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All the King's Men (1949)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
6/17
6/17:
It doesn't take long for me to realize All the King's Men is a biopic about Huey P. Long, aka Kingfish, the
famous controversial governor/senator from Louisiana.
That's why I knew how the long-forgotten film was going to end, serving an easy way out for Willie Stark. According
to Broderick Crawford: "During the filming, we never mentioned the name of Huey Long on the set. That was the
unspoken law at the studio."
What I don't like is how simple everything has been. I'm afraid life doesn't work that way. Thus, it's a
sure bet Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, of which I've never read, is probably better. Worse is
the need for Jack Burden (John Ireland), who only hangs around and witnesses the dirty business as if he's a
stand-in for the audience. It seems pointless if he doesn't believe in the guy himself. Worst of all, WHERE ARE
THE BLACK PEOPLE??? This is Louisiana, sheesh. If their votes were being suppressed on purpose, then state that fact.
The acting is okay. Nobody stands out. Therefore, the Oscars for Broderick Crawford, who was drunk during the
filming, and Mercedes McCambridge, in her screen debut, are undeserving. So is the Best Picture nod. It's merely
an average political movie. By the way, I don't think I had seen John Derek act before; maybe I saw a few movies
he appeared in, but I never noticed him. He plays Willie Stark's son. Why I'm mentioning his name is that he ended
up marrying Bo Derek who's thirty years his junior.
All in all, All the King's Men makes for a fair viewing, but it paints a simplistic picture of dirty politics.