All the King’s Men
Composite Score: 83.73
Starring: Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek, Mercedes McCambridge, Shepperd Strudwick, Anne Seymour, Raymond Greenleaf, and Walter Burke
Director: Robert Rossen
Writer: Robert Rossen
Genres: Drama, Film-noir, Politics
MPAA Rating: Approved
Box Office: $4.20 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
All the King’s Men is Robert Rossen’s 1949 adaptation of Robert Penn Warren’s novel of the same name, based on the life and career of Louisiana politician Huey Long. The film follows the story of reporter Jack Burden as he chronicles the attempts of Willie Stark to break into their state’s political system and institute reforms for the “hicks” and the poor in the area. As Stark’s success grows, so does Jack’s, along with the corruption that both of them seem unable to steer clear of. The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor (Broderick Crawford as Willie Stark), Best Supporting Actress (Mercedes McCambridge as Sadie Burke), and Best Picture along with four other nominations. Its actors’ performances and story about the dangers of demagogues and the corrupting nature of politics have made it one of the Greatest Films of All Time.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
If you are looking for a film about populist politics or, indeed, any political issues from the 1930s and 40s, All the King’s Men is not that type of political film. It doesn’t seek to make any grand statements about Willie’s (Long’s) political stances or choices, merely to take a broader look at politics and the potential for the formation of harmful cults of personality that is inherent in such systems as United States democracy. For historical narrative or some type of political stance, look elsewhere, but for well-aged warnings about the nature of politics, this is the place to be.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
For a 1930s-based social commentary, the narrative and message of All the King’s Men feels like it was written about American politics of the last seven years – a testament to the universality and importance of its message. While it is important to note that Huey Long/Willie Stark held entirely different political views from Donald Trump, the representation of Stark’s attempts to maintain power in his state is strikingly reminiscent of President Trump’s attempts to win reelection and then overturn his loss in the election in 2020 and early 2021. To quote the film, “He knew if you hollered hard and loud enough, people begin to believe. Just in case the didn’t, he organized demonstrations.” This is about a fictional politician fighting impeachment proceedings in an undisclosed state in the 1930s, but the world saw it play out on a national scale across the entirety of Trump’s presidency. To continue the parallel that makes the film so impactful, during the impeachment trial, a mob of Stark supporters gathered outside the capitol building to protest and sway the results in the direction that they wanted. We talk so often of history repeating itself and life imitating art – here is a prime example.
In order for the film’s narrative to work as well as it does and become so timeless, the performances needed to be phenomenal, and the people who needed to do the most work brought their A-game to this film. John Ireland’s Jack Burden is the quintessential noir protagonist – convincingly aloof and lovelorn at the same time, he wanders through the muck, viewing himself as being above it all while becoming more and more embroiled with every action. Joanne Dru and Shepperd Strudwick give solid supporting performances in their roles as the wealthy Stanton siblings, two sides of the coin reflecting Stark’s growing influence, not doing too much but keeping the story moving with their acting. Mercedes McCambridge seems born to play the bitter “woman scorned”, and her performance as Stark’s plain campaign manager gave her the perfect opportunity to show off her chops. Her performance is absolutely deserving of the Oscar that she won. Still, without the central performance of Broderick Crawford, the rest of the film falls apart entirely. His portrayal of Willie Stark gives exactly what a grassroots demagogue needs to have – familiarity, ruthlessness, and a clear sense of purpose. He carries the film with his big public speeches and his small bits of head-nodding and hand shaking. He is an ideal villain that you can’t help but root for.
Some all-time performances from the film’s leads and its undeniably relevant story help to make All the King’s Men into not only one of the best book adaptations of all time but one of the Greatest Films of All Time too. Its historical limitations might frustrate some, but in actuality, they allow the film to take on a more universal tinge than it otherwise could were it simply a Huey Long biopic. This film is currently available to stream with a Fubo or TCM subscription or with ads on Tubi if you’d like to watch it somewhere.
