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That's the nursery rhyme that gives name to this dark political drama. All the King's Men follows the rise and fall of Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford), a homegrown and ambitious politician from a rural county that learns how to ride the system and ends up becoming as corrupt and ruthless as those that he condemned. All this at the expense of everyone close to him, from his family to his close associates.
The film is notable for winning the Best Picture Oscar back in the day. However, after watching it, I'm surprised this film doesn't get mentioned more often because it was quite good. The film is mostly told through the point of view of journalist Jack Burden (John Ireland), who becomes Stark's right-hand man, despite not agreeing with his methods. The way the film takes Burden, and pretty much every character in Stark's inner circle in and out of the figurative dark alleys and corners of his deeds is great, and is all on Crawford's shoulders who sells Stark's transformation completely.
I also loved how the story takes its time to build up what happens. Stark's transformation from ardent populist to corrupt leader isn't immediate, but rather takes long years as the system chips away at Stark's outer shell, until he breaks. Stark is surrounded by people with different motives, none of which is able to put him together again. From the loyal Sadie (Mercedes McCambridge) who secretly harbors an affection for Stark, to Ireland, who ends up selling his soul to Stark, despite how deep the latter's actions affect him.
The thing is that Ireland doesn't stand a chance against Crawford, who is amazing in the lead role. This might be one of my issues with the film because whenever Stark isn't on screen, the film lacks something, and even though Ireland is good, I don't think he's able to fill that void. McCambridge, on the other hand, makes the most out of Sadie creating a character I would love to find out more about. Joanne Dru and Shepperd Strudwick round out the cast as siblings Anne and Adam, both of which end up being used by Stark in different ways.
I knew little about this film until last month when I saw it, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by it. From a neatly written story with its dark, noirish tinges to the great performances, especially from Crawford and McCambridge. A stark indictment of how different people can become corrupted by the words and doings of politicians, sometimes without realizing so. Something that might be as relevant now, as it was in 1949.
Grade:
ALL THE KING'S MEN
(1949, Rossen)
A film about politics
(1949, Rossen)
A film about politics
"♪ Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall ♫
♫ All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again ♪"
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall ♫
♫ All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again ♪"
That's the nursery rhyme that gives name to this dark political drama. All the King's Men follows the rise and fall of Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford), a homegrown and ambitious politician from a rural county that learns how to ride the system and ends up becoming as corrupt and ruthless as those that he condemned. All this at the expense of everyone close to him, from his family to his close associates.
The film is notable for winning the Best Picture Oscar back in the day. However, after watching it, I'm surprised this film doesn't get mentioned more often because it was quite good. The film is mostly told through the point of view of journalist Jack Burden (John Ireland), who becomes Stark's right-hand man, despite not agreeing with his methods. The way the film takes Burden, and pretty much every character in Stark's inner circle in and out of the figurative dark alleys and corners of his deeds is great, and is all on Crawford's shoulders who sells Stark's transformation completely.
I also loved how the story takes its time to build up what happens. Stark's transformation from ardent populist to corrupt leader isn't immediate, but rather takes long years as the system chips away at Stark's outer shell, until he breaks. Stark is surrounded by people with different motives, none of which is able to put him together again. From the loyal Sadie (Mercedes McCambridge) who secretly harbors an affection for Stark, to Ireland, who ends up selling his soul to Stark, despite how deep the latter's actions affect him.
The thing is that Ireland doesn't stand a chance against Crawford, who is amazing in the lead role. This might be one of my issues with the film because whenever Stark isn't on screen, the film lacks something, and even though Ireland is good, I don't think he's able to fill that void. McCambridge, on the other hand, makes the most out of Sadie creating a character I would love to find out more about. Joanne Dru and Shepperd Strudwick round out the cast as siblings Anne and Adam, both of which end up being used by Stark in different ways.
I knew little about this film until last month when I saw it, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by it. From a neatly written story with its dark, noirish tinges to the great performances, especially from Crawford and McCambridge. A stark indictment of how different people can become corrupted by the words and doings of politicians, sometimes without realizing so. Something that might be as relevant now, as it was in 1949.
Grade: