:All the King’s Men:
This Best Picture winner was engaging, had wonderful pacing, and a storyline that really moved. I can definitely recommend it. The acting was also top notch and two additional academy awards for acting were granted to this picture. One went to Broderick Crawford for his depiction of protagonist Willie Stark and the other to Mercedes McCambridge for her portrayal of his campaign official, Sadie.
Sadie is pretty steady throughout but we watch Willie Stark transform from an earnest shitkicker to a slick political operative over the course of the film in a very compelling way.
It’s based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name by Robert Penn Warren. The story is said to come from the real life drama surrounding Louisiana Governor Huey long.
:Gun Crazy:
Gun Crazy, which filmsite.org stacks up against All the King’s Men for 1949, is another film noire. Now that I’ve seen three of these I have a growing appreciation for the genre even if it’s not one of my faves.
Peggy Cummins and John Dall star in this movie of two young people obsessed with guns, crime and each other. It’s a Bonnie and Clyde type story and given that and the era, they marry promptly and embark on a lusty spree of violence.
Cummins is the brains behind the duo and Dall, despite his love of firearms, doesnt actually want to kill anything, which I think is supposed to be a conflict.
I guess I’m just old and crotchety about the sex though because it didn’t do it for me. A beautiful woman takes a pistol out of her holster and uses bullets shot out of the end of it to light the candles around a man’s head. I know that was supposed to be sexy but I just was not feeling it. A Streetcar Named Desire was a hell of a lot more enticing. Maybe I just require my violent on-screen sex to be nauseating before I find it interesting.
For 1949 i’m voting with the Academy and placing all my chips with All the Kings Men.
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