Sunday, June 06, 2021
The Best Man
- Commentary: This movie was originally listed in the post Movies I've Seen, Do Not Own but Can't Forget. Now I own it. First, let me append what I wrote when I was wishing to add this movie to my collection:
Temporarily "Out of Stock" and pricey, as of this writing on 5/8/2021.
Not Available for check out through local library system.
I have this thing for politically realistic stories and this is one of the most politically realistic plays/movies in existence. Bravo to Gore Vidal. Bravo to Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson. The ending is clearly too idealistic to play out in real political life, at this time, anyway, and at almost any previous time, but I think of this movie during every election season (which, unfortunately, is all the time, in the U.S., now) and wonder, does anyone remember this movie? Have any of the hopefuls watched it? Does it, yet and finally, mean anything positive to any one of them? Some day I hope to be able to answer, unequivocally, yes.
There. That's done. More later.
This film included scads of actors playing bit, often named, parts. It is, after all, a film about a presidential convention and reflects the enormity of people and the bedlam of such an event. My Actor/Role table reflects only those actors who are likely to appear in another film in my collection.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Henry Fonda William Russell Cliff Robertson Joe Cantwell Edie Adams Mabel Cantwell Margaret Leighton Alice Russell Shelley Berman Sheldon Bascomb Lee Tracy Art Hockstader Ann Sothern Sue Ellen Gamadge Gene Raymond Don Cantwell Kevin McCarthy Dick Jensen John Henry Faulk Governor T.T. Claypoole Gore Vidal Senator at Convention Mahalia Jackson Herself
Here's The Wikipedia write-up on this movie.
Release Date: 1964
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner.
Labels: henry-fonda, political5, presidential
