All The King's Men DVD - Award-Winning Political Drama Film - Perfect for Movie Nights & Political Science Enthusiasts

Robert Penn Warren's 1946 important novel, "All the King's Men," sparked a film in 1949, and Carlisle Floyd's opera, "Willie Stark," in 1981. In 2006, Steven Zaillian's new cinematic version was premiered, starring Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, and Sir Anthony Hopkins, to decidedly tepid reviews.Such a reception is inexplicable to this writer, who regards the enterprise as brilliant. Zaillian, who had previously given us "Searching for Bobby Fischer," creates a morosely beautiful atmosphere, moving the tale to the nineteen-fifties. In fact, the Louisiana seen here reminds this writer of scenes of his childhood, when the State was more rural, roads were often unpaved, and air-conditioning was a rarity. The sheer ugliness (aesthetically and otherwise) of the nineteen-sixties had not yet descended upon us like a plague of locusts. This film captures the Pelican State's elusive ambiance to a startling degree.Perhaps certain critics resented the level of complexity involved, with forays into philosophical and even theological territory. But the acting here is magnificent, representing some of the finest work from these artists. If one believes Penn's performance a bit overt, one should watch a minute of old newsreel-footage of Huey Long, prototype of the main character, Willie Stark. No, Penn is thrilling.Law gives, instead, a laconic performance, like a cat stretching his limbs in the sun. He is enveloped in sadness. Winslet is also excellent, her character caught in the midst of this sultry purgatory. Gandolfini gives one of his finest performances, and Ruffalo is superb as the thinking-man's assassin.Miss Clarkson (who rightly declares in a Special Features interview that Louisiana is still imbued with the spirit of Huey Long) is one of our finest actresses, and is here most eloquent. Sir Anthony's portrayal is filled with a kaleidoscope of feelings and thoughts; he is extraordinary as a Southern aristocratic, whose breed hated Long/Stark.The aforementioned Special Features are highly interesting, including interview footage with James Carville. The Deleted Scenes are particularly worthwhile, including an uncredited performance by John "Spud" McConnell as J.H. Moore, in a confrontation with Stark. McConnell is the stage's great interpreter of Long, having triumphantly appeared Off-Broadway in "The Kingfish." (This writer can recall him, in the actor's college years, as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof," opposite the great Libbye Hellier as the ghost, Fruma-Sarah.)With this picture, one of America's great novels has become one of America's great films.* Following Norman Treigle's untimely death in 1975, a draft of the libretto of Carlisle Floyd's opera based on the novel was found amongst his effects, under these titles. One can surmise that the composer (whose ninetieth birthday is occurring as these lines are being written) intended the title role for the great singing-actor. The opera was not, however, to be premiered until 1981, when it was seen at the Houston Grand Opera, in a production by Harold Prince, under the title "Willie Stark."