All the King’s Men

Rating

Director

Robert Rossen

Screenplay

Robert Rossen (Novel: by Robert Penn Warren)

Length

109 min.

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

MPAA Rating

Unrated

Review

As long as there have been politics, there have been dirty politicians. All the King’s Men takes a fictional look back at the American political landscape during the Great Depression.

Based on the Robert Penn Warren novel of the same name, All the King’s Men tells the story of self-proclaimed hick Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) and his struggle to strike down the corruption in the government and make a better climate for his fellow farmers. The story is loosely based on the life of Louisiana Governor Huey Long who, like Willie Stark in the film, came to prominence in politics as a true “representative” of the people. The film tells of different events, but enough similarity remains that none question its obvious source base.

The pic begins as journalist Jack Burden (John Ireland) is sent to cover the story of Willie Stark’s efforts to bring down his corrupt city council. The council had given the bid for a new schoolhouse to a family member of one of their number who took the job at a higher price than the lowest bidder. Though he fails in his bid to become city auditor, a tragedy at the schoolhouse gives Stark the boost he needed to win the next election.

Crawford’s spirited performance as the oft beleaguered Stark is engaging. It’s not difficult to see why people respond to him. He’s the kind of guy everyone hopes will get into office as he might do some good like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. His problem is that, like all men who seek power, he comes to understand the only way he’ll get elected is to work with the people he pledges to thwart if chosen.

Although Burden is the central character of the film, it was Crawford who was nominated for and won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was certainly a deserving winner, though was more descriptively a supporting player. Though Ireland was nominated as a supporting player, he lost the award to Dean Jagger in Twelve O’Clock High. The film’s other Oscar winner, besides its trophy for Best Picture, was Mercedes McCambridge as Stark’s political adviser Sadie Burke. McCambridge does a good job portraying the character’s early naivety and subsequent descent into the dark job of complicity. She’s a stalwart presence in the picture and is far more deserving the moniker Supporting than Ireland.

All the King’s Men stands starkly as the prime example of the disgusting nature of politics. Special interests want everything they can get and they are not above bribery or extortion. In 1949, the film served as a reminder. Today, the film stands as a stirring representation of the state of modern politics. The hallowed halls of Congress have been besmirched by scandal and lobbyists whose job it is to win budget items and stop bills that could harm their employers’ attempts to make more money than they need.

It is quite disturbing how succinctly the film’s story mirrors today’s political climate. However, the tale is as hold as history itself. From Brutus’ betrayal to the no-bid contracts to Halliburton, there is no question that politics is a dirty business and All the King’s Men just lifts up the rug to show us all the dirt we don’t want to admit has been swept under it.

Review Written

October 30, 2006