The Best Man [DVD] [1964]

The Best Man could be said to form the centrepiece of a fine trio of films that examine the conflicting claims of idealism and cynical opportunism in the jungle of Washington politics. Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939) has an idealistic young senator discovering the realities of career advancement, and nearly 40 years later All The President's Men (1976) chronicles in absorbing detail the chilling extent to which criminal corruption has taken hold under Nixon.

The Best Man (1964) is set just as an unnamed political party is holding its convention to choose its presidential election candidate from 5 hopefuls (ie not quite as per the present Democrat/Republican procedure). The two front runners, Henry Fonda (liberal, principled) and Cliff Robertson (right-wing populist, ready to get as down and dirty as it takes) are slugging it out while Lee Tracy's ex-President (mysteriously already having stepped down in a departure from present practice) debates whom to endorse. The movie follows the see-sawing of advantage as both battle to grab Tracy's favour while having to make decisions about how far to jettison morality in pursuit of the Big Plum.

This is a classy production in every sense, both gripping and thoughtful, and never too talky which is an easy pitfall for this type of film to take. The stand-out feature is Gore Vidal's script, taken by him from his Broadway play, which is urgent, literate and economical in display of the characters' personalities and viewpoints. It never trivialises the competing pull of ambition and jettisoning of belief. The direction by Franklin Schaffner (Patton, Planet of the Apes, Papillon) is brisk in its movement from the domestic to the public, and though the whole thing is studio-set it never feels cramped or limited in scope. There's clever integration of library pictures of political conventions into the action.

Henry Fonda once again plays the liberal at war with his conscience; despite his screen presence, I thought he's here less interesting than Cliff Robertson who gets a long way down into the character of the self-made, driven, unscrupulous yet strangely sympathetic contender. The support acting is lively - Lee Tracy (of whom we learn that "he had a voracious appetite for high living") as the ex-President makes an Oscar-winning turn as a self-proclaimed folksy, simple man of politics, and Ann Sothern (excellent in Letter to Three Wives from 1949) is a fast-talking, demanding party mover-and-shaker.

Top-notch political satire, cynical but with a heart.

In my humble view, one of the best pictures ever made about the mechanics of politics behind closed doors.

All the fancy frills of the Elections in the United States fade away, when one watches this movie about two rivals running for office.

It is like watching "Rocky Balboa", but without gloves, no ring and above all, no rules,... or maybe yes?

The basic story of an honest and straight forward politician who wants to run for his own principles against a pitiless, ruthless and highly opportunistic adversary, who spares no tricks of infamy, in order to get where he wants.

It is about how it is, and not how it should or could be.

It is a very disturbing movie, like a very good thriller, only that there are no dead people (at least no corpses), and the harm done outweighs far more
the outreaches of a single bullet.

It is harm done to the Nation, to the People, to all of us.

Those who know this movie, also know what I am talking about. For those who have never watched it, I can only recommend it, in order to understand how politics work, not just in the United States, but everywhere.

It is also interesting to see how ruthlessness can sometimes be of more value than good intents and honesty.

It is not just about politics and politicians, it is about us, the human race.

Indeed, "The Best Man" is a lesson for us all, to get an insight in what and who we really are.

Forget the Election Parties and embark in this tense and intense social study of "Homo Politicus".

With great names like Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson in the starring roles, you really cannot get disappointed...

Set during the convention of an unspecified political party which will elect its presidential candidate, two different candidates face off for the party's nomination. A cerebral pundit (Henry Fonda) and a "man of the people" (Cliff Robertson). They loathe each other and each has something they can use against the other in order to get the presidential bid. Directed by Oscar winner Franklin Schaffner (PATTON) with a screenplay by Gore Vidal (based on his play), the plot is contrived with each character a straw man for Vidal's agenda rather than any recognizable human being. They stand and they prattle on, pontificating on this and that. That being said, fifty years later and it still stings with truth, politics as dirty now as it was then. The performances vary. Cliff Robertson, Edie Adams are very good and Lee Tracy (in an Oscar nominated performance) something more than that. Alas Fonda is dull as usual, poor Margaret Leighton as his wife hasn't much to do but Shelley Berman as a snitch from Robertson's past is appallingly awful. His performance is shocking in its ineptitude. With Ann Sothern, Kevin McCarthy, Gene Raymond, Richard Arlen and Anne Newman.

The Optimum Classics import from Great Britain is a solid B&W transfer in its original 1.66 aspect ratio.