This brilliant political satire from 1947 has just been shown on British TV as the 2016 Presidential Election enters the stretch and Donald Trump makes William Powell's slightly corrupt Senator Ashton look like Forest Gump. Like all great movies it starts with a great script from Charles MacArthur which in turn gets great sure-footed direction from George S. Kaufman who wasn't above writing and directing satires on Broadway and even directing both plays and musicals but only once ventured behind the camera, it's possible he never directed another film because he knew he couldn't top this. Completing a winning triumvirate is William Powell, Mr. Urbanity personified but here deserting his debonair image completely and, as if that weren't enough there's Ray Collins reprising his Boss Jim Gettys with what could be left-over dialogue from Citizen Kane. A gem.
Review of The Senator Was Indiscreet
