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Winchell

Winchell (1998)

November. 21,1998
|
6.7
|
R
| Drama History TV Movie

The true story of the influential and controversial columnist, Walter Winchell.

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Phonearl
1998/11/21

Good start, but then it gets ruined

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Ceticultsot
1998/11/22

Beautiful, moving film.

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FuzzyTagz
1998/11/23

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

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Philippa
1998/11/24

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

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dataconflossmoor
1998/11/25

This HBO presentation was a somber and bittersweet depiction of famous columnist, Walter Winchell. Director, Pat Mazursky, illustrates this biography through the eyes of Walter Winchell's key assistant. This assistant viewed Winchell as someone for whom he garnered an ardent admiration! My association with Walter Winchell was that he use to narrate episodes of "The Untouchables". In the zenith of Winchell's career, he was an uncompromising columnist who exemplified the phrase; "The power of the pen is mightier than the sword". Anybody who was anybody in Hollywood during the late thirties through the early fifties, was interviewed and featured in Walter Winchell's column! Winchell's quip about how "Hollywood has to be seen to be disbelieved" was a witty one liner which described Hollywood to be a tenuous hotbed of raw capitalism! Walter Winchell engaged in many commentaries which ultimately gave him a political prowess during World War II !! He was always greeted as a recognizably formidable foe by prominent paragons at the pinnacle of national power; This included moguls and dignitaries such as William Randolph Hearst and President Franklin Deleno Roosevelt. Walter Winchell possessed many qualities which made him successful.. The fact that he went after the truth, and eventually acquired a cunning and creative stranglehold on the American News media, is something which can be attributed to Winchell's basically egotistical nature. Winchell's callous determination made him vicariously ruthless just by virtue of adhering to some simple journalistic procedures!! While this hacked out, made for TV movie, by HBO, cannot really be considered one of the best efforts of movie making, it definitely served a useful purpose!! What I conceptualized with "Winchell" was that he was driven to make a difference in the American News media world!! Making a difference in the American news media subsequently translated to Winchell evoking a radically different perspective on many of the sordid events which were pertinent to a myriad of individuals in the entire world altogether. This movie gave you an effectively brief synopsis of the type of life Walter Winchell engaged in, as well as the life he wound up with! So!! What was the scoop on his personal life? He died a lonely widower, his son committed suicide, and his mentally disturbed daughter was the only one who attended his funeral!! Such a grim scenario suggests that Winchell's national prominence concurrently manufactured a personal life of domestic alienation! The fact that nobody attended his funeral is painstakingly ironic for Winchell, as a newspaper columnist perceives that the most heinous emotion by which to be afflicted is the emotion of being deluged with disinterest!! The knifing acrimony to Winchell's deteriorating fame manifested itself most convincingly when people talked about him in past tense!! When his assistant heard of his passing away in 1972, Winchell's obituary served as a platitude consisting of mere mention of the bygone era in which Walter Winchell was a news media legend! Time erosion relegated Walter Winchell to a sinister anonymity!! The utterly insidious monster of death reduces even the most famous people to faint memories. Walter Winchell's tumultuous life epitomized his philosophy which was expressed very succinctly with his famous quote of "America,love it or leave it". I enjoyed this HBO production, and, I definitely feel that Walter Winchell is, without question, a noteworthy element of historical importance in America!! See this movie if you can!!

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tswa963505
1998/11/26

This is a great movie. Cinematography and scripting are excellent. The fact that it wasn't a summer blockbuster in the vein of "Independence Day" and "Mission: Impossible" speaks well for it. Stanley Tucci's performance is riveting. He portrays the complexity of character of a highly controversial figure, hated by some and loved by others, and both for good reason. He was a crony of J. Edgar Hoover, but also had a social conscience. One minute we see Winchell shamelessly using blackmail in order to be the first to scoop a story; the next we see him being beaten to within an inch of his life by Hitler sympathizer thugs because he refused to be silent on the threat of the rise of Naziism.

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Mitch-38
1998/11/27

Stanley Tucci leads a super ensemble cast, in this HBO movie biography of Walter Winchell. His knack for sensationalism, gossip mongering and trademark rapid fire bark zoomed him to a pinnacle of media influence. His heavy handed approach brought the news to many, and the ire of many, as well. His tirade over the differences over FDR, as opposed to Harry Truman, really nailed home the notion of Winchell's megalomania. His ghost writers (who did an inordinate amount of the work he claimed) argued the resulting event was the same. Winchell rattled on about the difference in "finesse." Mr. Tucci makes his subject a sympathetic, zealous and outrageous character. An excellent perormance. The supporting cast is above par, with Glenne Heady, Christopher Plummer and Kevin Tighe as W.R. Hearst (who could use a biopic of his own...oh, that's right...a movie HAS been made about him! *wink, wink*). The stand out is truly Paul Giamatti, as the talented and much-abused Herman Klurfeld, whose book was the basis for this movie. The only detractions is that some other characters are not well developed, and seem to suffice as only background setting. The business relationship between Winchell and FBI Chief Hoover would've been interesting to delve into. Also, Winchell's family life and the tragedy of his son, would've been interesting to explore. Of course, with that said, this movie is still very interesting, and well worth your time.

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Doctor_Bombay
1998/11/28

Being a child of television. The legacy of Walter Winchell to me previously consisted of bits and pieces. ITEMS as it may.This recent in a series of HBO bio-pics gives loving attention to Winchell, the man, his inventiveness, dedication and ultimately, his power. It seems complete enough in the spectrum with which we view the man. There is suggestion that his influence may have rivaled FDR himself, and he shows William Randolph Hearst to be no match mano-a-mano.Paul Mazursky is perfectly suited to direct this and gives us everything we need on the screen. Stanley Tucci earns a well-deserved Golden Globe in the title role. Paul Giamatti is superb as Winchell's ghost, Klurfeld (who's book sourced this film), only Glenne Headley, who's work tends to be spotty at times, seems a bit overmatched as WINCHELL's southern-fried moll, Dallas.I left with renewed respect, for the man.

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