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By
NICK ZEGARAC
One of a handful of truly
outstanding political thrillers, "Advise and
Consent" (1962) is a powerful masterwork, yet
sadly, largely unseen film today.
From director Otto Preminger, whose body of work
never ceases to amaze, this film stars Henry Fonda
as Robert Leffingwell, a would-be candidate for
the appointment of Secretary of State. Although
Leffingwell has the President's (Franchot Tone)
backing, he must first be put under the microscope
of a senate investigation. However, when
scandalous bits of dirt begin to surface about
Leffingwell's past, including links to the
communist party, its up to cockeyed optimist, and
senate committee leader, Brig Anderson (Don
Murray) to deduce the best course of action. Apart
from being populated by a veritable who's who of
old time star talent (including Walter Pigeon,
Charles Laughton, Lew Ayres, Peter Lawford, Gene
Tierney and Burgess Meredith, who deliver
outstanding performances) the film is also a harsh
critique of the Washington bureaucratic machinery
that functions in cloaked secrecy behind the
façade of American justice. The climactic hearing,
with its rogue element, faux patriots, and
government conspiracies beginning to unravel, is
pointedly shocking, but never cliché. This is one
heck of a good show.
The same can be said of the DVD transfer from
Warner Bros.; marvelous, anamorphic B&W picture
element, with solid deep blacks and variably clean
whites in what you get. Occasionally dirt and
scratches appear but nothing that will terribly
distract from the visual presentation. The audio
has been nicely preserved and remastered along
with the picture elements. Drew Casper's film
commentary is a tad meandering at times, but
overall offers fruitful reflections and a wealth
of historical fact that compliment this DVD
presentation. First rate in every way, "Advise and
Consent" is definitely one to add to your DVD
collection. |
