{"id":29569,"date":"2013-02-28T14:37:02","date_gmt":"2013-02-28T21:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29569"},"modified":"2020-12-31T12:42:26","modified_gmt":"2020-12-31T19:42:26","slug":"state-of-the-union-1948","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29569","title":{"rendered":"State of the Union (1948)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;The world needs honest men today &#8212; more than it needs presidents.&#8221; <\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Poster-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-29572\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Poster-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Poster.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA well-liked industrialist (Spencer Tracy) is urged to run for president as a Republican candidate by his power-hungry, newspaper-owning lover (Angela Lansbury), who is eager to manipulate his candidacy for her own purposes &#8212; but will Tracy&#8217;s estranged wife (Katharine Hepburn) help or hinder the process?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adolph Menjou Films<\/li>\n<li>Angela Lansbury Films<\/li>\n<li>Frank Capra Films<\/li>\n<li>Katharine Hepburn Films<\/li>\n<li>Marital Problems<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>Political Corruption<\/li>\n<li>Spencer Tracy Films<\/li>\n<li>Van Johnson Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nFrank Capra&#8217;s stagy adaptation of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/State_of_the_Union_%28play%29\">Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse&#8217;s Pulitzer Prize-winning play<\/a> (loosely based upon a notorious affair between Republican nominee <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wendell_Willkie\">Wendell Willkie<\/a> and newspaper editor <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Irita_Bradford_Van_Doren\">Irita Van Doren<\/a>) isn&#8217;t nearly as well-known or beloved as Capra&#8217;s two most famous political dramas, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16392\"><em>Mr. Smith Goes to Washington<\/em> (1939)<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16314\"><em>Meet John Doe<\/em> (1941)<\/a> &#8212; perhaps due to a number of real-life political references which situate it a bit too firmly within its specific era. The film also suffers from both an uneven tone and an overly simplistic storyline: while it&#8217;s no surprise that a powerful man like Tracy&#8217;s aviation industrialist might be estranged from his wife and carrying on an affair with a much younger woman, Hepburn is simply too radiant, smart, and loyal for us to understand (without additional context) why nice-guy Tracy would stray from her. Sure, men are lured away from amazing women all the time &#8212; but despite Lansbury&#8217;s youth, she simply can&#8217;t hold a candle to Hepburn, either in appearance or personality. Indeed, as written (and acted), Lansbury&#8217;s &#8220;Kay Thorndyke&#8221; (what a name!) is a decidedly one-dimensional villainess (complete with a &#8220;Cruella De Vil&#8221; streak in her frosted hair), and ultimately comes across as little more than the personification of female power run amok. <\/p>\n<p>Despite these serious caveats, however, the bulk of the storyline remains as relevant as ever in its expos\u00e9 of the corrupt machinations behind any presidential campaign; and there&#8217;s plenty of smart dialogue sprinkled throughout to enjoy:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;No woman could ever run for President. She&#8217;d have to admit she&#8217;s over 35.&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8220;You politicians have stayed professionals only because the voters have remained amateurs.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Indeed, one can&#8217;t help getting caught up in the story, and typically fine lead performances by Hepburn and Tracy add to its appeal. However, this one is only must-see for Hepburn-Tracy and\/or Capra completists. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Katharine Hepburn as Mary Matthews<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Hepburn.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Hepburn.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29571\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Hepburn.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Hepburn-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Hepburn-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Spencer Tracy as Grant Matthews<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Tracy.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Tracy.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29570\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Tracy.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Tracy-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/State-of-the-Union-Tracy-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though it&#8217;s worth a one-time look. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0040834\/?ref_=sr_1\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.allmovie.com\/movie\/state-of-the-union-v46714\/review\">All Movie Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.nytimes.com\/movie\/review?res=9F0CEED81738EE3BBC4B51DFB2668383659EDE\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.slantmagazine.com\/film\/review\/state-of-the-union\/2372\">Slant Magazine Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/91341\/state-of-the-union#articles-reviews?articleId=274270\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/state-of-the-union\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The world needs honest men today &#8212; more than it needs presidents.&#8221; Synopsis: A well-liked industrialist (Spencer Tracy) is urged to run for president as a Republican candidate by his power-hungry, newspaper-owning lover (Angela Lansbury), who is eager to manipulate his candidacy for her own purposes &#8212; but will Tracy&#8217;s estranged wife (Katharine Hepburn) help or hinder the process? Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Adolph Menjou Films Angela Lansbury Films Frank Capra Films Katharine Hepburn Films Marital Problems Play Adaptation&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29569\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29569"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60699,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29569\/revisions\/60699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}