All the King's Men

Starring:Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek, Mercedes McCambridge, Shepperd Strudwick, Ralph Dumke, Anne Seymour, Katherine Warren, Raymond Greenleaf, Walter Burke, Will Wright, Grandon Rhodes, Phil Tully, H.C. Miller, Pat O'Malley, Reba Waterson, Paul Ford, Bill Wolfe, Frank Wilcox
Director: Robert Rossen
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Writer-director Robert Rossen and character actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge (in her film debut) took home Oscars (for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) for this excellent adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Crawford stars as Willie Stark, a charismatic populist Southern politician (inspired by the real Louisiana Governor Huey Long) who belies his "man of the people" roots as he ruthlessly maneuvers, lies, and deals his way into the halls of power. John Ireland is his right-hand man, Jack Burden, a newsman turned political flack who hangs on to Stark's early idealism even in the face of Stark's most reprehensible acts of corruption. McCambridge is Stark's cool mistress come calculating assistant. The immediacy of the drama is due in part to a documentary-like style, notably in the scenes on the campaign trail where Stark sways crowds with his folksy rhetoric and estimable charm. Joanne Dru and John Derek also costar. Rossen's savage screenplay and firm direction give the film a powerful punch, but it's Crawford's blustery charm and oversized performance that carry the picture. --Sean Axmaker
Average customer rating:
- Well intentioned remake that falls a bit short
- Warmed Over Willie Stark
- Sean Penn was riveting in All the King's Men
- Bayou blues
- WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?
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All the King's Men (Special Edition)
Starring: Sean Penn , Jude Law , Anthony Hopkins , Kate Winslet , and Mark Ruffalo
Director: Steven Zaillian
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000K2UGXO
Release Date: 2006-12-19 |
Amazon.com
Sean Penn gives another powerhouse performance in All the King's Men, leading a topnotch cast in writer-director Steven Zaillian's underrated adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. When you consider that the previous 1949 film version earned well-deserved Academy Awards for director Robert Rossen and actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge, it's no surprise that Zaillian's film was expected to earn similar acclaim, but lukewarm critical reception and disappointing box-office gave it the stigma of a noble failure. And while the film (which moves Warren's story from the Depression-era '30s to the early 1950s) suffers from uneven pacing, partial miscasting, and an occasional lack of dramatic tension, it still qualifies as a first-class production that resonates with the timeless relevance of Warren's piercing political classic. Like Broderick before him, Penn is riveting as Louisiana governor Willie Stark, an upstart political dynamo (freely inspired by controversial real-life Louisiana governor Huey P. Long) whose rise to power is ultimately doomed by corruption and betrayal.
Jude Law costars as political reporter Jack Burden, our firsthand witness to Stark's rise and inevitable fall; his orbit of political insiders includes a corrupt judge (Anthony Hopkins) with a dark secret to hide; a longtime friend (Mark Ruffalo) and former lover (Kate Winslet) who fall victim to Stark's influence; and political staffers (James Gandolfini, Patricia Clarkson) who remain powerless against Stark's ill-fated populist juggernaut. At Sean Penn's request, former child star Jackie Earle Haley (from the original Bad News Bears) makes a welcome return to movies as Willie Stark's quietly intense bodyguard, "Sugar-Boy." Coproduced by Louisiana-born political consultant James Carville, filmed on authentic Louisiana locations and boasting all the stately, luxurious production values of a would-be Oscar contender, All the King's Men clearly benefits from Penn's fiery performance and Zaillian's earnest embrace of Warren's still-potent subject matter. And while the film's shortcomings may have prevented it from achieving unanimous acclaim, this is still a serious, well-crafted drama with much to say about the insidious potential for fascism in America, especially when well-meaning politicians lose their souls to power. --Jeff Shannon
On the DVD
The special features that accompany All the King's Men further demonstrate the film's in-production status as a potential classic. While the "making of" featurette is perfunctory at best, the other featurettes are definitely worthwhile despite Sean Penn's conspicuous absence. In "Shake Hands with the Devil," the film's cast, producer, and writer-director Steven Zaillian discuss the timeless theme of political corruption; "An American Classic" is a concise profile of Robert Penn Warren, paying tribute to the poet and author's literary achievements; and "The Legend and Lore of Huey Long" examines the life and legacy of the still-beloved governor who won the hearts of working-class Louisianans while falling prey to his own ambition. "LA Confidential" is a brief featurette about the film's use of authentic Louisiana locations and the positive effect they had on cast and crew; three deleted scenes were obviously cut from the film for purposes of time, yet offer ample proof of Zaillian's established skill as one of Hollywood's top screenwriters; and the alternate ending extends beyond the film's final shot, with a funeral scene that serves as a melancholy (and ultimately unnecessary) coda to the film's Greek-tragic drama. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Anthony Hopkins star in this riveting story of a humble man's rise to political power and the destructive force of corruption and betrayal that would ultimately unravel his soul, based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Also starring James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo and Patricia Clarkson.
Beyond All The King's Men
The Original |
The Book |
The Soundtrack |
More Political Dramas |
The Films of Sean Penn |
The Films of Anthony Hopkins |
!-- end6pak -->
Stills from All the King's Men (click for larger image)
Customer Reviews:
Well intentioned remake that falls a bit short.......2007-06-14
I'm a big fan of the original version starring Broderick Crawford. Like any remake, if you could combine the best of both versions together you would have the perfect movie. That said, I thought Sean Penn did a good job portraying Willie Stark. But I think he suffers from a script that is mess. I think it was a mistake first of all to move it to the 1950s. Huey Long, who Stark is based on, came to power in the grips of the Great Depression which explains why he built all those roads and bridges and the University and new capital. I think Steven Zaillian tried to be faithful to the book. He included scenes explaining the relationship between Jack Burden and the others at Burden's Landing, but they were choppy. He also doesn't do as good a job explaining Willie Stark before be became the power thirsty man that he turned in to. Patricia Clakrson's character is also wasted in this version. I'm glad the producers included the deleted scenes on the dvd release. They fill in a lot of the gaps and I just can't understand why they were ever left out in the first place. For example, the scenes explain what drove the doctor to shoot Stark. You find out that Tiny planted the seeds. Why was this scene deleted from the theatrial version? One other criticism is that it is difficult at times to understand Penn and some of the dialogue. I almost needed subtitles. Overall, it was a well intentioned effort that just falls a bit short.
Warmed Over Willie Stark.......2007-06-05
The movie didn't have budget enough to do justice to Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men.
The writer-director is new at the game and it shows.
Sean Penn either weighs 240 pounds in the movie or is padded to appear as though he weighs that much. Penn gives a scenery-chewing performance that is so overwrought it unbalances the film. His hairdo puts me in mind of the one Eric Blair AKA George Orwell wore in his heyday.
Trouble is, the hairdo features white sidewalls around the edge. So when Penn as Willie Stark puts on a fedora, as he often does in the film, he is not recognizable as the same Willie Stark sans hat. Its a major gaffe. A more seasoned Director would have found a way around this.
Penn indulges himself in wild gestures even when talking to the person right next to him.
Stark blows his stack throughout the film. The other performances are more low key, so the Willie speeches jar the audience and undo the quieter moments in the film.
