Sunrise at Campobello (1960)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

A different way of telling a story

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

* A minor detail perhaps but while Sunrise at Campobello (1960) is indeed a great movie I felt that Greer Garson was just too lovely for the role of Eleanor Roosevelt. Despite being a great actress she was an unrealistic choice for that role. A homelier actress such as Mary Wickes or Kathleen Freeman might have been more ideal for that role.

If this film were made today, it would be all about the affair that the charming and dapper Franklin Roosevelt probably was having with his secretary.But this 1960 production turns on the mutually respectful friendship between the future president and his quintessentially sensitive wife. Ralph Bellamy and Greer Garson turn in impressive impersonations.But what's best about this film is its thoughtful treatment of disability. FDR's contracting of polio at age 40 forces him to slow down and develop such admirable character traits as patience.Everyone can learn something from the courageous and gracious way in which he perseveres, partly in response to the encouragement of his good friend Louis Howe (played with gusto by Hume Cronyn), and in part to set an example for his five children."Anna, most of our blessings come in heavy disguises," Franklin tells his headstrong only daughter.Eleanor demonstrates extraordinary understanding at many points along the way."When one member of the family is ill, it's difficult for the rest of the family," she tells Anna. "What all of us tend to forget is, it's most difficult for the one who is sick." This movie lavishes too much time on Franklin's bossy mother but in all it presents an elegant meditation on determination.The final frame truly soars.

I'm a fan of biographies, but most I never want to watch again even if they were pretty good. SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO is an exception to my usual rule. This is such a complex and emotional film that it's worth seeing at least once.Ralph Bellamy repeats his successful stage role and does so with great aplomb. But the real bravo goes to Greer Garson. She's barely recognizable as Eleanor Roosevelt. I'm sure she gave Meryl Streep a lesson or two in becoming a real life character vs. portraying one. Both are fine actresses, but I'd say Garson accomplishes this goal even more so than Streep in THE IRON LADY. However, there's no need to have a competition. My point is that the great actresses of today clearly were influenced by the great ones of yesteryear. Garson, though nominated, didn't win the Oscar. Elizabeth Taylor did for BUTTERFIELD 8. This film is an example of an actress who might have won in a less political year. But the Oscars aren't the litmus test for all films.Garson's Eleanor Roosevelt champions Bellamy's FDR, overcomes his and her own adversities, raises a large family to boot, and is still one of the most famous women in history. Garson has no trouble whatsoever in accomplishing this great feat of portraying so adeptly this powerhouse of a woman. If you like American history (tweaked of course to pass the Hays code), biographies, or Bellamy, or especially Garson, then watch this engrossing film and be transported to another era where even the rich, famous, and powerful people have problems, yet they lead by example and overcome the necessary obstacles together that cover the steps (literally) which eventually lead to their place in political history.

I have seen a number of Ralph Bellamy films where he was cast as a looser type tied to his mother's apron strings. The problem is he did too good of a job. Can you say type casting? I am a huge fan of classic films because I believe it was a time when a movie was judged as good or bad by the skill of the actors and not insane special effects. There is a place for special effects that can take people to new worlds or bring us back to the past so well we feel we are there. All the special effects in the world can save a movie if the acting is bad or if a part is given to the wrong person. Sometimes the only special effects needed is in the magick kit and the imagination of the make up artist. A gifted director can bring out the best in any actor. When everything comes together at the right time and real magick is made and the viewer is entertained. When Ralph Bellamy was cast in the play and the movie he was able to show how much talent he really had. I was amazed how he transformed himself. I believe he showed the very essence of the man. He should have at least received a nomination for this grand performance.