All the King’s Men (1949)

All the King’s Men
Directed by Robert Rossen
Written by Robert Rossen from a novel by Robert Penn Warren
1949/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Willie Stark: You wanna know what my platform is? Here it is. I’m gonna soak the fat boys and spread it out thin.[/box]

Riveting story of the rise and fall of a demagogue and those around him.  Those Oscars were well-deserved.

Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) was born of humble origins with a fire in his belly.  As soon as he could, he tried to improve his mind with the help of school teacher Lucy, who became his wife.  He is disturbed by the corruption he sees around him and begins to run for public office.  The powers that be throw their considerable might at him and he loses every election.  Nothing will make him give up however.

Jack Burden (John Ireland) was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but with high ideals.  He works for low wages as a reporter but comes back frequently to his patrician home to spend time with the poised and beautiful Anne Stanton (Joanne Dru), his childhood sweetheart.  Anne comes from a proud and wealthy family.  Her stepfather, however, is one of the corrupt movers and shakers in the capital.

Jack is assigned to cover Willie’s latest campaign.  He writes glowing articles about Willie’s honesty.  Willie loses this one too but it also provides his big break.  This comes because he campaigned against a crooked construction contract for a school that later collapses, killing several children.  When Willie runs for governor, Jack comes back into the fold as his right-hand man.  The straight-talking Sadie Burke (Mercedes McCambridge) tags along as sort of a spoiler hired by the opposition – Willie’s candidacy was supported in order to split the rural vote – but goes on to become his campaign manager.

Willie gets off to a rocky start delivering boring speeches about tax reform.  Ironically, things pick up when the teetotaler begins to drink.  One day he is so hungover and drunk from the hair that bit him that he tosses his speech aside and begins speaking to the crowd as fellow “hicks”.  He rapidly discovers how to get the people in the palm of his hand.  He starts accepting campaign contributions from the very interests he is campaigning against.

He wins handily and starts running the state as his own personal fiefdom.  He delivers on most of his promises for new roads, schools, and the like but each new project bears his name.  As time goes on, hubris overtakes Willie.  We watch as he begins to womanize and to squash anyone who dares to oppose him by the most odious means possible.  How much can Jack take before he will desert his hero?  With John Derek as Willie’s debauched adopted son.

The film would be nothing without Broderick Crawford and he is as mesmerizing as a demagogue could be.  There’s also a lot going on in his eyes from the inside throughout.  Mercedes McCambridge has a rather small part but each line cuts like a knife.  This movie shows all the rottenness of politics rolled into one man.  Unfortunately, it’s still not too much of an exaggeration.  Recommended.

All the King’s Men won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Crawford), and Best Supporting Actress (McCambridge).  It was nominated in the categories of Best Supporting Actor (Ireland); Best Director; Best Writing, Screenplay; and Best Film Editing.

Clip – Campaign Speech