“Advise and Consent” (1962)

Otto Preminger is a name seldom heard today.  In the 1950s and 1960s he was one of the few directors with box-office clout to rival that of the stars.  Advise and Consent was made when his reputation was at its height and is arguably the finest film ever about American party politics.

The story involves an attempt to get a candidate for the position of Secretary of State confirmed by the United States senate.  Walter Pidgeon enjoys the most interesting role of his career as the majority leader who must devise a strategy to combat the resistance of one of his own party, a southern veteran flamboyantly played by Charles Laughton.  There is an embarrassment of riches in the balance of the cast, including Henry Fonda as the candidate, Lew Ayres as the insecure vice-president and Franchot Tone as the terminally ill commander in chief.

The manner in which the wheeling and dealing of Washington is depicted, with back room dramas, egos, and cold war hysteria holding more sway than principle or even ideology, was revolutionary in 1962 and more than holds up today.  If Preminger’s melodramatic treatment of a sub-plot involving a senator’s homosexuality dates the film his complex framing and mobile use of the camera more than compensates. The textured, black and white wide-screen cinematography rivals the contemporary work of Fellini.