The accents. Sean Penn's Willie is impossible to understand for the first third of the film. Jude Law's Jack Burden the reporter, is only a shade off his usual British accent. Not really American. Willie is romancing his woman aide Virginia Clarkson, in addition to his wife, a skater-stripper, and the Judge's daughter. The judge's daughter is played by Kate Winslet. She's an Aussie. The Judge is played by Anthony Hopkins. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) has a thankless role as a political handler. Both Winslet and Hopkins are totally understandable but not particularly Louisiana accented. Patricia Clarkson is FROM New Orleans, but doesn't particularly have an accent.
The screenplay is a mess. There is no time for Willie to actually have the romances with the women. They are only alluded to. What is really missing though is a sense of the crowd, the base of any political film. Willie is never down among them, always above them talking over their heads. You have to hear something representative from the crowd to know what they're thinking. Apart from some sour looks, the film never gives a sense of who the voters are. The film needs to be opened up in the way stage-locked plays often are when converted to movies.
Instead of being a movie about a gargoyle in Louisiana politics, this film instead becomes a story about an insular group of political people infighting and romancing one another. The film lacks the necessary sense of the crowd that brings politics alive.
Sean Penn was riveting in All the King's Men.......2007-05-15
I did not feel inclined to watch this movie because I always look at the starring roles to help me determine if I should bother. The movies of Sean Penn that I had seen on TV never really impressed me. I generally take a helping of salt with the accolades given by Grammy awards or critics, as I have watched so many movies with great ravings only to find them to be plain junk - but not this one! This is one that got few ravings but deserved much more due to the performance of Sean Penn. I rented this film on a whim, took it home on a week-end and I still did not watch it. Returned it and again on a whim I paid the fee again to see it. I have no regrets.
This is a masterpiece, shouldered and driven almost exclusively on the shoulders of Sean Penn. That guy made me rewind and rewind just to hear him deliver a line. His mannerisms, his charisma, the way he ingrained himself into that Stark character had me hypnotized. The supporting roles were important to me, especially the role of Jack Burden played by Jude Law. However, these roles were only serving to interest me into what impact these other players had on the Stark character. I could not look away or think of anything else but what was going on in that movie. I know nothing of the history of the characters this movie may be based upon, I watched it to relax and be entertained. Sean Penn pulled me right into the movie. Now that is what I call entertainment. Thank you!
Bayou blues.......2007-04-23
I thought this movie much too dark
too shallow and too slow
Most characters don't come to life
they just go with the flow
It starts off well with Willie Stark
the hick who would be king
He turned the tables on the folk
who'd yanked him on a string
He gave 'em heck, this simple man
but power soon corrupts
He gets his fingers dirty
and a scandal then erupts
He's no more crooked than the rest
as we will soon discover
And asks his spin practitioner
some secrets to uncover
Jack Burden is his right hand man
Polite and politic
Backgrounds more like chalk and cheese
Yet something makes it stick
A tangled web they weave and spin
But much is left unsaid
Desires, dreams and ambitions
left hanging by a thread
Sean Penn fits neatly in the role
Law mostly looks pretty
Winslet never gets a chance
to show her nitty gritty
The others just weave in and out
without a strong foundation
If this one's showing on TV
I think I'd change the station
Amanda Richards, April 23, 2007
WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?.......2007-04-19
THIS REVIEW IS BEING USED FOR BOTH THE SEAN PENN AND BRODERICK CRAWFORD VERSIONS OF ALL THE KING'S MEN
I have seen both film versions of Robert Penn Warren's classic tale of the rise and fall of a `populist' corrupted politician, Willie Stark, based at least loosely on the political career of 1930's Louisiana Governor Huey Long. America has had no shortage of such politicians who have allegedly championed the cause of the `little people' in their rise to power while on the side lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends. The late Governor of Alabama George Wallace comes to mind as a more modern example but there have been others, some who did not bother to champion the cause of `little people' or anyone else, for that matter.
The question before us, however, is who is the real Willie Stark. Since the story line is fairly simple and familiar from a glance at today's newspapers or a look at the political landscape it is the believability of the performances in the films that counts here. Broderick Crawford played in the original black and white film version and won an Academy Award for his performance by acting as a initially naïve country bumpkin with a thirst for power to do `good' who is corrupted by power as he goes about the business of governance. Seemingly, all his baser instincts come into play and there is an almost fatalistic sense that he is in for a big fall. Sean Penn in the more recent version seems to be more world weary about the political process and cynical about what he can do for the `people' and himself when in power. Of the two, Crawford just seems to be more comfortable in his interpretation of the role. Moreover, in the recent version the narrator's story, that of a troubled alcoholic former news reporter hired by Stark as his smooth-tongued flak, takes top-billing and that diminishes Stark's role in all the shenanigans. For my money, although Penn's performance may appeal to today's more politician-averse audience Crawford wins this duel. View both films and you decide.
Average customer rating:
- The original All the King's Men
- Power doesn't just corrupt, it enables corruption
- WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?
- A Film Noir Classic
- All The Kings Men - 1949 VERSION
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All the King's Men
Starring: Broderick Crawford , John Ireland , Joanne Dru , John Derek , and Mercedes McCambridge
Director: Robert Rossen
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BITV92
Release Date: 2006-09-05 |
Amazon.com
Writer-director Robert Rossen and character actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge (in her film debut) took home Oscars (for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) for this excellent adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Crawford stars as Willie Stark, a charismatic populist Southern politician (inspired by the real Louisiana Governor Huey Long) who belies his "man of the people" roots as he ruthlessly maneuvers, lies, and deals his way into the halls of power. John Ireland is his right-hand man, Jack Burden, a newsman turned political flack who hangs on to Stark's early idealism even in the face of Stark's most reprehensible acts of corruption. McCambridge is Stark's cool mistress come calculating assistant. The immediacy of the drama is due in part to a documentary-like style, notably in the scenes on the campaign trail where Stark sways crowds with his folksy rhetoric and estimable charm. Joanne Dru and John Derek also costar. Rossen's savage screenplay and firm direction give the film a powerful punch, but it's Crawford's blustery charm and oversized performance that carry the picture. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
The original All the King's Men.......2007-06-21
Based on Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which fictionalized the life of murdered Louisiana governor Huey Long, Rossen's scathing portrait of corruption and abuse of power remains one of the most compelling films about political demagoguery in the Hollywood canon. At the center of it all is B-movie veteran Broderick Crawford, who would never again give the kind of all-or-nothing, powerhouse performance he did here, to the tune of an Oscar. Filmed on location in Stockton, CA, "Men" also won the 1949 Oscar for Best Picture and remains, sadly enough, as timely as ever.
Power doesn't just corrupt, it enables corruption.......2007-04-29
This movie, although almost sixty years old now, is still interesting today mainly because human nature and thus the fundamentals of American politics haven't changed. What has changed is the average American's cynicism towards the political process, thus rendering this film possibly more interesting today than it was when it was first made. As others have mentioned, this film is based on a novel that was based on the life of Huey P. Long, governor of and then senator from Louisiana. The politician in this film is Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford), who starts out running for local office, but comes up against a corrupt local political machine that quickly shuts him down, even having his wife fired from her teaching job of many years. A few years later the same corrupt political machine is looking at their polling data and realizing that their candidate for governor will lose unless they can split the populist vote. They enlist Stark to run for office as governor, and his flattered pride doesn't allow him to see what their true motives are. Stark gives a few uninspired speeches until Sadie Burke (Mercedes McCambridge) explains to him what is really going on - that he is a patsy in a larger scheme. From that point forward he is a man transformed. He gives fiery speeches that rile up the people and almost actually wins the race. However, four years later he returns and does win. In order to do so, he has to "make some deals" with some moneyed interests. He starts out using power to help the common people of the state, but in the end he is helping the common people of the state just because he wants power, making sure that everything accomplished by his administration comes complete with a large landmark bearing his name to assure his legacy. His misdeeds in office - both professional and personal - escalate until they become even too large for him to cover up, leading to his ultimate downfall.
