George Wallace

In many ways Wallace was a reprehensible man so a three hour film of his rather infamous life should be a struggle to get through, that its not is almost wholly because it has such a high quality cast.

Clarence Williams III offers quiet support in the difficult role of Wallace's long time servant and the many familiar faces that are in support all are fine in their various roles. The real spotlight is on the three main characters and its here that the film really delivers.

Mare Winningham is both strong and soft as Lurleen Wallace standing by her man who is devoted to her. Their relationship does much to humanize Wallace. Angelina Jolie, during the very brief period of her career spent in TV, is equally strong as Cornelia Wallace showing that she was more than the trophy wife she was sometimes painted. Even with all this excellent work the film would be nothing without a knockout lead actor and Gary Sinise is that. He is totally committed to the character whether showing his bigotry or his humanity, a splendid piece of work. Frankenheimer's direction is sure handed keeping the interest level high as he moves through a most complicated man's life.

A Fine Emmy Winning Portrayal by Gary Sinise as Gov. George Wallace the Opportunist Southern Politician that let His Ambitions Corrupt His Principles and later "Saw the Light".

A Good Supporting Cast helps the proceedings and Solid Directing from Frankenheimer, who doesn't let Style intrude on the Story and tells it Matter of "Fact". Relying on Stock Footage to set the Mood and Tone, the Story of Wallace and His Influence on Politics and Society is Interesting.

It might Lack the Impact that His Racists Proclamations had on Blacks and Hateful Whites, He never did get the Implications of His Influence until it was Too Late and much Damage had been done.

Wallace is shown On Screen Contemplating these things now and then. But He never seems to realize what He had Wrought and only in the End does He come to grips with the Guilt and Truth.

Overall, it's a Long TV-Movie, originally shown over Two Nights and does seem a bit Shallow in Stretches and has Difficulties Maintaining a Profound and Consistent Message. But Overall, the some of the parts and the Acting make it a Good Study of the Man and His Time in and out of Power.

More than simply showing a part of history, "George Wallace" shows how a person - in this case a white supremacist - can change. In the title role, Gary Sinise does as intense a job as ever. Seeing what Wallace does early in his career, you're horrified, but you don't really grow to hate the guy (granted, you don't admire him either). Another interesting performance in the movie is a very young Angelina Jolie as Wallace's second wife Cornelia.

In conclusion, I don't know how good most of John Frankenheimer's movies have been, but this one is definitely worth seeing. Also starring Mare Winningham, Clarence Williams III and Joe Don Baker.

Sinise's portrayal of Wallace is astonishing, but I was most impressed by Mare Winningham's perfect performance as Lurleen. Like any Southerner, I'm more than accustomed to actors' ham-handed, mangled versions of Southern intonation and dialect, but Winningham was amazing. She BECAME Lurleen Wallace. At times you can be fooled into thinking that Winningham is lip-synching over an archival recording of Lurleen's speeches. Everything about her performance is superb.

George Wallace is a wonderful piece of cinema portraying the life of the politician who became Governor of the state of Alabama. The film starts with a campaign and ends with repentance, showing how suffering can change a man. Intertwined with news features from the time and capturing moments like the Selma march and Martin Luther King and his "dream" speech, the film portrays life in this turbulent period of American history to perfection. For lovers of political dramas this is an excellent film, starring the excellent Gary Sinise as Wallace for which he won an Emmy and directed by John Frankenheimer. The film also stars Angelina Jolie and Joe Don Baker.