|
→Plot: Fixed grammar
Tags: canned edit summary Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit
|
|||
| (30 intermediate revisions by 19 users not shown) | |||
Line 10:
| producer = [[Edward Lewis (producer)|Edward Lewis]]
| screenplay = [[Rod Serling]]
| based_on = {{Based on|
| starring = {{ubl|[[Burt Lancaster]]
| music = [[Jerry Goldsmith]]
| cinematography = [[Ellsworth Fredricks]] [[A.S.C.]]
| editing = [[Ferris Webster]]
| studio = [[Seven Arts Productions]] and [[Joel Productions Inc.]]<br
| distributor = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|1964|02|12|Washington, DC}}
Line 24:
| gross = $3,650,000 <small>(rentals)</small><ref>{{Citation | title = Big Rental Pictures of 1964 | newspaper = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date = 6 January 1965 | page = 39}}.</ref>
}}
'''''Seven Days in May''''' is a 1964 American [[political thriller film]] about a military-political [[cabal]]'s planned takeover of the United States government in reaction to the president's negotiation of a disarmament treaty with the [[Soviet Union]]. The film, starring [[Burt Lancaster]], [[Kirk Douglas]], [[Fredric March]], and [[Ava Gardner]], was directed by [[John Frankenheimer]] from a [[screenplay]] written by [[Rod Serling]] and based on the [[Seven Days in May (novel)|novel of the same name]] by [[Fletcher Knebel]] and [[Charles W. Bailey II]], published in September 1962.<ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/janet-frame-3/seven-days-in-may/ "Seven Days in May" (''Kirkus Reviews'', September 10, 1962)]</ref>
==Background==▼
The book was written in late 1961 and into early 1962 during the first year of the [[Kennedy administration]], reflecting some of the events of that era. In November 1961, President [[John F. Kennedy]] accepted the resignation of vociferously [[anti-Communist|anti-communist]] general [[Edwin Walker]], who had been indoctrinating the troops under his command with radical [[right-wing]] ideas and personal political opinions, including describing [[Harry S. Truman]], [[Dean Acheson]], [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] and other active public figures as communist sympathizers.<ref>[http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,938238,00.html "Armed Forces: I Must Be Free..." (''Time Magazine'', November 10, 1961)]</ref> Although no longer in uniform, Walker continued to make headlines as he ran for [[governor of Texas]] and made speeches promoting strongly right-wing views. In the film version of ''Seven Days in May'', [[Fredric March]], portraying the narrative's fictional president Jordan Lyman, mentions General Walker as one of the "false prophets" who were offering themselves to the public as leaders.▼
As [[Fletcher Knebel]] and [[Charles W. Bailey II]], primarily political journalists and columnists, collaborated on the novel, they also conducted interviews with another highly controversial military commander, the newly appointed [[Air Force Chief of Staff|Air Force chief of staff]] [[General Curtis LeMay]], who was angry with Kennedy for refusing to provide air support for the Cuban rebels in the [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]].<ref>[http://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/seven-days-in-may-remembrance-of-books-past Stoddard, Brooke C. "Seven Days in May: Remembrance of Books Past" (''Washington Independent Review of Books'', November 27, 2012)]</ref><ref>[http://independenthead.blogspot.com/2013/10/seven-days-in-may-by-knebel-and-bailey.html Steed, Mark S. "Seven Days in May by Knebel and Bailey - Book Review" (''An Independent Head'', October 26, 2013)]</ref> The character of General James Mattoon Scott was believed to have been inspired by both LeMay and Walker.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}▼
President Kennedy had read the novel [[Seven Days in May (novel)|''Seven Days in May'']] shortly after its publication and believed that the scenario could actually occur in the United States. According to director [[John Frankenheimer]], the project received encouragement and assistance from Kennedy through [[White House Press Secretary|White House press secretary]] [[Pierre Salinger]], who conveyed to Frankenheimer Kennedy's wish that the film be produced. In spite of [[United States Department of Defense|Defense Department]] opposition, Kennedy arranged to visit the [[Kennedy Compound]] in [[Hyannis Port, Massachusetts|Hyannis Port]] for a weekend when the film needed to shoot outside the [[White House]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/books/jfks-last-hundred-days-by-thurston-clarke.html?pagewanted=all Kakutani, Michiko. ''Kennedy, and What Might Have Been: 'JFK's Last Hundred Days' by Thurston Clarke'', page 95 (''The New York Times'', August 12, 2013)]</ref>▼
==Plot==
▲In the 1970s, the [[Cold War]] remained a major security and political problem. The weak and unpopular U.S. President Jordan Lyman recently signs a [[nuclear disarmament]] treaty with the Soviet Union, and the subsequent ratification by the U.S. Senate has produced a wave of dissatisfaction, especially among Lyman's political opposition and the military, who believe that the Russians cannot be trusted. His popularity has reached an all-time low of 29%, there is rioting about the treaty right outside the White House and he is warned of a dangerous cardiac condition by the presidential physician, which he blithely disregards, too busy and beleaguered to take a prescribed two-week vacation.
[[United States Marine Corps]]
Casey stumbles upon evidence that Scott is leading the Joint Chiefs to stage a ''[[coup d'etat]]'' to remove Lyman in seven days. Under the plan, disguised as a training exercise, a secret [[United States Army|army]] unit known as ECOMCON, training at a secret Texas base, will take control of the country's telephone, radio, and television networks while the president, participating in a staged "alert," is seized. Scott, who is busy advancing his charismatic public persona through nationally televised anti-treaty rallies,
Still somewhat skeptical, Lyman gathers a circle of trusted advisors to investigate: [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] White House detail chief Art Corwin, [[Treasury Secretary]] Christopher Todd, longtime advisor Paul Girard, and Raymond Clark, the senior [[U.S. senator]] from [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and a close friend of 21 years.
Casey has deduced that the heads of all
Girard successfully secures Barnswell's confession in writing, but it disappears during a plane crash in Spain. Clark is taken captive when he reaches the secret base and held incommunicado
Knowing
Scott meets the other three Joint Chiefs and reasserts his intention to execute the coup. He plans a nighttime network broadcast, but Lyman holds an afternoon press conference to announce
Lyman delivers a speech on the state of the nation and its values, declaring that the nation gains strength through peace rather than by conflict. The press corps applauds.
==Cast==
Line 73 ⟶ 64:
===Uncredited speaking roles (in order of appearance)===
* [[Malcolm Atterbury]], as
* [[Jack Mullaney]], as LTJG Grayson:
* Charles Watts, as
* [[John Larkin (actor, born 1912)|John Larkin]], as
* Colette Jackson, as the
* [[John Houseman]], as
* [[Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.]], as
* [[Fredd Wayne]], as
* [[Tyler McVey]], as
* [[Ferris Webster]]
▲==Background==
▲The book was written in late 1961 and into early 1962 during the first year of the [[Kennedy administration]], reflecting some of the events of that era. In November 1961, President [[John F. Kennedy]] accepted the resignation of vociferously [[
▲As [[Fletcher Knebel]] and [[Charles W. Bailey II]], primarily political journalists and columnists, collaborated on the novel, they also conducted interviews with another highly controversial military commander, the newly appointed [[
▲President Kennedy had read the novel [[Seven Days in May (novel)|''Seven Days in May'']] shortly after its publication and believed that the scenario could actually occur in the United States. According to director [[John Frankenheimer]], the project received encouragement and assistance from Kennedy through [[
==Production==
[[Kirk Douglas]] and director [[John Frankenheimer]] were the moving forces behind the filming of ''Seven Days in May''; the film was produced by [[Edward Lewis (producer)|Edward Lewis]] through Douglas's company Joel Productions and [[Seven Arts Productions]]. Frankenheimer recruited screenwriter [[Rod Serling]]. Douglas intended to star in the film along with his frequent costar [[Burt Lancaster]]. Douglas offered Lancaster the General Scott role, while Douglas agreed to play Scott's assistant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16136/seven-days-in-may#overview|title=Turner Classic Movies overview|accessdate=December 14, 2022}}</ref> Frankenheimer commissioned [[Nedrick Young]] to rewrite the scene in which Casey visits Holbrook at her apartment.<ref name="DVD" />{{Rp|page=1:05:00}}
Lancaster's involvement nearly caused Frankenheimer to withdraw from the project, as the two men had conflicted during the production of ''[[Birdman of Alcatraz (film)|Birdman of Alcatraz]]'' two years earlier. Only Douglas's assurances that Lancaster would behave kept Frankenheimer on the project.<ref name="tcmarticle">{{Citation | first = Jeff | last = Stafford | url = https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16136/seven-days-in-may#articles-reviews| title = Seven Days in May | publisher = TCM | type = article}}.</ref> Lancaster and Frankenheimer were at peace during the filming, but Douglas and Frankenheimer sparred with one another.<ref>Frankenheimer, John and Champlin, Charles. ''John Frankenheimer : A Conversation'' Riverwood Press, 1995. {{ISBN|978-1-880756-13-3}}</ref><ref name="ragman">Douglas, Kirk. ''[[The Ragman's Son]]''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988.</ref> Frankenheimer was very happy with Lancaster's performance, especially the long scene toward the end between Lancaster and March, saying that Lancaster was "perfect" in his delivery.<ref name="DVD" /> Frankenheimer stated decades later that he considered ''Seven Days in May'' among his most satisfying work.<ref name="DVD">Frankenheimer, John, ''Seven Days in May'' DVD Commentary, Warner Home Video, May 16, 2000</ref> He saw the film as putting "a nail in the coffin of [[McCarthyism|McCarthy]]."<ref name="DVD" />{{Rp|page=1:36:00}}