The one character I found somewhat hard to understand was that of Jack Burden (John Ireland). He starts out covering Stark's story because he is assigned to do so by the newspaper for which he is working. He has such high ideals that he even quits the paper when his boss tells him that the state political machine no longer wants Stark's race covered. However, long after it is obvious what Stark has turned into, even after he knows that Stark has rewarded his friendship and loyalty by taking the girl he loves, Burden remains by his side. It takes Stark indirectly causing the death of Burden's long time mentor before he finally walks away.
There have been plenty of movies made about how power corrupts otherwise good men, but in this film there is more than a hint that Stark was never actually a good man. He was just a man who wasn't in a position to be corrupt until power gave him an opportunity to do so. In the sixty years since this film was made we've seen offenses committed by Presidents of both parties that leave the average man wondering "What WERE they thinking?". However, in order to reach the top of the political heap, you probably need to possess a tendency for risk taking along with a great deal of self-confidence, just as Stark had, and these traits can be your enemies as well as your friends.
There are virtually no special features on this DVD other than promotional pieces on Steven Zaillian's 2006 remake, which turned out to be far inferior to this 1949 classic.
WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?.......2007-04-19
THIS REVIEW IS BEING USED FOR BOTH THE SEAN PENN AND BRODERICK CRAWFORD VERSIONS OF ALL THE KING'S MEN.
I have seen both film versions of Robert Penn Warren's classic tale of the rise and fall of a `populist' corrupted politician, Willie Stark, based at least loosely on the political career of 1930's Louisiana Governor Huey Long. America has had no shortage of such politicians who have allegedly championed the cause of the `little people' in their rise to power while on the side lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends. The late Governor of Alabama George Wallace comes to mind as a more modern example but there have been others, some who did not bother to champion the cause of `little people' or anyone else, for that matter.
The question before us, however, is who is the real Willie Stark. Since the story line is fairly simple and familiar from a glance at today's newspapers or a look at the political landscape it is the believability of the performances in the films that counts here. Broderick Crawford played in the original black and white film version and won an Academy Award for his performance by acting as a initially naïve country bumpkin with a thirst for power to do `good' who is corrupted by power as he goes about the business of governance. Seemingly, all his baser instincts come into play and there is an almost fatalistic sense that he is in for a big fall. Sean Penn in the more recent version seems to be more world weary about the political process and cynical about what he can do for the `people' and himself when in power. Of the two, Crawford just seems to be more comfortable in his interpretation of the role. Moreover, in the recent version the narrator's story, that of a troubled alcoholic former news reporter hired by Stark as his smooth-tongued flak, takes top-billing and that diminishes Stark's role in all the shenanigans. For my money, although Penn's performance may appeal to today's more politician-averse audience Crawford wins this duel. View both films and you decide.
A Film Noir Classic.......2007-02-03
I'm glad to see that the Sean Penn version of this movie has sparked an interest in the academy award winning original.
There are the unmistakable marks of its time in this film. It was made just after the end of WW II, and drawing analogies to dictatorships and American socialism are right from the times themselves.
Broderick Crawford is really good as Willie, although some members of the supporting cast, especially John Ireland, are not up to the roles they play. I also don't know whether the direction was as good as it could be; there are some situations where the combination of writer/director is absolutely inspired, but I would not say that here.
The ultimate destruction of the old order is, to me, the most fascinating element of this film. Film Noir was all about that: a breakdown in an old social order, with nothing but a void seeming to replace it. That is much in evidence here exemplified, as it was in the book, by "Burden's Landing" and its complex blend of great principles lost, but old prejudices and injustices going away, too.
It's a fascinating movie, and still quite watchable today. I agree with some who say there that it is better than the remake, as good as the remake was...
All The Kings Men - 1949 VERSION.......2007-02-01
Our son worked on the 2006 version of All The Kings Men with Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Patricia Clarkson and Anthony Quinn. I ordered the 1949 version as a Christmas Gift. It was interesting to see the differences between two movies made 57 years apart. I was glad I was still able to get a copy of a 1949 movie through Amazon.com. The 1949 version had some good points for the time it was made. It is my understanding that Steve Zallion, Director and Screen Play writer of the 2006 movie read the novel by Robert Penn Warren but did not see the 1949 version before writing the screen play or directing the film. We liked the 2006 version better and didn't think it received enough credit.
Average customer rating:
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All the King's Men [Blu-ray]
Starring: Kathy Baker , Talia Balsam , Patricia Clarkson , Kevin Dunn , and Frederic Forrest
Director: Steven Zaillian , and Steven Zallian
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B000K2UH6U
Release Date: 2006-12-19 |
Amazon.com
Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Anthony Hopkins star in this riveting story of a humble man's rise to political power and the destructive force of corruption and betrayal that would ultimately unravel his soul, based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Also starring James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo and Patricia Clarkson.
Stills from All the King's Men (click for larger image)
Product Description
Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Anthony Hopkins star in this riveting story of a humble man's rise to political power and the destructive force of corruption and betrayal that would ultimately unravel his soul, based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Also starring James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo and Patricia Clarkson.
Average customer rating:
- All the King's men
- semi factual film
- All the King's Men
- Moving Drama
- haunting story of a lost regiment
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Masterpiece Theatre: All the King's Men
Starring: David Jason , Maggie Smith , William Ash , Sonya Walger , and Stuart Bunce
Director: Julian Jarrold
Manufacturer: Wgbh Boston
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000A7DW8U
Release Date: 2005-11-01 |
Amazon.com
In 1915, during World War I, a doomed campaign was fought by the Allies against German-affiliated Turkish forces in the Dardanelles. (This devastating conflict was also the inspiration for the 1981 Australian film Gallipoli.) The Fifth Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment, composed wholly of servants, grooms, and gardeners from King George V's estate at Sandringham, was sent into the fray and, legend has it, vanished without a trace into a mysterious mist. This deeply affecting Masterpiece Theatre production, All the King's Men, tells the horrifying true story of what really happened to these men. From paradise on an English country estate, we follow them into the chaotic hell of war on blistering foreign shores. The pathos of the innocence and optimism of these boys, some as young as 14, as they march off to battle is tremendous. Before shipping out, Sergeant Ted Grimes (William Ash) celebrates a joyous wedding to his childhood sweetheart, plucky Peggy Batterbee (Emma Cunniffe), assuring her of his swift return. Gallant Captain Frank Beck (David Jason) has trained his boys well in the principles of loyalty and duty. Tragically, they soon learn that these niceties are worse than useless during wartime. Performances by a large ensemble cast are superb in this engrossing TV film. Dame Maggie Smith is a standout, exuding marvelous warmth and wisdom as the Queen Mother Alexandra, who mounts an extensive inquiry to determine the real fate of her beloved lads. --Laura Mirsky
Description
The true story of England's vanished regiment is revealed. It is one of the most compelling and curious legends of the First World War. Led by Captain Frank Beck (David Jason), a favorite agent of King George V (David Troughton, Madame Bovary), Sandringham Company was comprised entirely of servants, grooms and gardeners from the King's Norfolk Estate. On August 12, 1915 the unit marched into battle against the Turks in Gallipoli and simply vanished, never to be heard from again. Queen Alexandra, played by Dame Maggie Smith (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, A Room with a View), was the driving force behind the investigation into the real fate of the battalion. But despite her extensive inquires, no trace of the men was ever discovered. Now, All the King's Men brings the details of what really happened in 1915 to the screen for the first time. It tells the story of these amateur soldiers, the idyllic life and loves they left behind in the quintessential English country estate and the horrors of an ill-prepared campaign to which they were subjected.
