Wilson

In his 1943 keynote address to the Writer’s Congress, 2oth Century-Fox movie mogul, Darryl F. Zanuck called upon Hollywood’s wordsmiths “to lead the way. If you have something worthwhile to say, then dress it in the glittering robes of entertainment. Without them, no propaganda film is worth a dime! Is it possible to make pictures which have purpose and significance, and yet, show a proper return at the box office? I believe – it is. I believe the answer is entertainment!”Zanuck, a writer a heart and always ten steps ahead in what he fervently believed was Hollywood’s role in the reeducation of America’s public agenda, would provide proof of the efficiency in this model with Henry King’s Wilson (1944); a superior semi-biographical account of the presidency of Woodrow Wilson that, sadly, failed to catch the zeitgeist and inspiration of the American people. The most expensive picture to be made in Hollywood since Gone With The Wind (and for some time thereafter), and – at 153 minutes one of the longest – Wilson would be a testament to the glory and goodness of a great nation-building humanitarian; re-imagining the president’s salient nature against his formidable brand of internationalism, and, with an uncommon dignity and remarkable percipience into the times in which he lived.Although the enterprise was sound – Zanuck spent profligately to ensure every inch of the production looked the part (his White House recreations among the finest ever brought to the screen) – the ambition behind it seemed flawed to nearly everyone except Zanuck, who compounded his commitments on the picture by issuing the following statement to the press. “I am gambling $3 million in an effort to prove that audiences are ready to accept something more than straightforward entertainment. I am making one mighty bid to try and open the floodgates of production toward the making of entertaining films that are enlightening as well.”Screenwriter Lamarr Trotti assumed an intimidating responsibility in reconstituting the facts of Woodrow Wilson’s life and times. His finished script is, quite frankly, a miracle of narrative concision. Not only do we get an account of Wilson’s eight years in the White House, but a preamble from his days as President of Princeton University. In keeping with Zanuck’s edicts to remain focused on the deification of the man, Wilson – the movie – omits the president’s counterintuitive track record for military interventions in Latin America, Panama and Haiti. Zanuck’s Wilson is a dyed in the wool isolationist, reticent to plunge his country into any war. We also lose Wilson’s racist viewpoint as both a Southerner and committed segregationist.Before embarking further in this review, I suppose it would be prudent to share my own thoughts on the Hollywood biopic. I have a certain affinity for fictionalized movie biographies – done right, of course. For if one can set aside contemporary prejudices requiring absolute adherence to the historical record, then there is a far richer verisimilitude at work, infinitely more rewarding. One cannot expect biopics to evolve and/or critique the historical record as – say – a documentary on the same subject might (and, in fact, should). After all, historians continue to debate moral/political ambiguities long after the era has passed; often with their own biases and prejudgments attached.Wilson is therefore not a soul-searching exercise; not a movie about the facts of Woodrow Wilson’s presidency or even the man himself; but rather a grand and glowing snapshot of the essence of both and the impact each had on America’s socio-political fabric; something of a gushing epitaph to one man, made by another who clearly holds his subject in incredibly high esteem. On that score, Zanuck’s Wilson is a masterpiece, supremely satisfying in ways history can only guess at, much less capture without the embellishments of a skilled Hollywood wordsmith in the driver’s seat.Research on the film was prodigious. Zanuck had personally supervised and/or produced a good many movies at Fox, giving more than his seal of approval and his name above their title, but never with as much daily interventions on the set as on Wilson; instructing art directors, James Basevi and Wiard Ihnen to spend whatever was necessary to resurrect this period of brash American optimism preceding the First World War. To helm such a gargantuan production, Zanuck turned to Alexander Knox; a little-known Scottish actor who, despite obvious physical discrepancies with his alter ego, nevertheless managed to convey the essential qualities and overall tenor of the 28th president with pronounced spirit and sincerity.Wilson remains an engrossing and fairly rigorous account of the high points of Woodrow Wilson’s presidency; the consolidation of nearly eight years of diplomacy and heartache into a little over three hours, impressive to say the least. If the film lacks humor and understanding, neither Alexander Knox’s performance, nor Zanuck’s ambition in retelling history can rightfully be blamed. While critical response to Wilson was laudatory for the most part, the public failed to find reasons to attend. Lamar Trotti’s broad canvas paints a glowing portrait of Wilson – the man – to be sure, with mere vignettes as husband and father sandwiched between more lavishly appointed scenes dedicated to the progression of world events and Wilson’s own political ambitions. Still, it’s