The filming took 51 days and, according to the director the production, it was a happy affair, with all of the actors and crew displaying great reverence for Fredric March.<ref name="DVD" /> Many of Lancaster's scenes were shot at a later time as he was recovering from [[hepatitis]].<ref name="DVD" /> [[Ava Gardner]], whose scenes were shot in just six days, thought that Frankenheimer favored the other actors over her. Frankenheimer remarked that she was sometimes "difficult."<ref name="DVD" />{{Rp|page=1:06:00}} [[Martin Balsam]] objected to Frankenheimer's habit of shooting pistols behind him during important scenes.<ref name="tcmarticle" /> Frankenheimer had been briefly stationed in the mailroom at
[[File:US Navy 021025-N-6811L-008 USS Kitty Hawk leaves for routine training.jpg|thumb|Supercarrier ''Kitty Hawk'' in 2002]] In an early example of [[guerrilla filmmaking]], Frankenheimer photographed Balsam ferrying to the [[supercarrier]] {{USS|Kitty Hawk|CV-63|6}} in San Diego without prior permission. Another example occurred when Frankenheimer wanted a shot of Douglas entering the Pentagon, but unable to receive permission, he rigged a camera in a parked car.<ref>[[Gerald Pratley|Pratley, Gerald]]. ''The Cinema of John Frankenheimer'' London: A. Zwemmer, 1969. {{ISBN|978-0-302-02000-5}}.</ref>
Frankenheimer recruited well-known producer and friend [[John Houseman]] to play Vice Admiral Farley C. Barnswell in his uncredited acting debut. Houseman agreed in return for a fine bottle of wine (seen during the telephone scene).<ref name="DVD" />{{Rp|page=1:30:00}} Several scenes, including one with standins for nuns, were shot inside the recently built [[Washington Dulles International Airport]], and the production team was the first to ever film there.<ref name="DVD"/> The alley and car-park scene was shot in Hollywood, and other footage was shot in the Californian desert in 110-degree heat. The secret base and airstrip were specially built in the desert near [[Indio, California]], and an aircraft tail was used in one shot to create the illusion of a whole plane off screen.<ref name="DVD"/> The original script had Lancaster dying in a car crash at the end after hitting a bus, but this was dropped in favor of a scene showing him leaving for home in his limousine, a scene that was shot in Paris during production of ''[[The Train (1964 film)|The Train]]'' (1964).<ref name="DVD"/>
Presidential press secretary [[Pierre Salinger]] conveyed to Frankenheimer that President Kennedy had read the book and hoped that the film would be produced. Kennedy arranged a visit to the [[family compound in
Frankenheimer considered the scene in which Douglas's character visits the president to be a masterful bit of acting which would have been very difficult for most actors to sustain.<ref name="DVD" /> He had done similar scenes on many television shows, and not only the acting but also every camera angle and shot were extensively planned and rehearsed. Frankenheimer paid particular attention to ensuring that all three actors in the scene were in focus for dramatic impact. Many of Frankenheimer's signature techniques were used in scenes such as this throughout the film, including his "depth of focus" shot with one or two people near the camera and another or others in the distance and the "low angle, wide-angle lens" (set at f/11) which he considered to give "tremendous impact" on a scene.<ref name="DVD" />
The film is set
==Soundtrack==
[[David Amram]], who had previously scored Frankenheimer's ''[[The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)|The Manchurian Candidate]]'' (1962), originally provided music for the film, but Lewis was unsatisfied with his work. [[Jerry Goldsmith]], who had worked with the producer and Douglas on ''[[Lonely Are the Brave]]'' (also 1962) and ''[[The List of Adrian Messenger]]'' (1963), was signed to rescore the project.