Customer Reviews:
All the King's men.......2007-05-07
A thoughtful speculation on one of the great mysteries in WWI's forgotten war in the Dardanelles.
semi factual film.......2006-02-25
I must say a lot of this film is pure fiction and is definitely sensationalised such as the young bride who has to have sex with the nearest man!
Captain Frank Beck was a real person, and I was brought up with the story about him, as his 3rd daughter was my grandmother.
I feel it shows his nephews as quite pathetic characters but in fact they were very brave men(as were a lot of soldiers of their time) and they were later decorated with military crosses although sadly none of them survived the war.
As fiction its ok as fact, take it with a pinch of salt-loosely based on fact
David Jason did a much better job than I expected from an actor more known for comedy
All the King's Men.......2003-01-31
Slightly stuffy and fractured, but that really doesn't change this PBS miniseries' special qualities at all. Maggie Smith is quite good in her role, and adds humour to it as well. The other cast members are excellent, with direction and writing at tops.
A must if you enjoy Masterpiece Theater.
Moving Drama.......2002-04-12
A very well made, moving drama about the Estate workers at Sandringham who volunteer during The First World war to fight the Turkish in Gallipoli. Unlike the Mel Gibson Film, this focuses purely on the British contingent at the Dardanelles and the suffering and losses involved.
The legend of the Sandringham soldiers has it that a mist descended on them as the marched into battle and that they were never seen again. This actually shows the reality of battle, the distinct lack of glory and the shambolic reconnaisance which leads in turn to the inevitable result.
As the drama unfolds, we are introduced to the characters and have enough time to get used to them and start to understand and like them.
If war films are not your thing, believe me, this is very different. Worth a watch, especially the ever-dependable David Jason.
haunting story of a lost regiment.......2002-03-25
"All the King's men" is the story of the lost Sandringham regiment during the First World War at Gallipoli. The workers on the Sandringham estate wanted to do their bit to help in the war, and convinced the Queen to let them join their fellow soldiers at Gallipoli. The regiment disappeared, much to the puzzlement of the families they left behind. Of course, the men were killed, but since there were no letters, no word from the War Office, no witnesses, no returned mementos, there was a strong interest in finding out what happened to those men.
I thought that the movie did a good job. The costumes were of the period, the characters were believable, and there was a wonderfully poignant juxaposition of the bewilderment of the families back in England and the hard realities of battle at Gallipoli. There was also a heartbreaking touch during the scene in which the commander is reading one of Rupert Brooke's 1914 sonnets to his men "If I should die, think only this of me...." then the movie continues with the brutality of the war. Far more Sigfried Sassoon than Rupert Brooke, but Brooke illustrated the naivite that still existed at the time (Brooke too died en route to Gallipoli). I highly recommend this movie. If you are looking for another World War I movie, I also recommend "Gallipoli", starring a very young Mel Gibson.
Average customer rating:
- The original All the King's Men
- Power doesn't just corrupt, it enables corruption
- WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?
- A Film Noir Classic
- All The Kings Men - 1949 VERSION
|
All the King's Men
Starring: Broderick Crawford , John Ireland , Joanne Dru , John Derek , and Mercedes McCambridge
Director: Robert Rossen
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: 630541615X
Release Date: 2001-06-05 |
Amazon.com
Writer-director Robert Rossen and character actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge (in her film debut) took home Oscars (for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) for this excellent adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Crawford stars as Willie Stark, a charismatic populist Southern politician (inspired by the real Louisiana Governor Huey Long) who belies his "man of the people" roots as he ruthlessly maneuvers, lies, and deals his way into the halls of power. John Ireland is his right-hand man, Jack Burden, a newsman turned political flack who hangs on to Stark's early idealism even in the face of Stark's most reprehensible acts of corruption. McCambridge is Stark's cool mistress come calculating assistant. The immediacy of the drama is due in part to a documentary-like style, notably in the scenes on the campaign trail where Stark sways crowds with his folksy rhetoric and estimable charm. Joanne Dru and John Derek also costar. Rossen's savage screenplay and firm direction give the film a powerful punch, but it's Crawford's blustery charm and oversized performance that carry the picture. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
The original All the King's Men.......2007-06-21
Based on Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which fictionalized the life of murdered Louisiana governor Huey Long, Rossen's scathing portrait of corruption and abuse of power remains one of the most compelling films about political demagoguery in the Hollywood canon. At the center of it all is B-movie veteran Broderick Crawford, who would never again give the kind of all-or-nothing, powerhouse performance he did here, to the tune of an Oscar. Filmed on location in Stockton, CA, "Men" also won the 1949 Oscar for Best Picture and remains, sadly enough, as timely as ever.
Power doesn't just corrupt, it enables corruption.......2007-04-29
This movie, although almost sixty years old now, is still interesting today mainly because human nature and thus the fundamentals of American politics haven't changed. What has changed is the average American's cynicism towards the political process, thus rendering this film possibly more interesting today than it was when it was first made. As others have mentioned, this film is based on a novel that was based on the life of Huey P. Long, governor of and then senator from Louisiana. The politician in this film is Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford), who starts out running for local office, but comes up against a corrupt local political machine that quickly shuts him down, even having his wife fired from her teaching job of many years. A few years later the same corrupt political machine is looking at their polling data and realizing that their candidate for governor will lose unless they can split the populist vote. They enlist Stark to run for office as governor, and his flattered pride doesn't allow him to see what their true motives are. Stark gives a few uninspired speeches until Sadie Burke (Mercedes McCambridge) explains to him what is really going on - that he is a patsy in a larger scheme. From that point forward he is a man transformed. He gives fiery speeches that rile up the people and almost actually wins the race. However, four years later he returns and does win. In order to do so, he has to "make some deals" with some moneyed interests. He starts out using power to help the common people of the state, but in the end he is helping the common people of the state just because he wants power, making sure that everything accomplished by his administration comes complete with a large landmark bearing his name to assure his legacy. His misdeeds in office - both professional and personal - escalate until they become even too large for him to cover up, leading to his ultimate downfall.
The one character I found somewhat hard to understand was that of Jack Burden (John Ireland). He starts out covering Stark's story because he is assigned to do so by the newspaper for which he is working. He has such high ideals that he even quits the paper when his boss tells him that the state political machine no longer wants Stark's race covered. However, long after it is obvious what Stark has turned into, even after he knows that Stark has rewarded his friendship and loyalty by taking the girl he loves, Burden remains by his side. It takes Stark indirectly causing the death of Burden's long time mentor before he finally walks away.
There have been plenty of movies made about how power corrupts otherwise good men, but in this film there is more than a hint that Stark was never actually a good man. He was just a man who wasn't in a position to be corrupt until power gave him an opportunity to do so. In the sixty years since this film was made we've seen offenses committed by Presidents of both parties that leave the average man wondering "What WERE they thinking?". However, in order to reach the top of the political heap, you probably need to possess a tendency for risk taking along with a great deal of self-confidence, just as Stark had, and these traits can be your enemies as well as your friends.
There are virtually no special features on this DVD other than promotional pieces on Steven Zaillian's 2006 remake, which turned out to be far inferior to this 1949 classic.
WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?.......2007-04-19
THIS REVIEW IS BEING USED FOR BOTH THE SEAN PENN AND BRODERICK CRAWFORD VERSIONS OF ALL THE KING'S MEN.
I have seen both film versions of Robert Penn Warren's classic tale of the rise and fall of a `populist' corrupted politician, Willie Stark, based at least loosely on the political career of 1930's Louisiana Governor Huey Long. America has had no shortage of such politicians who have allegedly championed the cause of the `little people' in their rise to power while on the side lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends. The late Governor of Alabama George Wallace comes to mind as a more modern example but there have been others, some who did not bother to champion the cause of `little people' or anyone else, for that matter.
The question before us, however, is who is the real Willie Stark. Since the story line is fairly simple and familiar from a glance at today's newspapers or a look at the political landscape it is the believability of the performances in the films that counts here. Broderick Crawford played in the original black and white film version and won an Academy Award for his performance by acting as a initially naïve country bumpkin with a thirst for power to do `good' who is corrupted by power as he goes about the business of governance. Seemingly, all his baser instincts come into play and there is an almost fatalistic sense that he is in for a big fall. Sean Penn in the more recent version seems to be more world weary about the political process and cynical about what he can do for the `people' and himself when in power. Of the two, Crawford just seems to be more comfortable in his interpretation of the role. Moreover, in the recent version the narrator's story, that of a troubled alcoholic former news reporter hired by Stark as his smooth-tongued flak, takes top-billing and that diminishes Stark's role in all the shenanigans. For my money, although Penn's performance may appeal to today's more politician-averse audience Crawford wins this duel. View both films and you decide.
A Film Noir Classic.......2007-02-03
I'm glad to see that the Sean Penn version of this movie has sparked an interest in the academy award winning original.
There are the unmistakable marks of its time in this film. It was made just after the end of WW II, and drawing analogies to dictatorships and American socialism are right from the times themselves.
Broderick Crawford is really good as Willie, although some members of the supporting cast, especially John Ireland, are not up to the roles they play. I also don't know whether the direction was as good as it could be; there are some situations where the combination of writer/director is absolutely inspired, but I would not say that here.
The ultimate destruction of the old order is, to me, the most fascinating element of this film. Film Noir was all about that: a breakdown in an old social order, with nothing but a void seeming to replace it. That is much in evidence here exemplified, as it was in the book, by "Burden's Landing" and its complex blend of great principles lost, but old prejudices and injustices going away, too.
It's a fascinating movie, and still quite watchable today. I agree with some who say there that it is better than the remake, as good as the remake was...
All The Kings Men - 1949 VERSION.......2007-02-01
Our son worked on the 2006 version of All The Kings Men with Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Patricia Clarkson and Anthony Quinn. I ordered the 1949 version as a Christmas Gift. It was interesting to see the differences between two movies made 57 years apart. I was glad I was still able to get a copy of a 1949 movie through Amazon.com. The 1949 version had some good points for the time it was made. It is my understanding that Steve Zallion, Director and Screen Play writer of the 2006 movie read the novel by Robert Penn Warren but did not see the 1949 version before writing the screen play or directing the film. We liked the 2006 version better and didn't think it received enough credit.
Average customer rating:
- The original All the King's Men
- Power doesn't just corrupt, it enables corruption
- WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?
- A Film Noir Classic
- All The Kings Men - 1949 VERSION
|
All the King's Men [Region 2]
Starring: Broderick Crawford , John Ireland , Joanne Dru , John Derek , and Mercedes McCambridge
Director: Robert Rossen
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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Dru, Joanne
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Dumke, Ralph
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Similar Items:
- Marty
- The Lost Weekend
- Gentleman's Agreement
- Hamlet - Criterion Collection
- All the King's Men (Special Edition)
ASIN: B00005AVU3 |
Amazon.com
Writer-director Robert Rossen and character actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge (in her film debut) took home Oscars (for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) for this excellent adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Crawford stars as Willie Stark, a charismatic populist Southern politician (inspired by the real Louisiana Governor Huey Long) who belies his "man of the people" roots as he ruthlessly maneuvers, lies, and deals his way into the halls of power. John Ireland is his right-hand man, Jack Burden, a newsman turned political flack who hangs on to Stark's early idealism even in the face of Stark's most reprehensible acts of corruption. McCambridge is Stark's cool mistress come calculating assistant. The immediacy of the drama is due in part to a documentary-like style, notably in the scenes on the campaign trail where Stark sways crowds with his folksy rhetoric and estimable charm. Joanne Dru and John Derek also costar. Rossen's savage screenplay and firm direction give the film a powerful punch, but it's Crawford's blustery charm and oversized performance that carry the picture. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
The original All the King's Men.......2007-06-21
Based on Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which fictionalized the life of murdered Louisiana governor Huey Long, Rossen's scathing portrait of corruption and abuse of power remains one of the most compelling films about political demagoguery in the Hollywood canon. At the center of it all is B-movie veteran Broderick Crawford, who would never again give the kind of all-or-nothing, powerhouse performance he did here, to the tune of an Oscar. Filmed on location in Stockton, CA, "Men" also won the 1949 Oscar for Best Picture and remains, sadly enough, as timely as ever.
Power doesn't just corrupt, it enables corruption.......2007-04-29
This movie, although almost sixty years old now, is still interesting today mainly because human nature and thus the fundamentals of American politics haven't changed. What has changed is the average American's cynicism towards the political process, thus rendering this film possibly more interesting today than it was when it was first made. As others have mentioned, this film is based on a novel that was based on the life of Huey P. Long, governor of and then senator from Louisiana. The politician in this film is Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford), who starts out running for local office, but comes up against a corrupt local political machine that quickly shuts him down, even having his wife fired from her teaching job of many years. A few years later the same corrupt political machine is looking at their polling data and realizing that their candidate for governor will lose unless they can split the populist vote. They enlist Stark to run for office as governor, and his flattered pride doesn't allow him to see what their true motives are. Stark gives a few uninspired speeches until Sadie Burke (Mercedes McCambridge) explains to him what is really going on - that he is a patsy in a larger scheme. From that point forward he is a man transformed. He gives fiery speeches that rile up the people and almost actually wins the race. However, four years later he returns and does win. In order to do so, he has to "make some deals" with some moneyed interests. He starts out using power to help the common people of the state, but in the end he is helping the common people of the state just because he wants power, making sure that everything accomplished by his administration comes complete with a large landmark bearing his name to assure his legacy. His misdeeds in office - both professional and personal - escalate until they become even too large for him to cover up, leading to his ultimate downfall.
The one character I found somewhat hard to understand was that of Jack Burden (John Ireland). He starts out covering Stark's story because he is assigned to do so by the newspaper for which he is working. He has such high ideals that he even quits the paper when his boss tells him that the state political machine no longer wants Stark's race covered. However, long after it is obvious what Stark has turned into, even after he knows that Stark has rewarded his friendship and loyalty by taking the girl he loves, Burden remains by his side. It takes Stark indirectly causing the death of Burden's long time mentor before he finally walks away.
There have been plenty of movies made about how power corrupts otherwise good men, but in this film there is more than a hint that Stark was never actually a good man. He was just a man who wasn't in a position to be corrupt until power gave him an opportunity to do so. In the sixty years since this film was made we've seen offenses committed by Presidents of both parties that leave the average man wondering "What WERE they thinking?". However, in order to reach the top of the political heap, you probably need to possess a tendency for risk taking along with a great deal of self-confidence, just as Stark had, and these traits can be your enemies as well as your friends.
