Seven Days in May

I couldn't help but think how this film reminded me of recent events surrounding an unhinged, flag-waving, borderline-fascist former president and his mob of followers wanting to overturn a national election.. Attempts of insurrection or seizing control of the government are essentially the same acts of sedition and government takeover. Throughout viewing, I kept thinking this film should be shown much more frequently these days, as it perfectly highlights how mindless super-patriotism can potentially destroy a democracy. A lesson most applicable these days, still.

It's a class reunion in the cast of Seven Days in May. Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster had made four movies together by that point. Fredric March and Martin Balsam played father- and son-in-laws in Middle of the Night. Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, and Burt Lancaster were in The Killers nearly twenty years earlier, and Ava shared the screen with Ed in The Barefoot Contessa. Burt, Ed, and Whit Bissell were all in Birdman of Alcatraz. Whit made two movies each with Burt and Freddie, and one each with Kirk and Ed. Hugh Marlowe was in Elmer Gantry with Burt. Freddie and Ed acted in two movies together in the 1940s, so it's no wonder that the whole chemistry of the film feels like a "good ol' boys network", much like the chemistry of Advise & Consent felt like a 1930s reunion. It's another Cold War drama, so if you don't like those, you probably won't like this one. I'm not a fan of that subgenre (probably because I didn't live through it), and the only one I liked was Fail-Safe. In this one, Fredric March plays the President of the United States. He's just signed a nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia, which many Americans distrust. Martin Balsam is his Chief of Staff and dear friend, and Edmond O'Brien is an aging Southern senator. Burt Lancaster is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he vehemently opposes the president. Kirk is Burt's assistant, and when he suspects his boss has done something really bad, he throws his loyalty out the window. He finks and tells President March everything, then they all scrounge together to get evidence against Burt. Even though Burt Lancaster got first billing, he was hardly in the movie. When he finally shows up, all he does is shout and irritate the audience. Ava Gardner's character was completely unnecessary, except to throw a random woman into the mix. Edmond O'Brien snagged an Oscar nomination for doing nothing more than a Charles Laughton impersonation from Advise & Consent. I really like Martin Balsam, but he wasn't given anything to do - and unfortunately, neither was Kirk Douglas. And as far as the actual plot goes: I watched the entire movie and couldn't figure out what it was exactly that Burt was suspected of doing! These movies are a little too complicated for me, so I'll stick with my WWII movies instead.

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source: Seven Days in May

This is an excellent thriller. Superb writing, directing and acting - well, except for Ava Gardner who looks and acts hungover in her three scenes. I wish everyone would watch this is 2022. Unfortunately, it shows that some things and types of people never change. Fortunately, often we learn from this and good can sometimes prevail.

I enjoy watching this movie (and even stayed up till 2 AM this last time just to do that) but that is not to say it that it is at all believable; with a plot that's pure fantasy from beginning to end, it makes THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE look plausible by comparison. A list of its story problems would probably be as long as the shooting script. Still, it has an absolutely first-rate cast giving decent performances, has some witty moments, and is filmed with glorious black and white cinematography, ever so-suitable for its subject matter. Moreover, it does actually develop its theme about the role of the armed forces brass in our government perfectly well enough to satisfy most any secondary school civics teacher in the land, and for that reason it can also be judged an honest treatment however fanciful it develops the details. Therefore I give it my personal idea of an IMDb seven-star rating: not "great" but definitely worth seeing.

Perhaps one of the most genuinely suspenseful films every made, this paranoic film should be seen in conjunction with its natural brethren, "The Parallax View" and "The Manchurian Candidate" (which is also directed by John Frankenheimer). The film's strength lies in a group of superb performance -- Burt Lancaster as the ramrod-stiff and egomaniacal general bent on saving the United States by planning the overthrow of the government; Kirk Douglas as his senior staff officer, who only gradually realizes what his boss is planning and just how dangerous he is; Fredric March as the world-weary President; and especially Edmond O'Brien as the souse of a Senator who, like March, demonstrates the kind of ingenuity and resolve that Lancaster and his co-conspirators assume they don't possess. These performers, as well as a splendid supporting cast, make Rod Serling's sometimes preachy dialogue seem completely real, and some of the scenes -- notably the final face-off between March and Lancaster -- seem on the verge of exploding. Frankenheimer's low-key direction feeds this tension, by allowing the dialogue and the situations do the work. Would-be filmmakers looking to specialize in thrillers should probably spend more time watching films like this than modern-day "thrillers" like "Enemy of the State" or "Conspiracy Theory" which rely more on violence than actual dramatic tension.

