Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 16-October-05
Spoiler Rating: Low

Advise and Consent (1962)

Otto Preminger's adaptation of the Pulitzer prizewinner "Advise and Consent" concerns the myriad people involved with ratifying a Secretary of State. As the movie opens, the U. S. President (Franchot Tone) has just announced his nomination of the controversial Robert Leffingwell (Henry Fonda), a self-proclaimed "egghead" with a history of speaking his mind. As battle lines form even within the President's own party, the Senate Majority Leader (Walter Pidgeon) makes the rounds trying to determine where the chips will fall. Introducing the characters takes up the first 20 minutes of the film and threatens to become rather dull; but then the senior senator from South Carolina (Charles Laughton) rises to speak and things start to get interesting.

From that point onward "Advise and Consent" is a gripping representation of the singular, self-contained ecosystem of Capitol Hill. (Whether it's accurate or not I have no idea, but it sure seems believable.) As the players line up to take a swing at Leffingwell, the President's judgment, and each other, the movie details the wonderfully formal banter that takes place on the Senate floor and the codes of honor held by the body as a whole. Laughton paints a particularly vibrant portrait of Dixieland conservatism, but he and Pidgeon work well together in demonstrating how hardened veterans can adhere to the same larger calling despite mutual contention and opposing views.

Contention and opposition are the name of the game, so the movie also reflects how strong a man or woman must be to venture into American government. Drawing heavily upon Fonda's aura of honesty, the character of Leffingwell epitomizes the political challenge of staying on one's toes, taking nothing too personally, and sticking to one's beliefs where one can. His situation further illustrates how hard the DC life can be on a politician's family, a theme echoed in the pivotal account of Brigham Anderson (Don Murray), a senator from Utah whose craving for integrity leaves him vulnerable to attack. Scenes between Leffingwell and his son, and Anderson and his wife (Inga Swenson), depict the pain that comes when someone wants to play hardball and remain upright at the same time. In merely attempting this balancing act, these men stand in stark contrast to a fanatical colleague (George Grizzard) who doesn't understand that even congressional wheeling and dealing has its standards of right and wrong.

As an added touch, the story includes a wimpy Vice President (Lew Ayres) faced with the possibility of having to assume the ultimate command. In a way, he points to the conclusion of "Advise and Consent:" how the bold, determined, and strangely courtly figures who run our country are naught but human, i.e., governed by strength and weakness, principle and spite, emotion and hard logic; yet because they have chosen a tough life for a reason, their efforts are worthy of note.

Copyright © 2005 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.