ALL THE KING'S MEN is certainly a well acted political melodrama from a novel by Robert Penn Warren and BRODERICK CRAWFORD is an ideal candidate for the role of Willy Stark (based vaguely on Huey Long), but I never thought it deserved to win the Oscar for Best Film of the Year. In my opinion, that award should have gone to William Wyler's masterpiece, THE HEIRESS, a film whose reputation increased over the years while ATKM's has diminished.
But putting personal preferences aside, ALL THE KING'S MEN is a riveting drama peppered with some fine performances, including JOHN IRELAND who serves as onlooker and narrator of the tale and MERCEDES McCAMBRIDGE as the cynical Sadie who won a Best Actress Supporting Role Oscar for her work.
Stories of political corruption are nothing new--such material having been handled previously in stories like STATE OF THE UNION and bios like "Wilson" and "Tennessee Johnson", but never with such searing intensity. It begins with an awareness that Willy Stark is a man who wants the truth to be told in a world of dirty politics. John Ireland is the crusading reporter who is on his side in the belief that the man seeking office is an honest man. Ireland also takes time out for a brief romance with JOANNE DRU while the saga of Willie gets put aside for a brief time, but Dru later becomes Stark's mistress.
Willie evolves from a green campaigner to a man who starts making deals and learns the rules of the game. After a couple of failed campaigns, he becomes a winner and presents himself as the champion of the people.
But as times goes, and montage after montage shows us Willie's progress as a champion of the mob, we hear John Ireland's narration saying: "His little black book was a record of sin and corruption." In other words, there's nothing subtle about this tale. It's laid out in pretty direct terms for the viewers to deal with with no particular insight into the power of corruption.
Technically speaking there are problems with the editing. Scenes are cut abruptly short with quick fade-outs as though someone censored parts of the story, and motivations of the quirky McCambridge character are not clearly spelled out at all nor is the romantic relationship with Joanne Dru. Both are glossed over by the script and only hinted at. As a matter of fact, none of the supporting roles--including SHEPPERD STRUDWICK as the man who never trusted Willie from the beginning, are really fleshed out in the script. His involvement in the ending comes as somewhat of a surprise.
Summing up: Intriguing drama with some technical deficiencies including some choppy editing, but it probably got the award because of its "social significance", at a time when Hollywood was intent on producing such serious, almost documentary films. As for Broderick Crawford, I've liked him much better in other films.
But putting personal preferences aside, ALL THE KING'S MEN is a riveting drama peppered with some fine performances, including JOHN IRELAND who serves as onlooker and narrator of the tale and MERCEDES McCAMBRIDGE as the cynical Sadie who won a Best Actress Supporting Role Oscar for her work.
Stories of political corruption are nothing new--such material having been handled previously in stories like STATE OF THE UNION and bios like "Wilson" and "Tennessee Johnson", but never with such searing intensity. It begins with an awareness that Willy Stark is a man who wants the truth to be told in a world of dirty politics. John Ireland is the crusading reporter who is on his side in the belief that the man seeking office is an honest man. Ireland also takes time out for a brief romance with JOANNE DRU while the saga of Willie gets put aside for a brief time, but Dru later becomes Stark's mistress.
Willie evolves from a green campaigner to a man who starts making deals and learns the rules of the game. After a couple of failed campaigns, he becomes a winner and presents himself as the champion of the people.
But as times goes, and montage after montage shows us Willie's progress as a champion of the mob, we hear John Ireland's narration saying: "His little black book was a record of sin and corruption." In other words, there's nothing subtle about this tale. It's laid out in pretty direct terms for the viewers to deal with with no particular insight into the power of corruption.
Technically speaking there are problems with the editing. Scenes are cut abruptly short with quick fade-outs as though someone censored parts of the story, and motivations of the quirky McCambridge character are not clearly spelled out at all nor is the romantic relationship with Joanne Dru. Both are glossed over by the script and only hinted at. As a matter of fact, none of the supporting roles--including SHEPPERD STRUDWICK as the man who never trusted Willie from the beginning, are really fleshed out in the script. His involvement in the ending comes as somewhat of a surprise.
Summing up: Intriguing drama with some technical deficiencies including some choppy editing, but it probably got the award because of its "social significance", at a time when Hollywood was intent on producing such serious, almost documentary films. As for Broderick Crawford, I've liked him much better in other films.