Intense and gravely serious, "Seven Days In May" tells the fictional story of a super-patriotic American General, a man named James Mattoon Scott (Burt Lancaster), who may, or may not, be plotting with others to overthrow the U.S. Government. Much of the plot, especially early-on, is veiled in secrecy and mistrust. An alert Col. Jiggs Casey (Kirk Douglas) first gets suspicious when references to horse racing are labeled top secret. Then he discovers that a mysterious organization called "ECOMCON" doesn't officially exist. Casey's suspicions turn to Scott, because Scott disdains President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March) as a liberal pacifist. In the early going, it's up to viewers to figure out whether this military coup d'etat is real or imagined. The film's dialogue is heavy laden with import. Characters speechify with feeling about nuclear war, Pearl Harbor, disarmament, and other weighty issues. There's almost no humor. The forceful rat-a-tat-tat of the drums during the title sequence foreshadows a distressing tone: foreboding, angry, discordant. It's a riveting story, with lots of tension. I would describe its import as comparable to "All The President's Men". Acting is top-notch. I especially liked the performances of March, as the idealistic President. In support roles, Edmond O'Brien and Martin Balsam are terrific. The B&W visuals are quite good. There are lots of wide-angle and low-angle shots, which convey a heightened sense of visual perspective. There's some mood lighting at night in the rain, and some clever back-projection techniques. On the other hand, with such a large cast I found it hard to connect names with faces at times. And the romantic subplot with Ellie (Ava Gardner) is a tad distracting. But overall, this is a fine, high quality Cold War era film dealing with topics that were cogent in the 1960s, especially following the assassination of JFK. President Lyman summarizes the film's theme. "The enemy is an age, a nuclear age. It happens to have killed man's faith in his ability to influence what happens to him. And out of this comes a sickness, a sickness of frustration, a feeling of impotence, helplessness, weakness. And from this desperation, we look for a champion in red, white, and blue".

A splendid ensemble cast brought together in a fun, tight political thriller. John Frankenheimer's direction is first rate. I can't imagine Alfred Hitchcock doing a better job. The novel by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II was first published in 1962 and takes place in the early 1970s. The film, made in 1964, is more of period piece, shot in black and white by Ellsworth Fredericks. Some of the dark tones in the film are inspired by the mood of the nation since the assassination of President Kennedy. The novel, by contrast, writes of a two-term Kennedy administration. The script by Rod Serling improves on the novel by creating a sharper climax as the president overcomes the brewing plot by panicking high-ranking military officers to overthrow the Executive Branch of the US government. The film is otherwise fairly faithful to the book. Burt Lancaster plays General James Mattoon Scott, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and universally idolized military hero. The man, it seems, would make an ideal president--and that just might happen on the seventh day in May. Kirk Douglass portrays the efficient Colonel "Jiggs" Casey, who is Scott's subordinent and reluctant hero of the film. Frederick March is credible as an aging, weary president who has recently won a hard-fought battle to ratify a treaty with the Soviet Union to eliminate atomic weapons. There is a vociferous backlash against the treaty, led by right-wing television personalities. Soon it is apparent that certain elements in the military, congress, and media are all in league to usurp power from the president and, as they would reason, save the nation from the worthless treaty. The film plays on traditional political labels, both pro and con. Even though it was made 28 years ago, one can identify with many of the characters and situations in the film. In the later 1980s, President Ronald Reagan was criticized by right wing conservatives for signing a treaty with the Soviet Union to downsize nuclear stockpiles. The film has some great editing as well, most notably the scene where some of the recent mysterious occurances are beginning to make sense to Jiggs as he watches Gen. Scott address a conservative political rally. Good camerawork as well, particularly when a nervous Jiggs finally sums up to the president the fantastic plot he believes he's stumbled upon. Another great shot occurs when General Scott presents a speech he is going to make against the president to his team of co-conspirators, only the back of his head is seen. The characters are human, the story is spellbinding, the film is a classic on all levels.

Marvellous acting by antagonists Douglas and Lancaster, complemented by sexy and sophisticated Ava Gardner. Fredric March turns in one of his last great performances as a US President who has just negotiated a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. Douglas, playing a Marine Colonel and Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, becomes disturbed by a number of peculiar events surrounding the JCS Chairman (Lancaster), which lead him to believe his superior is planning a coup d'etat. By the time he manages to convince the White House that his suspicions are correct, less than seven days remain till the fateful hour -- which will destroy the Constitution and may lead to World War III. Frankenheimer's direction is stark and taut, worthy of Hitchcock, while Rod Serling's screenplay remains truer to the novel than perhaps any other novel adaptation ever filmed. Watch for an uncredited appearance by John Houseman.