Memorable, crazy movie

Fresh and Exciting

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The making of this film enjoyed the special protection of President John Kennedy, who personally allowed filming for it within the White House. Kennedy evidently feared a coup attempt of some kind by 'the Deep State' or 'the Military Industrial Complex' (Eisenhower's phrase) and wished the public to be warned about such things. However, he did not live long enough to see this film, since 'they' got him before it was released. It was filmed during 1963 and bears that copyright date on the print, but the release was in 1964, after Kennedy's assassination. His fears were all too justified, though in a rather different form. The film portrays an attempt to stage a military coup in America, which would appoint the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an air force general played with relentless and laser-like intensity by Burt Lancaster, as a new leader for the country. The film bears an uncanny resemblance in many ways to what is happening now, in 2017. Of course, the film got it wrong. The threat was never from the military, but rather from the security agencies. Soldiers do what they are told, security agencies do not tell what they do. They can 'classify' anything, since they hold sole power of 'classification'. Hence they can never be properly scrutinised, and true accountability becomes impossible. They can 'classify' their way out of anything. All they have to do is mention the words 'national security' in a low voice, and everyone trembles and bows down, not least the congressional intelligence committees, whose scrutiny is effectively meaningless. Here we find a liberal President, played to perfection by the dignified and noble Frederick March, whose public approval rating has fallen to 29%, who is hated by the extreme conservative factions, portrayed by a ranting senator and all the chiefs of staff. The names 'Democrat' and 'Republican' are never mentioned in the film. Lancaster's aide is a colonel, played with upright dignity by Kirk Douglas. He has been excluded from the coup plot because he is too 'straight' and actually likes the Constitution. When he begins to realize what is going on, he goes to the President and warns him. That is seven days before the scheduled coup, hence the title of the film. The main themes that are reminiscent of today are that the President is 'too friendly with Russia' and hence 'must be impeached'. The film shows impeachment protest marches and hysteria about being a Russia-lover. This is exactly what is going on at the moment in the real world, and it is 54 years later. The irony is that in the film the President is a liberal, whereas today the situation is opposite in that sense. But the same claims are made, the same hysteria aroused, and the same demands of impeachment resound throughout the land. But instead of the military wanting to stage a coup with soldiers, the soft coup attempt which is currently in progress requires no guns, only highly selective leaks and 'unmasking'. And it is not the Pentagon which is behind it, but the 'Deep State', a phrase nowadays used to describe the unaccountable security agencies and their even more unaccountable sub-contractors. The story is a real thriller, because things get worse and worse and it seems impossible to stop Burt Lancaster. He has created a secret base known as 'Site Y' 50 miles north of El Paso which has a secret army ready to seize the key locations for a military coup on the following Sunday. The President's best friend, a senator played by Edmond O'Brien, is held captive there when he tries to investigate. His other best friend and aide, played by Martin Balsam, is murdered in a plane crash. How can this coup be stopped? Rod Serling has a written taut thriller script which has us guessing right up until the end. It is based on a novel by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II. John Frankenheimer has done his usual excellent job of directing this menacing film, which is in black and white by the way. Ava Gardner is her usual siren self as the lover of Lancaster, but who also makes bedroom eyes at Kirk Douglas. The intrigues are complex and suspenseful. This is an edge of the seat film, and that seat has still not been vacated. Russia-mania is still in full flow 28 years after the Iron Curtain came down. Some security agencies just cannot do without enemies, lest they all lose their jobs and the opportunities to pillage public funds through their unaccountable black budgets. Any enemy will do, but Russia is so convenient, as it has the additional advantage of being old and familiar to all. After all, Russia has that one precious asset so necessary also in the film business and in politics: 'name recognition'.

I was a junior in high school when this movie came out. My friends and I had gotten used to seeing kind of fluffy films that showed in our local theater. We weren't ill behaved, but our attention wasn't always on the film. Movies with intense plots got some of the same treatment. I remember this film because I was mesmerized from the first scene. The plot was intricate and the acting superb. I remember telling my friends to be quiet because I was engrossed. This is the story of a coup within the U.S. government. The President had signed a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. This led to a mutinous response from the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Soon it was determined that the President must die as the only way to stop what he was doing. We are immersed in the intrigue of the plot to kill the chief of state. Outstanding movie I could watch a hundred times.

The American President Lyman (Fredric March) with low approval ratings has passed a divisive nuclear disarmament treaty. The head of the Joint Chiefs General Scott (Burt Lancaster) opposed the treaty and is organising a secret coup with some of his supporters. His aide Colonel Jiggs Casey (Kirk Douglas) informs the President of the behind the scenes manoeuvring and Lyman instructs some of his trusted men to get evidence of the conspirators plans.Director John Frankenheimer loved a conspiracy thriller. Here he paints the conspirators as misguided and maybe the President as too honourable and principled.The film contains too much talking heads at times and it suffers from it during the showdown between Lancaster and March. The President actually does come across as weak and maybe proves Lancaster's point when in reality a more forceful resolution was required by the Lyman.The film is still masterful, full of intrigue and tension but it does move slowly at the beginning and has a major flaw. If the President was unpopular how did he manage to get the Treaty ratified by Congress? As the treaty is approved by Congress then it make General Scott's action more murkier and he should had been called out more strongly for his treachery.

U.S. President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March) has only 29% approval rate while passing a divisive nuclear disarmament treaty. The popular head of the Joint Chiefs General Scott (Burt Lancaster) is vehemently opposed to the treaty and argues for more robust military posture. His aide Marine Colonel Jiggs Casey (Kirk Douglas) discovers a secret unit ECOMCON headed by Scott. Jiggs informs the president but it's questionable who can actually be trusted. Ellie Holbrook (Ava Gardner) is Scott's drunken former mistress.Director John Frankenheimer has given this movie a very realistic feel of a Washington conspiracy drama. The acting is superb. However there is a coldness to the beginning like trying to watch CSPAN. There is a little too much political talks from talking heads. It's too static. The tension isn't as exciting as I want it to be. It's still a good movie. I just want more action. I'm not looking for shoot outs and car chases in the White House. I am looking for more action in the staging and the camera movements. It's not the style of the era and that is a drawback from its modern counterparts. The opening act is very slow. After the meeting in the Oval Office, the tension rises noticeably and the movie improves.