There are virtually no special features on this DVD other than promotional pieces on Steven Zaillian's 2006 remake, which turned out to be far inferior to this 1949 classic.
WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?.......2007-04-19
THIS REVIEW IS BEING USED FOR BOTH THE SEAN PENN AND BRODERICK CRAWFORD VERSIONS OF ALL THE KING'S MEN.
I have seen both film versions of Robert Penn Warren's classic tale of the rise and fall of a `populist' corrupted politician, Willie Stark, based at least loosely on the political career of 1930's Louisiana Governor Huey Long. America has had no shortage of such politicians who have allegedly championed the cause of the `little people' in their rise to power while on the side lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends. The late Governor of Alabama George Wallace comes to mind as a more modern example but there have been others, some who did not bother to champion the cause of `little people' or anyone else, for that matter.
The question before us, however, is who is the real Willie Stark. Since the story line is fairly simple and familiar from a glance at today's newspapers or a look at the political landscape it is the believability of the performances in the films that counts here. Broderick Crawford played in the original black and white film version and won an Academy Award for his performance by acting as a initially naïve country bumpkin with a thirst for power to do `good' who is corrupted by power as he goes about the business of governance. Seemingly, all his baser instincts come into play and there is an almost fatalistic sense that he is in for a big fall. Sean Penn in the more recent version seems to be more world weary about the political process and cynical about what he can do for the `people' and himself when in power. Of the two, Crawford just seems to be more comfortable in his interpretation of the role. Moreover, in the recent version the narrator's story, that of a troubled alcoholic former news reporter hired by Stark as his smooth-tongued flak, takes top-billing and that diminishes Stark's role in all the shenanigans. For my money, although Penn's performance may appeal to today's more politician-averse audience Crawford wins this duel. View both films and you decide.
A Film Noir Classic.......2007-02-03
I'm glad to see that the Sean Penn version of this movie has sparked an interest in the academy award winning original.
There are the unmistakable marks of its time in this film. It was made just after the end of WW II, and drawing analogies to dictatorships and American socialism are right from the times themselves.
Broderick Crawford is really good as Willie, although some members of the supporting cast, especially John Ireland, are not up to the roles they play. I also don't know whether the direction was as good as it could be; there are some situations where the combination of writer/director is absolutely inspired, but I would not say that here.
The ultimate destruction of the old order is, to me, the most fascinating element of this film. Film Noir was all about that: a breakdown in an old social order, with nothing but a void seeming to replace it. That is much in evidence here exemplified, as it was in the book, by "Burden's Landing" and its complex blend of great principles lost, but old prejudices and injustices going away, too.
It's a fascinating movie, and still quite watchable today. I agree with some who say there that it is better than the remake, as good as the remake was...
All The Kings Men - 1949 VERSION.......2007-02-01
Our son worked on the 2006 version of All The Kings Men with Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Patricia Clarkson and Anthony Quinn. I ordered the 1949 version as a Christmas Gift. It was interesting to see the differences between two movies made 57 years apart. I was glad I was still able to get a copy of a 1949 movie through Amazon.com. The 1949 version had some good points for the time it was made. It is my understanding that Steve Zallion, Director and Screen Play writer of the 2006 movie read the novel by Robert Penn Warren but did not see the 1949 version before writing the screen play or directing the film. We liked the 2006 version better and didn't think it received enough credit.
Average customer rating:
- The original All the King's Men
- Power doesn't just corrupt, it enables corruption
- WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?
- A Film Noir Classic
- All The Kings Men - 1949 VERSION
|
All the King's Men [Region 2]
Starring: Broderick Crawford , John Ireland , Joanne Dru , John Derek , and Mercedes McCambridge
Director: Robert Rossen
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Burke, Walter
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Crawford, Broderick
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Derek, John
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Dru, Joanne
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
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ASIN: B00005K4MN |
Amazon.com
Writer-director Robert Rossen and character actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge (in her film debut) took home Oscars (for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) for this excellent adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Crawford stars as Willie Stark, a charismatic populist Southern politician (inspired by the real Louisiana Governor Huey Long) who belies his "man of the people" roots as he ruthlessly maneuvers, lies, and deals his way into the halls of power. John Ireland is his right-hand man, Jack Burden, a newsman turned political flack who hangs on to Stark's early idealism even in the face of Stark's most reprehensible acts of corruption. McCambridge is Stark's cool mistress come calculating assistant. The immediacy of the drama is due in part to a documentary-like style, notably in the scenes on the campaign trail where Stark sways crowds with his folksy rhetoric and estimable charm. Joanne Dru and John Derek also costar. Rossen's savage screenplay and firm direction give the film a powerful punch, but it's Crawford's blustery charm and oversized performance that carry the picture. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
The original All the King's Men.......2007-06-21
Based on Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which fictionalized the life of murdered Louisiana governor Huey Long, Rossen's scathing portrait of corruption and abuse of power remains one of the most compelling films about political demagoguery in the Hollywood canon. At the center of it all is B-movie veteran Broderick Crawford, who would never again give the kind of all-or-nothing, powerhouse performance he did here, to the tune of an Oscar. Filmed on location in Stockton, CA, "Men" also won the 1949 Oscar for Best Picture and remains, sadly enough, as timely as ever.
Power doesn't just corrupt, it enables corruption.......2007-04-29
This movie, although almost sixty years old now, is still interesting today mainly because human nature and thus the fundamentals of American politics haven't changed. What has changed is the average American's cynicism towards the political process, thus rendering this film possibly more interesting today than it was when it was first made. As others have mentioned, this film is based on a novel that was based on the life of Huey P. Long, governor of and then senator from Louisiana. The politician in this film is Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford), who starts out running for local office, but comes up against a corrupt local political machine that quickly shuts him down, even having his wife fired from her teaching job of many years. A few years later the same corrupt political machine is looking at their polling data and realizing that their candidate for governor will lose unless they can split the populist vote. They enlist Stark to run for office as governor, and his flattered pride doesn't allow him to see what their true motives are. Stark gives a few uninspired speeches until Sadie Burke (Mercedes McCambridge) explains to him what is really going on - that he is a patsy in a larger scheme. From that point forward he is a man transformed. He gives fiery speeches that rile up the people and almost actually wins the race. However, four years later he returns and does win. In order to do so, he has to "make some deals" with some moneyed interests. He starts out using power to help the common people of the state, but in the end he is helping the common people of the state just because he wants power, making sure that everything accomplished by his administration comes complete with a large landmark bearing his name to assure his legacy. His misdeeds in office - both professional and personal - escalate until they become even too large for him to cover up, leading to his ultimate downfall.
The one character I found somewhat hard to understand was that of Jack Burden (John Ireland). He starts out covering Stark's story because he is assigned to do so by the newspaper for which he is working. He has such high ideals that he even quits the paper when his boss tells him that the state political machine no longer wants Stark's race covered. However, long after it is obvious what Stark has turned into, even after he knows that Stark has rewarded his friendship and loyalty by taking the girl he loves, Burden remains by his side. It takes Stark indirectly causing the death of Burden's long time mentor before he finally walks away.
There have been plenty of movies made about how power corrupts otherwise good men, but in this film there is more than a hint that Stark was never actually a good man. He was just a man who wasn't in a position to be corrupt until power gave him an opportunity to do so. In the sixty years since this film was made we've seen offenses committed by Presidents of both parties that leave the average man wondering "What WERE they thinking?". However, in order to reach the top of the political heap, you probably need to possess a tendency for risk taking along with a great deal of self-confidence, just as Stark had, and these traits can be your enemies as well as your friends.
