Rating: NR
Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 09/05/2006
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD2
Run Time: 110 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations
Distributor/Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by
Robert Penn Warren,
All the King's Men is a
roman à clef inspired by the career of Louisiana governor
Huey Long.
Broderick Crawford won an Academy Award for his portrayal of
Willie Stark, a backwoods Southern lawyer who wins the hearts of his constituents by bucking the corrupt state government. Journalist
Jack Burden (
John Ireland) is impressed by
Willie's seeming sincerity, and aids
Stark on the road to political power. Once he's reached the governor's mansion, however,
Willie proves himself to be as dishonest and despotic as the crooks whom he's replaced. He also cheats shamelessly on his wife with both his campaign manager (
Mercedes McCambridge, another Oscar winner) and with
Anne Stanton (
Joanne Dru), the sister of idealistic doctor
Adam Stanton (
Sheppard Strudwick). Fiercely protective of his power,
Willie organizes a fascistic police force and arranges for "accidents" to befall those who oppose him; even so, he retains the love of the voters by lowering the poverty level, improving the school system, and financing building projects. Even when
Willie all but orchestrates the suicide of
Anne's uncle, a highly respected judge (
Raymond Greenleaf), those closest to him are unable to escape his power and the charismatic hold he has over people. Stockton, CA, stands in for the unnamed state capitol where most of the film's action occurs. In addition to its Oscars for
Crawford and
McCambridge,
All the King's Men won the Best Picture prize.
Warren's novel would later be adapted into a stage play, a TV special, and even an
opera.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
