Advise & Consent (1962)
In case you don’t know, when a President recommends a candidate for his cabinet, the candidate has to endure a grueling vetting process by a Senate committee. Then the Senate votes to approve him or her, and if approved, the Senate moves to “advise and consent” the candidate. With that knowledge, you’ll be correct if you assume the film Advise & Consent is about a Senate investigation committee’s interview with a candidate for Secretary of State.
As usual, Otto Preminger has created an enormously edgy film. His work includes The Man with the Golden Arm, Hurry Sundown, and Anatomy of a Murder, and in all his films, he pushes the boundaries of what was allowed to be shown on the screen. He has a talent for bringing out the very best in his actors, and as usual, you can recognize his style by the opening credits.
In Advise & Consent, Franchot Tone plays the President of the United States. I’ve always seen a superior air around him, so it seemed completely natural for him to be in such a position of power. Franchot, Walter Pidgeon, Charles Laughton, and Lew Ayres (the vice president) all acted like veteran politicians, well-versed in the backroom deals. None of them seemed like they were reciting lines; they were all living and breathing their parts. Walter Pidgeon is the lead—even though Henry Fonda gets first billing—and is the glue between those in the Senate. Charles Laughton is the suspicious Southern opposition leader, and even if you don’t agree with what he’s saying, you can appreciate his cunningness. Believe it or not, even though Henry Fonda is the candidate, he’s hardly in the movie! Since I don’t really happen to like him, I didn’t mind his small role.
Even though the film is sixty years old, it feels like you’re watching a real Senate hearing during modern times. Not much has changed in the political world, and Otto has captured the tone perfectly. Senators talk over one another and don’t pay attention to the on-record speeches, instead focusing on the off-record count of votes before it comes time to put it to paper. Blackmail, secrets, and favors run rampant. Don Murray, an honest politician, believes he’s holier than those around him. President Franchot personally asks him for a favor, saying, “perhaps there’s nothing in your young life you’d like to conceal, but the rest of us aren’t that fortunate.”
In addition to the realistic political tone of the film, I love the camaraderie between the cast. Many of them had acted together in movies decades earlier, and the chemistry of a long and colorful history shows through on the screen. Franchot Tone and Charles Laughton were in Mutiny on the Bounty. Walter Pidgeon and Peter Lawford made two 1940s films together. Pidge and Franchot could talk over old times when they made movies with Jean Harlow. Gene Tierney made her film debut in a Henry Fonda western. Lew Ayres and Burgess Meredith were in Of Mice and Men in 1939. Don Murray is the newcomer, as he should be. The rest of them are a bunch of old cronies with thirty-year-old stories to swap over dinner. They know where the bodies are buried, and the audience can feel it.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Stefani Holl" for posting!
More Charles Laughton movies here!
More Gene Tierney movies here!
As usual, Otto Preminger has created an enormously edgy film. His work includes The Man with the Golden Arm, Hurry Sundown, and Anatomy of a Murder, and in all his films, he pushes the boundaries of what was allowed to be shown on the screen. He has a talent for bringing out the very best in his actors, and as usual, you can recognize his style by the opening credits.
In Advise & Consent, Franchot Tone plays the President of the United States. I’ve always seen a superior air around him, so it seemed completely natural for him to be in such a position of power. Franchot, Walter Pidgeon, Charles Laughton, and Lew Ayres (the vice president) all acted like veteran politicians, well-versed in the backroom deals. None of them seemed like they were reciting lines; they were all living and breathing their parts. Walter Pidgeon is the lead—even though Henry Fonda gets first billing—and is the glue between those in the Senate. Charles Laughton is the suspicious Southern opposition leader, and even if you don’t agree with what he’s saying, you can appreciate his cunningness. Believe it or not, even though Henry Fonda is the candidate, he’s hardly in the movie! Since I don’t really happen to like him, I didn’t mind his small role.
Even though the film is sixty years old, it feels like you’re watching a real Senate hearing during modern times. Not much has changed in the political world, and Otto has captured the tone perfectly. Senators talk over one another and don’t pay attention to the on-record speeches, instead focusing on the off-record count of votes before it comes time to put it to paper. Blackmail, secrets, and favors run rampant. Don Murray, an honest politician, believes he’s holier than those around him. President Franchot personally asks him for a favor, saying, “perhaps there’s nothing in your young life you’d like to conceal, but the rest of us aren’t that fortunate.”
In addition to the realistic political tone of the film, I love the camaraderie between the cast. Many of them had acted together in movies decades earlier, and the chemistry of a long and colorful history shows through on the screen. Franchot Tone and Charles Laughton were in Mutiny on the Bounty. Walter Pidgeon and Peter Lawford made two 1940s films together. Pidge and Franchot could talk over old times when they made movies with Jean Harlow. Gene Tierney made her film debut in a Henry Fonda western. Lew Ayres and Burgess Meredith were in Of Mice and Men in 1939. Don Murray is the newcomer, as he should be. The rest of them are a bunch of old cronies with thirty-year-old stories to swap over dinner. They know where the bodies are buried, and the audience can feel it.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Stefani Holl" for posting!
More Charles Laughton movies here!
More Gene Tierney movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Dramatic Screenplay of 1962
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director: Otto Preminger
Best Supporting Actor: Charles Laughton