The Best Man (1964)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Don't Believe the Hype

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The Best Man is from 1964 and it could have been made today. Gore Vidal first wrote it as a play which he later adapted for the screen. Vidal had real life experience as an insider in politics. He was on a first name basis with JFK. Henry Fonda stars as an idealistic politician running for president. Cliff Robertson is his opponent in a primary before the election. The man has no scruples and will do anything to win the election. The wheeling and dealing are shown in a very realistic manner. Vidal's script cuts like a razor sharp scalpel. More then fifty years later and nothing has changed. We need more Gore Vidal's today to cut through all the BS.

In a Presidential convention, William Russell (Henry Fonda) and Joe Cantwell (Cliff Robertson) are the leading candidates. Russell is a principled intellectual with personal issues that could haunt him. His estranged wife Alice is supportive publicly. Cantwell is a populist on the outside, and a ruthless opportunist on the inside. His wife is superficial. They struggle for the endorsement of the departing President Art Hockstader. Cantwell threatens to Hockstader that he would release Russell's secret psychiatric hospital records. In his all important speech, Hockstader doesn't give a direct endorsement throwing the convention open. He has concerns about Russell but vows to stop Cantwell.This is a political movie of the era. The main characters are referencing politicians of the time. It loses a little with the passage of time. Fonda and Robertson are exceptional. Writer Gore Vidal injects the movie with plenty of behind the scenes realism. It is more real than most political thrillers of that era.

The funniest thing here is reading the contorted, puzzled attempt to assert that Robertson's character is based on Nixon, but why would "Nixon" be running for the Democratic nomination against "Adlai Stevenson." The reason is that Robertson's character was based on John F. Kennedy (not Nixon) of that close family friend of the Kennedys, Sen. Joe McCarthy.Now, doesn't it make more sense? Jack Kennedy, in the late 1950s, still parroting the line of his old man (who was a Hitler fan), was the coldest warrior ever to seek the White House.Of course, getting his brains blown out has martyred & deified him, but he was once a tough-titty anti-commie.So, if you do a little research, you can find sources that say Joe Cantwell = Jack Kennedy. It's not a perfect match, Just as William Russell is a womanizer where Adlai Stevenson was dogged by degenerate rumors, but JFK was said to be Vidal's inspiration for Cantwell.

"The Best Man" shows only A PART of the shenanigans that politicians use to win, at all costs. I can't, at this minute, remember the title of the film based-on Gov Huey P. Long of Louisiana; I do, because I'm from that part of the country and knew some of the Long family."Wm. Russell" (Henry Fonda) is a rarity, the unknown character of honest men involved in government since Jimmy Carter. If you know anything about his administration, you'll remember he was powerless because he would not deal with crooked politicians. "Joe Cantwell" (Cliff Robertson) is the epitome of corruption and scandal-mongering. Kevin McCartney's role as the "whistle-blower" who's attempting to provide evidence that "Cantwell" was involved with soldiers being discharged for homosexual activity, is right-on. You just know that "Cantwell" was guilty, too; "Mabel Cantwell's" (Edie Adams) reaction to the possibility the situation was about to be exposed should tell the story. Lee Tracy as former President Art Hockstader was brilliantly played, a wily ole fox. That "Russells" refused to get involved with mud-slinging (and throwing his influence behind one of the 2nd-tier candidates) is a testament of how desperate this country is for a moral government, and seems unable to achieve it. FDR knew how to get results, but his drawing this country from the dregs of The Depression and leading the USA to become the greatest country yet, is a testament to how beloved he was. I recall seeing him in an open jeep (in a parade), with no security-guards....There must be politicians like "Russell," but they don't seem to be able to become known to the voters. All the hype on the current (2007) presidential campaign is a prime example. "The Best Man" was heart-warming. I enjoyed every role, especially Ann Sothern and Mahalia Jackson. Let's have more of these enlightening films. Everyone should see it.