a tasteful representation, if, at times, veering wildly from the truth.Either out of the necessity for narrative concision or perhaps, Zanuck’s zeal to deify this man he so obviously felt a kinship toward, and for better or worse, Wilson makes several glaring omissions to the historical record. Otherwise, the picture’s general construction is undeniably proficient in every way. Cribbing heavily from music of the period, as well as time-honored hymns of American patriotism, Alfred Newman’s superb underscore elevates Trotti’s prose to another level of melodrama entirely, as does Leon Shamroy and Ernest Palmer’s superior use of Technicolor to add mood, flavor and that zest for visual opulence for which, undoubtedly, Zanuck has partly angled his dreams of success for the picture.Better still, is Alexander Knox heartfelt and sincere performance as the man of the hour; effortlessly graduating from pragmatic college president to intellectually stimulated politico and, finally, visionary idealist; the architect of a tenuous world peace. Thriving in the cutthroat political arena, even rising above the fray to look after the interests of the average American, gave the real Woodrow Wilson rare insight into the machinery of government. Zanuck’s Wilson merely vacillates in the machinations of this obstinate fanatic. Yet, at the height of another world war, Zanuck’s Wilson harks back to the stymied political ambition of this elder statesman – qualified, ethical and nobler than most in his unaffected pursuit of humanity’s self-preservation. Alas, then as now, audiences prefer men of action to those of conscience. Wilson’s spectacular implosion at the box office is rumored to have caused Zanuck to decree no one at the studio ever speak of it again. And yet, for the rest of his life, Zanuck regarded Wilson with a great personal affection as the one film nearest his own heart.Perplexingly, Wilson is a movie impossible to digest at intervals. Leaving the theater for a bathroom break, pausing the video at home, or, observing it incrementally with commercial interruptions via standard television broadcasts all but destroys both its continuity and its striking emotional impact. Yet, taken in one fell swoop inside a darkened room, one is apt to be overwhelmed by the magnitude, scope and content in this production. Wilson is a great film, superbly cobbled together from the historical record and Zanuck’s impassioned covet to make a supremely fine testament to his hero.Radiating ample portions of wisdom and ethics, Wilson doesn’t so much invent its moments of scrupulousness as it finds the estimable and splendid qualities in its subject, ably bringing these to light. The balancing act is, in no small part, an authentication of Zanuck, Trotti, editor, Barbara McLean and director, Henry King’s efforts; each contributing to the movie’s incalculable entertainment value. Considering the enormity of exposition, Wilson rarely devolves into a weighty invective. Pictorially, it is practically peerless; James Basevi and Wiard Ihnen set design, seamlessly married to evocative matte paintings and endless gatherings of real live people for the staggeringly impressive ‘crowd scenes’. In the final analysis, Wilson is a tragically underrated masterpiece. Its’ failure at the box office deeply wounded Zanuck. But the film is purely his vision and unequivocally one of his enduring works of genius.Alas, I cannot say the same of Fox’s Cinema Archive incarnation. If there was any artistic justice in the world today, then Wilson would already have made the necessary leap to hi-def Blu-ray.In my review of Forever Amber I complained about the studio’s short shrift of its classic catalog. But in viewing Wilson even Forever Amber’s thoroughly lackluster transfer seems more like an ephemeral miracle of loveliness. What on earth?!? Wilson’s DVD transfer is so hopeless marred by atrociously substandard elements the movie is virtually un-watchable for most of its run time. Where to begin? First, overall color fidelity. This transfer has none. From shot to shot the Technicolor veers wildly from marginally accurate and/or acceptable to woefully under-exposed and severely faded. Next, to contrast levels: these are anemic in the extreme and at best. Third: a barrage of age-related artifacts chronically plagues every inch of this presentation. At times, they grossly distract.Last, but certainly not least; I will expose this transfer for what it is: a careworn NTSC scan, derived from a very old VHS master with excessive amounts of video noise wreaking havoc on virtually any and all fine details inherent in the visuals. Wilson on Fox’s MOD DVD looks about as far removed from its original theatrical release as it can. The audio is mono and passable without ever distinguishing itself as anything but present and accounted for.I would not have expected such an abomination from a fly-by-night bootleg operation, much less one of the cornerstone studios of old-time and present-day Hollywood. What could the powers that be, be thinking in giving us this disc – a Frisbee by any measure of quality and one for which I am quite certain NO standards of quality were ever applied! As a biopic, I would sincerely recommend Wilson as one of the all-time greats. As a DVD for retail sale I can only say ‘don’t waste your money or your time on this one!’ Wilson on DVD is undeserving of both! Very sincere regrets!!!

