First of all, the film title is misleading. While there is scene with a beautiful sunset, a sunrise at Campobello is shown, in one of the last perfect moments in the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Ralph Bellamy) before he is stricken with a 'mild' case of polio, never to walk without assistance again. This film deals with how he battles the disease and slowly returns to politics again, with great success. Of course, the path isn't easy for him despite the excellent he gets from his wife, Eleanor (Greer Garson), whom he calls Babs, and friend, Louis Howe (Hume Cronyn). Still, his devoted mother, Sara (Ann Shoemaker) still babies him and feels that he's pushing himself far too much. Even the children, especially the oldest two, get their own personalities, which is also lovely to see.
Now, while the film is far too long (nearly two and a half hours), the acting is impeccable though both Garson and Bellamy are easily a decade too old for their parts but they excel. Bellamy was robbed of an Oscar nomination while Garson treasured hers. I also found this film gave us an intimate portrait of the inner lives of the Roosevelts though it is naturally sugar-coated for Hollywood purposes. But it does show his mother in a meddling, nearly menacing light, which by all respects, appears to be accurate. Still, the film is worth watching for the performances and scenery alone as both are brilliant. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Missy LeHand (Jean Hagen) a long-term mistress of Franklin does appear as his loyal legal assistant.
-It apparently was easy to fool the public before social media.
No comments:
Post a Comment