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Advise And Consent (1962)
Front Cover Actor Back Cover
Lew Ayres
Henry Fonda
Eddie Hodges
Charles Laughton
Peter Lawford
Burgess Meredith
Don Murray
Walter Pidgeon
Gene Tierney
Franchot Tone
Paul Ford
Inga Swenson
Movie Details
Genre Drama
Director Otto Preminger
Producer Otto Preminger
Writer Wendell Mayes
Studio Warner Bros.
Language English
Audience Rating NR (Not Rated)
Running Time 138 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
Otto Preminger expanded his vision in the 1960s with a whole series of ambitious, expansive dramas with huge casts and big themes. Advise and Consent, an examination of deal making, party politics, and congressional diplomacy in Washington's legislative halls (based on the novel by Allen Drury), is one of his best. Preminger broke the blacklist with his previous film, Exodus, and it rings through in this drama about a controversial nominee for secretary of state (a confident, stately Henry Fonda) accused of being a Communist. The nomination process becomes the center ring of the political circus, with fidgety accuser Burgess Meredith in the spotlight; devious, silver-tongued Charles Laughton cracking the whip as a southern senator with a grudge against Fonda; and party whip Walter Pidgeon lining up votes behind the scenes. Arm twisting and diplomatic hardball turns to perjury and blackmail, and a melodramatic twist gives this lesson in party politics a salacious soap opera dimension. Preminger's style has been hailed as "objective," but it's really a matter of attentiveness: he gives all the character their due and their say, eschewing heroes and villains for an exploration of people clashing over opposing goals. In fact, the weakest elements of the film are the unscrupulous populist senator played by George Grizzard and the badly dated caricatures that populate a notorious underground club. The video preserves the handsome widescreen black-and-white photography, keeping Preminger's careful and measured editing intact. --Sean Axmaker
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 908
Collection Status In Collection
Links Amazon US
DVD Empire
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio Widescreen (16:9)
Fullscreen (4:3, Letterboxed)
Layers Single Side, Single Layer
UPC (Barcode) 085393352325
Release Date 5/10/2005
Subtitles English; French; Spanish
Packaging Keep Case
Audio Tracks Dolby Digital Stereo [English]
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Extra Features
Commentary by Film Historian Drew Casper
Theatrical Trailer