There are virtually no special features on this DVD other than promotional pieces on Steven Zaillian's 2006 remake, which turned out to be far inferior to this 1949 classic.
WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?.......2007-04-19
THIS REVIEW IS BEING USED FOR BOTH THE SEAN PENN AND BRODERICK CRAWFORD VERSIONS OF ALL THE KING'S MEN.
I have seen both film versions of Robert Penn Warren's classic tale of the rise and fall of a `populist' corrupted politician, Willie Stark, based at least loosely on the political career of 1930's Louisiana Governor Huey Long. America has had no shortage of such politicians who have allegedly championed the cause of the `little people' in their rise to power while on the side lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends. The late Governor of Alabama George Wallace comes to mind as a more modern example but there have been others, some who did not bother to champion the cause of `little people' or anyone else, for that matter.
The question before us, however, is who is the real Willie Stark. Since the story line is fairly simple and familiar from a glance at today's newspapers or a look at the political landscape it is the believability of the performances in the films that counts here. Broderick Crawford played in the original black and white film version and won an Academy Award for his performance by acting as a initially naïve country bumpkin with a thirst for power to do `good' who is corrupted by power as he goes about the business of governance. Seemingly, all his baser instincts come into play and there is an almost fatalistic sense that he is in for a big fall. Sean Penn in the more recent version seems to be more world weary about the political process and cynical about what he can do for the `people' and himself when in power. Of the two, Crawford just seems to be more comfortable in his interpretation of the role. Moreover, in the recent version the narrator's story, that of a troubled alcoholic former news reporter hired by Stark as his smooth-tongued flak, takes top-billing and that diminishes Stark's role in all the shenanigans. For my money, although Penn's performance may appeal to today's more politician-averse audience Crawford wins this duel. View both films and you decide.
A Film Noir Classic.......2007-02-03
I'm glad to see that the Sean Penn version of this movie has sparked an interest in the academy award winning original.
There are the unmistakable marks of its time in this film. It was made just after the end of WW II, and drawing analogies to dictatorships and American socialism are right from the times themselves.
Broderick Crawford is really good as Willie, although some members of the supporting cast, especially John Ireland, are not up to the roles they play. I also don't know whether the direction was as good as it could be; there are some situations where the combination of writer/director is absolutely inspired, but I would not say that here.
The ultimate destruction of the old order is, to me, the most fascinating element of this film. Film Noir was all about that: a breakdown in an old social order, with nothing but a void seeming to replace it. That is much in evidence here exemplified, as it was in the book, by "Burden's Landing" and its complex blend of great principles lost, but old prejudices and injustices going away, too.
It's a fascinating movie, and still quite watchable today. I agree with some who say there that it is better than the remake, as good as the remake was...
All The Kings Men - 1949 VERSION.......2007-02-01
Our son worked on the 2006 version of All The Kings Men with Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Patricia Clarkson and Anthony Quinn. I ordered the 1949 version as a Christmas Gift. It was interesting to see the differences between two movies made 57 years apart. I was glad I was still able to get a copy of a 1949 movie through Amazon.com. The 1949 version had some good points for the time it was made. It is my understanding that Steve Zallion, Director and Screen Play writer of the 2006 movie read the novel by Robert Penn Warren but did not see the 1949 version before writing the screen play or directing the film. We liked the 2006 version better and didn't think it received enough credit.
Average customer rating:
- Well intentioned remake that falls a bit short
- Warmed Over Willie Stark
- Sean Penn was riveting in All the King's Men
- Bayou blues
- WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?
|
All the King's Men
Starring: Sean Penn , Jude Law , Anthony Hopkins , Kate Winslet , and Mark Ruffalo
Director: Steven Zaillian
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ASIN: B00005JOFR |
Amazon.com
Sean Penn gives another powerhouse performance in All the King's Men, leading a topnotch cast in writer-director Steven Zaillian's underrated adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. When you consider that the previous 1949 film version earned well-deserved Academy Awards for director Robert Rossen and actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge, it's no surprise that Zaillian's film was expected to earn similar acclaim, but lukewarm critical reception and disappointing box-office gave it the stigma of a noble failure. And while the film (which moves Warren's story from the Depression-era '30s to the early 1950s) suffers from uneven pacing, partial miscasting, and an occasional lack of dramatic tension, it still qualifies as a first-class production that resonates with the timeless relevance of Warren's piercing political classic. Like Broderick before him, Penn is riveting as Louisiana governor Willie Stark, an upstart political dynamo (freely inspired by controversial real-life Louisiana governor Huey P. Long) whose rise to power is ultimately doomed by corruption and betrayal.
Jude Law costars as political reporter Jack Burden, our firsthand witness to Stark's rise and inevitable fall; his orbit of political insiders includes a corrupt judge (Anthony Hopkins) with a dark secret to hide; a longtime friend (Mark Ruffalo) and former lover (Kate Winslet) who fall victim to Stark's influence; and political staffers (James Gandolfini, Patricia Clarkson) who remain powerless against Stark's ill-fated populist juggernaut. At Sean Penn's request, former child star Jackie Earle Haley (from the original Bad News Bears) makes a welcome return to movies as Willie Stark's quietly intense bodyguard, "Sugar-Boy." Coproduced by Louisiana-born political consultant James Carville, filmed on authentic Louisiana locations and boasting all the stately, luxurious production values of a would-be Oscar contender, All the King's Men clearly benefits from Penn's fiery performance and Zaillian's earnest embrace of Warren's still-potent subject matter. And while the film's shortcomings may have prevented it from achieving unanimous acclaim, this is still a serious, well-crafted drama with much to say about the insidious potential for fascism in America, especially when well-meaning politicians lose their souls to power. --Jeff Shannon
On the DVD
The special features that accompany All the King's Men further demonstrate the film's in-production status as a potential classic. While the "making of" featurette is perfunctory at best, the other featurettes are definitely worthwhile despite Sean Penn's conspicuous absence. In "Shake Hands with the Devil," the film's cast, producer, and writer-director Steven Zaillian discuss the timeless theme of political corruption; "An American Classic" is a concise profile of Robert Penn Warren, paying tribute to the poet and author's literary achievements; and "The Legend and Lore of Huey Long" examines the life and legacy of the still-beloved governor who won the hearts of working-class Louisianans while falling prey to his own ambition. "LA Confidential" is a brief featurette about the film's use of authentic Louisiana locations and the positive effect they had on cast and crew; three deleted scenes were obviously cut from the film for purposes of time, yet offer ample proof of Zaillian's established skill as one of Hollywood's top screenwriters; and the alternate ending extends beyond the film's final shot, with a funeral scene that serves as a melancholy (and ultimately unnecessary) coda to the film's Greek-tragic drama. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
Well intentioned remake that falls a bit short.......2007-06-14
I'm a big fan of the original version starring Broderick Crawford. Like any remake, if you could combine the best of both versions together you would have the perfect movie. That said, I thought Sean Penn did a good job portraying Willie Stark. But I think he suffers from a script that is mess. I think it was a mistake first of all to move it to the 1950s. Huey Long, who Stark is based on, came to power in the grips of the Great Depression which explains why he built all those roads and bridges and the University and new capital. I think Steven Zaillian tried to be faithful to the book. He included scenes explaining the relationship between Jack Burden and the others at Burden's Landing, but they were choppy. He also doesn't do as good a job explaining Willie Stark before be became the power thirsty man that he turned in to. Patricia Clakrson's character is also wasted in this version. I'm glad the producers included the deleted scenes on the dvd release. They fill in a lot of the gaps and I just can't understand why they were ever left out in the first place. For example, the scenes explain what drove the doctor to shoot Stark. You find out that Tiny planted the seeds. Why was this scene deleted from the theatrial version? One other criticism is that it is difficult at times to understand Penn and some of the dialogue. I almost needed subtitles. Overall, it was a well intentioned effort that just falls a bit short.
