Wilson (film)
| Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Film poster |
|
| Directed by | Henry King |
| Produced by | Darryl F. Zanuck |
| Written by | Lamar Trotti |
| Starring | Charles Coburn Alexander Knox Geraldine Fitzgerald Thomas Mitchell Sir Cedric Hardwicke |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
| Editing by | Barbara McLean |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox |
| Release date(s) | August 1, 1944 |
| Running time | 154 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4,000,000 (estimated) |
Wilson is a 1944 biographical film in Technicolor about President Woodrow Wilson. It stars Charles Coburn, Alexander Knox, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell and Sir Cedric Hardwicke.
The movie was written by Lamar Trotti and directed by Henry King. Wilson's daughter Eleanor Wilson McAdoo served as an informal counselor.[1]
It won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color (Wiard Ihnen, Thomas Little), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Recording (E. H. Hansen) and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.[2][3] It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Alexander Knox), Best Director, Best Effects, Special Effects, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Picture. The film was notable for giving character actor Alexander Knox (in the title role) one of his few chances to play the lead in a film.
Though a critically acclaimed,[4] Oscar-winning film, Wilson is remembered for being a huge flop at the box office. It was a pet project of Darryl F. Zanuck, who greatly admired Woodrow Wilson, and its failure upset him to the point that he forbade any of his employees from ever mentioning the film in his presence again.
However, the film was not totally forgotten; it is now regularly shown on cable television but, as of 2010, has not yet been issued on DVD.
[edit] Cast
- Alexander Knox as Woodrow Wilson
- Charles Coburn as Doctor Henry Holmes
- Geraldine Fitzgerald as Edith Bolling Galt
- Thomas Mitchell as Joseph Tumulty
- Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Senator Henry Cabot Lodge
- Vincent Price as William Gibbs McAdoo
- William Eythe as George Felton
- Mary Anderson as Eleanor Wilson
- Ruth Ford as Margaret Wilson
- Sidney Blackmer as Josephus Daniels
- Stanley Ridges as Dr. Cary Grayson
- Eddie Foy Jr. as Eddie Foy
- Charles Halton as Colonel House
- Thurston Hall as Senator Edward H. "Big Ed" Jones
- Charles F. Miller as Senator Bromfield
- Dwight Frye was supposed to play the former Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, but died of a heart attack before filming was scheduled to begin.
[edit] References
- ^ Knock, Thomas J. "History with Lightning": The Forgotten Film Wilson. American Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 5 (Winter, 1976), pp. 523-543
- ^ "The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/17th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
- ^ "NY Times: Wilson". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/54699/Wilson/details. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ Codevilla, Angelo (2010-07-16) America's Ruling Class, The American Spectator
[edit] External links
- Wilson at the Internet Movie Database
- American films
- English-language films
- 1944 films
- Biographical films
- Films directed by Henry King
- Films about Presidents of the United States
- Films that won the Best Sound Mixing Academy Award
- Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award
- Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award
- 20th Century Fox films
- Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award
- Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing Academy Award
- Films shot in Washington, D.C.
- Films shot in New Jersey