Line 112 ⟶ 108:
''Seven Days in May'' premiered on February 12, 1964 in Washington, D.C.,<ref>{{Citation | url = https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16136/seven-days-in-may#overview| publisher = TCM | title = Overview}}.</ref> to good critical notices and audience response.<ref name=tcmarticle />
===Awards and nominations===
The film was nominated for two 1965 [[Academy Award]]s,<ref name= "NY Times">{{cite web | url = https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/43837/Seven-Days-in-May/awards | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120301081854/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/43837/Seven-Days-in-May/awards | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2012-03-01 | department = Movies & TV Dept. | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 2012 |title = Seven Days in May |access-date=2008-12-25}}</ref> for [[Edmond O'Brien]] for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration/Black-and-White for [[Cary Odell]] and [[Edward G. Boyle]]. In that year's [[Golden Globe Award]]s, O'Brien won for Best Supporting Actor, and Fredric March, John Frankenheimer, and composer Jerry Goldsmith received nominations.
Frankenheimer won a Danish [[Bodil Award]] for directing the Best Non-European Film, and Rod Serling was nominated for a [[Writers Guild of America Award]] for Best Written American Drama.
===Evaluation in film guides===
''[[Steven H. Scheuer's Movies on TV]]'' (1972–73 edition) gives ''Seven Days in May'' its highest rating of
''Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever'' follows Scheuer's later example, with 3½ bones (out of 4), calling it a "topical but still gripping Cold War nuclear-peril thriller" and, in the end, "highly suspenseful, with a breathtaking climax." ''Mick Martin's & Marsha Porter's DVD & Video Guide'' also puts its rating high, at 4 stars (out of 5) finding it, as ''Videohound'' did, "a highly suspenseful account of an attempted military takeover..." and indicating that "the movie's tension snowballs toward a thrilling conclusion. This is one of those rare films that treat their audiences with respect." Assigning the equally high rating of 4 stars (out of 5), ''[[The Motion Picture Guide]]'' begins its description with "a taut, gripping, and suspenseful political thriller which sports superb performances from the entire cast", goes to state, in the middle, that "proceeding to unravel its complicated plot at a rapid clip, ''SEVEN DAYS IN MAY'' is a surprisingly exciting film that also packs a grim warning", and ends with "Lancaster underplays the part of the slightly crazed general and makes him seem quite rational and persuasive. It is a frightening performance. Douglas is also quite good as the loyal aide who uncovers the fantastic plot that could destroy the entire country. March, Balsam, O'Brien, Bissell, and Houseman all turn in topnotch performances and it is through their conviction that the viewer becomes engrossed in this outlandish tale."
Line 124 ⟶ 121:
==Remake==
The film was remade in 1994 by HBO as ''[[The Enemy Within (1994 film)|The Enemy Within]]'' with [[Sam Waterston]] as President William Foster, [[Jason Robards]] as General R. Pendleton Lloyd, and [[Forest Whitaker]] as Colonel MacKenzie
==See also==
Line 130 ⟶ 127:
* [[List of American films of 1964]]
* [[Politics in fiction]]
* [[Dr. Strangelove]], another 1964 film about a rogue general in the Cold War dealing with the nuclear arsenal
* ''[[A Very British Coup (mini-series)|A Very British Coup]]'', a 1988 three-episode serial, based on [[Chris Mullin (politician)|Chris Mullin]]'s novel about an attempted right-wing overthrow of a left-wing British government
==References==
{{
==
* {{Cite book |last=Bamford |first=James |author-link=James Bamford |year=2001 |chapter=Chapter 4: Fists |title=[[Body of Secrets|Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency: From the Cold War Through the Dawn of a New Century]] |chapter-url=https://www.amazon.com/reader/0385499078 |location=New York |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=978-0-385-49907-1 |oclc=44713235 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bodyofsecretsana00bamf/page/80 80–91]}} Covers an actual plot during the Kennedy administration and within the Joint Chiefs of Staff to start a war.
Line 165 ⟶ 163:
[[Category:Films based on thriller novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Frankenheimer]]
[[Category:Films produced by Kirk Douglas]]
[[Category:Films set in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Films set in Texas]]
| |||