David Levering Lewis' new book, "The Improbable Wendell Willkie" led me to this 1944 film of the life of Woodrow Wilson. Willkie was the surprise Republican candidate for president in 1940. After losing the election to FDR, Willkie stayed in the public eye for the remaining four years of his life. In 1942, he was elected chairman of the board of Twentieth Century Fox Corporation and worked at the studio to pursue goals important to him in internationalism and civil rights. Lewis' book describes Willkie's role in "Wilson" as follows:"The idea of an ambitious life-and-times of Woodrow Wilson film seems to have occurred to Wendell immediately. Improbably, then, when Twentiety Century Fox released Wendell's pet technicolor film project to praise (positive and stilted) two years later, "Wilson" (directed by Daryl Zanuck) would gather ten nominations and win five Oscars. Race, it is true, was completely unaddressed in the film. International peace and solidarity were its premises." (Lewis, 216))I was unaware of this film or of Willkie's role in it. Primarily through my interest in Willkie and in Lewis' book, I took the opportunity to watch "Wilson".Produced by Daryl Zanuck directed by Henry King and written by Lamar Trotti, "Wilson" was a high-budget film with an all-star cast. Alexander Knox starred effectively as the title character while Geraldine Fitzgerald played Wilson's second wife, Edith, and Sir Cedrick Hardwicke gave an outstanding performance as Wilson's nemesis, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. The film covers Wilson's life from his presidency of Princeton University through the governorship of New Jersey, through his two terms as the 28th president, with the United States' involvement in WW I. The film ends with Wilson leaving the presidency and with the rejection of United States participation in the League of Nations. The film was for the most part a critical success but it flopped at the box office.I liked the film. The characterizations of Wilson, Edith Gault, and Lodge are effective and it captures something of Wilson's personal relationships with his family. The movie also shows Wilson as a strong, idealistic, if rigid, internationalist who reluctantly took the United States into war and who worked ceaselessly for what he hoped would be lasting peace and international cooperation at the end of the war.The trouble with the film is that it moves slowly and on its large issues is superficial. For the most part, "Wilson" is conclusory and brief on the political issue of war and peace that mattered to Wilson and on his domestic agenda. Watching the film only gives the bottom-line for Wilson's work and little of the specifics. It is not so much that the film is inaccurate but rather that it only skims the surface. In addition, while many of the scenes are small and lovely, the film as a whole is slow. The best and most informative part of the film is original grainy black-and-white footage of the American soldiers going off to war. These scenes actually capture more of the themes of "Wilson" than does the script. The film is good in depicting Wilson's relationship with his two wives and with the relationship between the president and his wife following his incapacitation. The movie also spends a great deal of time with the music and entertainment of the era. Much of this part of the film is fascinating in itself but it goes on too long and detracts from the focus of the movie on Wilson and his accomplishmentI enjoyed getting to know "Wilson"; but given the film's connection to Willkie, I am sorry I didn't enjoy it more. Still, this movie is historically significant in that it shows Hollywood's portrayal of an American president and his era during the time when the United States was engaged in the second great conflict of the twentieth century. Those interested in the portrayal of American history and of political themes on film will enjoy seeing "Wilson".Robin Friedman

This Zanuck, Technicolor, twelve-year biopic film of Woodrow Wilson lost 50% of what it cost to produce in 1944. This probably due to the timing of the release and Americans witnessing another high profile democratic president in live action. Although I was not a fan of this bigoted, progressive, Southern Presbyterian who became the US 28th president, I do enjoy viewing the historical elements of the time. His administration seems to me as having been the turning point in US history where the republic was pushed to a democratic form of government.The Democratic Conventions of 1912 & 16 presented in this movie is a far cry from the most recent virtual one we recently witnessed. Those days may be gone forever. . It appears the scenes were actually shot in the White House and the House of Representatives chambers coupled with original film clips of the time make for an enjoyable view of past Washington DC.This DVD film plays fine in my Blu-ray player. The cast is notable and Alexander Knox provides a fine performance as Thomas Woodrow Wilson the 28th President of the United States. There are no extras in this DVD. Let Darryl Zanuck take you back one hundred years to witness the culture of Americana.

Rarely seen film

Great but sadly forgotten film. Not historically accurate but what film is?

una biografia molto indovinata,senza retorica e molto realistica.Bravo l`interprete e ovviamente il regista;la lunghezza del film non stanca,ottima la ambientazione e il colore,lo consiglio a coloro che hanno sentito parlare del Presidente Wilson.

Great old movie. The DVD worked without problems.