Warmed Over Willie Stark.......2007-06-05
The movie didn't have budget enough to do justice to Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men.
The writer-director is new at the game and it shows.
Sean Penn either weighs 240 pounds in the movie or is padded to appear as though he weighs that much. Penn gives a scenery-chewing performance that is so overwrought it unbalances the film. His hairdo puts me in mind of the one Eric Blair AKA George Orwell wore in his heyday.
Trouble is, the hairdo features white sidewalls around the edge. So when Penn as Willie Stark puts on a fedora, as he often does in the film, he is not recognizable as the same Willie Stark sans hat. Its a major gaffe. A more seasoned Director would have found a way around this.
Penn indulges himself in wild gestures even when talking to the person right next to him.
Stark blows his stack throughout the film. The other performances are more low key, so the Willie speeches jar the audience and undo the quieter moments in the film.
The accents. Sean Penn's Willie is impossible to understand for the first third of the film. Jude Law's Jack Burden the reporter, is only a shade off his usual British accent. Not really American. Willie is romancing his woman aide Virginia Clarkson, in addition to his wife, a skater-stripper, and the Judge's daughter. The judge's daughter is played by Kate Winslet. She's an Aussie. The Judge is played by Anthony Hopkins. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) has a thankless role as a political handler. Both Winslet and Hopkins are totally understandable but not particularly Louisiana accented. Patricia Clarkson is FROM New Orleans, but doesn't particularly have an accent.
The screenplay is a mess. There is no time for Willie to actually have the romances with the women. They are only alluded to. What is really missing though is a sense of the crowd, the base of any political film. Willie is never down among them, always above them talking over their heads. You have to hear something representative from the crowd to know what they're thinking. Apart from some sour looks, the film never gives a sense of who the voters are. The film needs to be opened up in the way stage-locked plays often are when converted to movies.
Instead of being a movie about a gargoyle in Louisiana politics, this film instead becomes a story about an insular group of political people infighting and romancing one another. The film lacks the necessary sense of the crowd that brings politics alive.
Sean Penn was riveting in All the King's Men.......2007-05-15
I did not feel inclined to watch this movie because I always look at the starring roles to help me determine if I should bother. The movies of Sean Penn that I had seen on TV never really impressed me. I generally take a helping of salt with the accolades given by Grammy awards or critics, as I have watched so many movies with great ravings only to find them to be plain junk - but not this one! This is one that got few ravings but deserved much more due to the performance of Sean Penn. I rented this film on a whim, took it home on a week-end and I still did not watch it. Returned it and again on a whim I paid the fee again to see it. I have no regrets.
This is a masterpiece, shouldered and driven almost exclusively on the shoulders of Sean Penn. That guy made me rewind and rewind just to hear him deliver a line. His mannerisms, his charisma, the way he ingrained himself into that Stark character had me hypnotized. The supporting roles were important to me, especially the role of Jack Burden played by Jude Law. However, these roles were only serving to interest me into what impact these other players had on the Stark character. I could not look away or think of anything else but what was going on in that movie. I know nothing of the history of the characters this movie may be based upon, I watched it to relax and be entertained. Sean Penn pulled me right into the movie. Now that is what I call entertainment. Thank you!
Bayou blues.......2007-04-23
I thought this movie much too dark
too shallow and too slow
Most characters don't come to life
they just go with the flow
It starts off well with Willie Stark
the hick who would be king
He turned the tables on the folk
who'd yanked him on a string
He gave 'em heck, this simple man
but power soon corrupts
He gets his fingers dirty
and a scandal then erupts
He's no more crooked than the rest
as we will soon discover
And asks his spin practitioner
some secrets to uncover
Jack Burden is his right hand man
Polite and politic
Backgrounds more like chalk and cheese
Yet something makes it stick
A tangled web they weave and spin
But much is left unsaid
Desires, dreams and ambitions
left hanging by a thread
Sean Penn fits neatly in the role
Law mostly looks pretty
Winslet never gets a chance
to show her nitty gritty
The others just weave in and out
without a strong foundation
If this one's showing on TV
I think I'd change the station
Amanda Richards, April 23, 2007
WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?.......2007-04-19
THIS REVIEW IS BEING USED FOR BOTH THE SEAN PENN AND BRODERICK CRAWFORD VERSIONS OF ALL THE KING'S MEN
I have seen both film versions of Robert Penn Warren's classic tale of the rise and fall of a `populist' corrupted politician, Willie Stark, based at least loosely on the political career of 1930's Louisiana Governor Huey Long. America has had no shortage of such politicians who have allegedly championed the cause of the `little people' in their rise to power while on the side lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends. The late Governor of Alabama George Wallace comes to mind as a more modern example but there have been others, some who did not bother to champion the cause of `little people' or anyone else, for that matter.
The question before us, however, is who is the real Willie Stark. Since the story line is fairly simple and familiar from a glance at today's newspapers or a look at the political landscape it is the believability of the performances in the films that counts here. Broderick Crawford played in the original black and white film version and won an Academy Award for his performance by acting as a initially naïve country bumpkin with a thirst for power to do `good' who is corrupted by power as he goes about the business of governance. Seemingly, all his baser instincts come into play and there is an almost fatalistic sense that he is in for a big fall. Sean Penn in the more recent version seems to be more world weary about the political process and cynical about what he can do for the `people' and himself when in power. Of the two, Crawford just seems to be more comfortable in his interpretation of the role. Moreover, in the recent version the narrator's story, that of a troubled alcoholic former news reporter hired by Stark as his smooth-tongued flak, takes top-billing and that diminishes Stark's role in all the shenanigans. For my money, although Penn's performance may appeal to today's more politician-averse audience Crawford wins this duel. View both films and you decide.
Average customer rating:
|
All The King's Men (Import Edition)
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ASIN: B000ENIUZU |
Product Description
Brand new, factory sealed, official release edition manufactured in South Korea. Very clear full screen black and white image. Original English dialog with optional Korean subtitles which can be turned off. On screen menus are in English and are easy to use. DVD case comes in attractive slipcase. The following review appeared for the VHS edition: Writer-director Robert Rossen and character actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge (in her film debut) took home Oscars (for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) for this excellent adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Crawford stars as Willie Stark, a charismatic populist Southern politician (inspired by the real Louisiana Governor Huey Long) who belies his "man of the people" roots as he ruthlessly maneuvers, lies, and deals his way into the halls of power. John Ireland is his right-hand man, Jack Burden, a newsman turned political flack who hangs on to Stark's early idealism even in the face of Stark's most reprehensible acts of corruption. McCambridge is Stark's cool mistress come calculating assistant. The immediacy of the drama is due in part to a documentary-like style, notably in the scenes on the campaign trail where Stark sways crowds with his folksy rhetoric and estimable charm. Joanne Dru and John Derek also costar. Rossen's savage screenplay and firm direction give the film a powerful punch, but it's Crawford's blustery charm and oversized performance that carry the picture. --Sean Axmaker
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