of the 60s he was considered washed-up . ¨Advise and Consent¨ resulted to be one of the his best films . Rating : Better than average , Worthwhile watching .

Peter Bogdanovich once said that "Advise and Consent" is the greatest political film made in America and he could be correct. Preminger's 1962 masterwork is a gripping opus with a outstanding cast, masterly use of widescreen, and beautiful, almost hallucinatory black-and-white photography. Adapted from a novel by Allen Drury by Wendell Mayes, it recounts a US Senate committee's ongoing hearing on a controversial appointment by the President (Franchot Tone) for Secretary of State (Henry Fonda) which leads to a blackmailing of a senator from Utah (Don Murray). While I enjoyed all the performances by the top-notch cast, the stand-out performance, I think, is Charles Laughton's final turn as Senator Cooley from South Carolina, a pudgy, delightfully creepy politician who is resolutely opposed to the nomination and does what he can to stop it. The ending really surprised me, but it is not that injurious to the perceptive & emotional drama at the heart of this immensely satisfying film. Together with "Bunny Lake is Missing" & "Exodus", this is arguably Preminger's best film of 1960s.

The complex story, numerous characters, and sensitive themes would seem to make Allen Drury's "Advise & Consent" a challenging story to film. This is a good adaptation that succeeds in most respects, and it gets about as much out of the material as you could hope for in a couple of hours or so worth of screen time. Otto Preminger seems to have had a good appreciation for the dramatic possibilities, and the fine cast brings the main characters to life believably.

The movie version (more so than the novel) is as much or more about the practicalities of politics than it is about ideology. Some of the political issues themselves were hotly debated topics in the movie's own era, and a couple of them are still topical now, but even they are often secondary to the harsh and often unseemly realities of political power. All of the major characters have their flaws and make mistakes, yet all but a couple of them have some worthwhile characteristics. On its best level, the story is not about winning and losing so much as it is about the ways that political battles affect individual lives and personal character.

There are numerous good performances and some fine casting. Charles Laughton personifies the old-time Senator Cooley, Walter Pigeon (the spell-checker refuses to accept it spelled properly) could not have been better chosen as the Majority Leader, and Henry Fonda is perfect in a challenging role that calls for him to maintain a difficult balance. Even most of the supporting roles are filled well by fine actors like Lew Ayres, Franchot Tone, and Burgess Meredith (who uses his brief screen time very effectively, in a role that must have been quite ironic for him personally).

Naturally, some of the characters and events from the novel had to be omitted or streamlined, but there is still plenty of meat left, even once you discount the Cold War era ideological issues. The personal lives and personal agendas of the characters, the tension between their lives as individuals and their responsibilities as public servants, and the contrast between what they do and what the public sees, all give the movie some extra depth that makes it worthwhile and that gives it meaning that goes well beyond the political issues on the surface.

Advise & Consent is a fascinating look at the inner workings of the United States Senate. I like the exploration of both the formality of proceedings when they are in session and the informality of what can go on behind the scenes. All the back-stabbing and secret deals that we see in the film kept me on my toes. I never knew which way this story was headed, and that's always refreshing. I also find it fascinating that almost 60 years ago they were also dealing with some of the difficulties that come with our two-party system, and had to confront the fact that personal vendettas and pettiness can get in the way of Senators doing what their constituents might actually desire. It's more than a little depressing because it doesn't fill me with much hope for our nation when we are stuck in these troubling times, but at least seeing it played out in a film this way feels informative.

Advise & Consent is a real ensemble piece. There are times when we will follow one character for a few minutes to see the part they would play in this vote, but it never locks in on one person long enough to have a true protagonist. This added to the element of surprise, making it even harder to predict which way the story might go. There were a number of powerful scenes that I loved, and those made up for some of the slower scenes where it felt like we were getting stuck in the tedium of Senate procedures. I did find that the end of the film was a bit too convenient, which made it seem contrived. It's certainly the appropriate Hollywood ending, but in real life it is rare that things would time out as perfectly as we see here. That being said, the story of Advise & Consent is still a good one, and this film feels entertaining and maybe just a little educational at the same time.