John Frankenheimer was responsible for one of the greatest political thrillers ever made--The Manchurian Candidate. But, just in time for election day, you should watch another one of his great thrillers, Seven Days in May. And this one is scary, because it's just plausible enough to happen.
Questioning the checks-and-balance system of American government, Seven Days in May asks the unthinkable: Could there be a political coup coming from in the Pentagon?
Veteran actor Fredric March plays the President, who is on the verge of signing a total nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia. But there are numerous naysayers in the Pentagon, suspecting the country is leaving itself open to a nuclear attack. One of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General James Scott (Burt Lancaster), plots to overthrow the President. When Colonel Martin "Jiggs" Casey (Kirk Douglas) stumbles onto the plot, he alerts the President...and the game's afoot.
Seven Days has a brilliant script by Rod Serling, who made it a point to show that real power occurs behind closed doors, in the shadows, away from the public and the press. It's another great teaming of Douglas and Lancaster, although Frankeheimer butted heads with Lancaster while making The Birdman of Alcatraz. Douglas eventually convinced the director that no one else could portray General Scott.
The film has a dazzling supporting cast, led by Ava Gardner, who plays the General's ex-mistress--a woman with a lot of secrets to hide. Also in the film are Martin Balsam, who got annoyed when the director would shoot off a gun during his scenes, just to make him more jittery. And Edmond O'Brien won a well-deserved Oscar nod as an alcoholic Senator who stands on the President's side.
How realistic is the film? The Pentagon wouldn't cooperate at all in the making of the film. President Kennedy thought the film had to be made. So whenever Frankenheimer needed to shoot around the White House, the President made sure he was away at Hyannisport on weekends, and the crew was given permission to shoot. Seven Days in May is a thought-provoking thriller that still resonates today...and is still in the realm of possibility.
So many choices: 1963 was an important year in cinema. It was the beginning of the end of the studio regimes, yet the blockbusters were bigger than ever. Foreign films once again rose to prominence. And new stars emerged (Albert Finney, Richard Harris) while old-timers like Spencer Tracy still burned brightly:
1. It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World--The top grossing film of the year. Every known comic was packed into this laugh riot, about the greedy chase for a satchel of stolen cash. Loosely remade years later as Rat Race.
2. The Birds--Another unsettling Hitchcock masterpiece. One of the films I saw as a kid that still gives me the creeps. The unassuming town of Bodego Bay is under siege from birds of all kinds. Hitchcock hinted that the birds' rampage were punishment for the failings of the main characters. Absolutely terrifying special effects.
3.8 1/2--Frederico Fellini's masterpiece about a director (Marcello Mastroianni, as the director's alter ego) suffering from "director's block" and the women ini his life who are leaving him equally conflicted. Later remade as the musical Nine.
4. From Russia With Love--The second James Bond film is probably the one most rooted in Cold War reality. Look for Robert Shaw as a vicious blonde killer.
5. Hud--A modern American masterpiece. Paul Newman played the title role, an amoral man who ruins everything he touches. Oscars to Patricia Neal as the middle-aged housekeeper who is demoralized by Hud's brutishness, and to Melvyn Douglas as Hud's dispproving father.
6. The Pink Panther--The first in the series, and maybe still the best. Clumsy Inpsector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is after a notorious jewel thief. Robert Wagner and David Niven add to the fun.
7. The Leopard--A prince tries to preserve his family and class status during the tumultuous social upheavals of Sicily in the 1860s. Luchino Visconti's Italian film is noteworthy for its use of a true star: Burt Lancaster.
8. Tom Jones--The lusty, bawdy main character launched Albert Finney to stardom. Oscar for Best Picture.
9. Shock Corridor--The best "B" film of the year. Hellbent on winning a Pulitzer Prize, a journalist goes undercover and checks himself into a mental institution.
10. Charade--Stanley Donen directed two radiant stars, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, in this light-hearted thriller set in Paris.
For more info on The Birds on DVD, click on the pic:
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