Political Movie – “The Best Man”
September 21, 2008 by Roger
Filed under After Work
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I recently watched “The Best Man,” a 1964 political film starring Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson, with Lee Tracy, Edie Adams and Ann Southern. (I guess I haven’t yet had my fill of politics on MSNBC, CNN or PBS, and with the stock market having been so calm recently, there was absolutely no reason at all to watch CNBC.)
But, I digress… the movie plot revolves around a deadlocked Democratic convention, with Fonda and Robertson playing the role of the front runners vying to secure the nomination for President.
Fonda plays a thoughtful, ethical man, with a wry sense of humor and a strong sense of what he will, and will not, do to win the nomination. His flaw is that he seems indecisive. Robertson, on the other hand, is a decisive, almost impulsive man, who is ruthless and who will do whatever it takes to win the nomination. Think of him as a cross between Richard Nixon and Joe McCarthy. (In the movie, Robertson became famous for his hearings on whether the Mafia was controlled by the Communists.)
So, we have one candidate with a conscience and another without; one, who was so convinced that he was in the right, that he was willing to smear his opponent. They are both seeking the endorsement of the ex-president, played convincingly by Lee Tracy, who won an Oscar for his portrayal. We see the machinations of the convention, the threats and deals.
Looking back to 1964, it’s amazing (given the era) that Tracy says that we’ve had a Catholic president, and some day we will have a Jewish President, a Negro President, and (to laughter) even a Lady President. Sounds funny now, but remember, this movie is 44 years old.
Originally, The Best Man was written as a Broadway play which opened in 1960. Both the Broadway play and screen play for the movie were written by Gore Vidal, who had the right balance of insider knowledge, cynicism and optimism.
As an aside, the story goes that Ronald Reagan was considered for a role, but studio executives decided Reagan “didn’t look presidential.”
The movie is well acted, engaging and entertaining. The entire cast was very good, but Fonda and Robertson were standouts. The Best Man is worth watching if you can catch it on TV, as it’s not yet available on DVD.