The Big Brass Ring (1999)

Blake Pellarin is on the campaign trail to become Governor of the state of Missouri. While making a stop in St. Louis, a chance encounter brings his past back to haunt him. Will the truth ... See full summary »

Director:

George Hickenlooper

Writers:

Orson Welles (earlier screenplay), Oja Kodar (earlier screenplay)

Stars:

William Hurt, Nigel Hawthorne, Miranda Richardson

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Hurt	...	Blake
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Kim
Miranda Richardson	...	Dinah
Irène Jacob	...	Cela (as Irene Jacob)
Ewan Stewart	...	Kinzel
Gregg Henry	...	Billy
Ron Livingston	...	Sheldon Buckle
Jefferson Mays	...	Garne Strickland
Jim Metzler	...	Pacxy Barragan
Carmine Giovinazzo	...	Young Billy
Thomas Patrick Kelly	...	Young Blake
Mack Harrell	...	Homer Dix
Lisette Bross	...	B.C. Dix
F. Joseph Schulte	...	Senator Jack Moorehead
Peggy Freisen	...	Gigi Moorehead (as Peggy Friesen)

Storyline

Blake Pellarin is on the campaign trail to become Governor of the state of Missouri. While making a stop in St. Louis, a chance encounter brings his past back to haunt him. Will the truth ruin his chances for office or will he land the "Big Brass Ring"?

---

Plot Keywords:

suspected homosexual | based on short film | nudity | remake | election | 

---

Taglines:

In pursuit of power, the only thing worse than denying the truth - is telling it.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some graphic sexuality, and for language and some violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Latin

Release Date:

23 June 2000 (Spain)

Also Known As:

A nagy rézgyûrû

Filming Locations:

St. Louis City Hall - 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Millennium Films, Pfilmco

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Orson Welles had hoped to direct this movie in the early 1980s, and to play the role of Minnaker, not least as he had been a "New Deal" Democrat close to Franklin D. Roosevelt, but he was unable to attract enough funding. He had been given a list of six "bankable" stars who could play Pellarin, including Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, and Burt Reynolds, and was told by investors that if he could sign up one of them, then the movie could be made; but all six actors refused for various reasons, according to Welles' partner Oja Kodar, Redford was unavailable, Nicholson asked for too much money (he would not work for less than two million dollars, which was the entire proposed budget of the movie), while both Eastwood and Reynolds were uncomfortable with the movie's homosexual subtext, fearing its potential effect on their screen images, and Eastwood in particular feeling that it was at odds with his conservative values.

---

Goofs

Despite both gubernatorial candidates apparently being from Missouri, they sport deep south accents. This is never explained.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Kim: Abraham Lincoln said it best: it is common enough that we triumph under adversity, but if you truly wish to test a man's character, give him power.

---

Connections

References Citizen Kane (1941)

---

Soundtracks

Love in June
Composed by Sam Fonteyn
Courtesy of KPM Library (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Mediocre or a flawed masterpiece?

This may be a flawed masterpiece or perhaps a mediocre movie with a lot to recommend it. I enjoyed it and would like to see it again, partly to make sure the plot worked and partly to catch some nuances that I missed. And also because, as my esteemed colleague, flickjunkie, notes below, the audio is atrocious and my ears are not as sharp as they once were. But life is short and the entire opus of film is long...but maybe I can edit with the fast forward!

Okay, let's look at the evidence. Script by Orson Welles: somewhat amazing since he died in 1985. His last work. That alone may make this worth watching. William Hurt plays a southern pol, Blake Pellarin, running for governor of Missouri. Miranda Richardson plays his rich, alcoholic wife, and she is very good. Nigel Hawthorne is Kim Mennaker, Blake's one time mentor, a shadowy, behind the scenes political figure, a cynical character who is writing a 27,000-page memoir, which no doubt includes much about his love for the Pellarin boys. Irène Jacob plays Cela Brandini, a TV reporter fascinated with Blake. The one-time protégé of French-Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski is not shown to advantage here. I'm not sure why, but there is little subtlety in the way she plays the part. To really appreciate what she can do, see her in La Double vie de Véronique (1991) or Trois Couleurs: Rouge (1994), both directed by Kieslowski. She is very beautiful and very winning.

William Hurt, contrary to some opinion, was excellent. His characteristic laid-back, almost languid style works strangely well for a southern pol. He is certainly different, but believable, although I don't think his style would have worked had his character been running for president, as in Welles's original script. (Incidentally, they really wanted Louisiana, not Missouri, for the locale.) Hurt's performance reminds me in some ways of his work in the outstanding but now somewhat neglected, Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), for which he won an academy award.

The Big Brass Ring never had a theatrical release, and it is not hard to see why. The print is too dark and the story too murky and hard to follow. It appears that the brothers changed identities when young and never bothered to change back. Apparently Blake's brother and not Blake was the subject of the homosexual photo, but I'm not sure. To make this movie work for a mass audience, the true status of the boys then, and during the time of the action, must be made clear.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)