"GEORGE WALLACE: TWO-DISC SPECIAL EDITION"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Gary Sinise as GEORGE C. WALLACE Mare Winningham as LURLEEN WALLACE Clarence Williams III as ARCHIE Joe Don Baker as BIG JIM FOLSOM Angelina Jolie as CORNELIA WALLACE Not Rated Studio: Warner Bros./TNT Own it on January 20 Directed by: John Frankenheimer Check out the Warner Bros. official site Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
This is a re-release of the 1997 TNT original movie “George Wallace.” It tells the story of the politically polarizing Governor of Alabama (Gary Sinise) and his controversial stance on racial integration in the 1950s. The film starts off with Wallace’s bid for the Presidency in 1972, telling his story with flashbacks to his heyday as the Governor and how he fought against racial integration in the south.
Told with a mix of archived footage and recreated scenes, “George Wallace” examines the man behind the racism and what drove him to his political views. Presented in two parts, as a three-hour film, the movie includes his two marriages and his personal redemption after being restricted to a wheelchair after a would-be assassin’s bullet.
WHAT I LIKED
When it comes to issue-driven films, it’s hard for Hollywood to stay neutral. However, I felt that the people behind “George Wallace” (most notably director John Frankenheimer and actor Gary Sinise) put their political views aside and actually attempted to examine the man that was George Wallace. They showed him with his warts and his unfavorable views, and they didn’t make him a caricature of the old southern racist (although there were plenty of supporting characters that fit this bill).
The acting is top-notch in this film, and it earned some Golden Globes for the cast. Frankenheimer, who had his ups and downs in his career, gave a slick-looking film that worked best in the re-enactment scenes. The more personal moments broke out of the made-for-TV mode by giving us a look at the director’s style that he perfected in “Seconds,” including extreme close-ups and deep focus.
Finally, it was nice to be reminded of how attractive Angelina Jolie (as Wallace’s second wife, Cornelia) was in her younger days, before she got all skeletal and anorexic.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
When Frankenheimer wasn’t shining from a style standpoint, the movie did take on a bit of a made-for-TV feel. A lot of this is due to the time it was released. In 1997, we hadn’t seen the cinematic nature of television that we’re used to since it was pioneered by shows like “24” and “Lost.” Also, the movie ran a bit long, but that was due to network constraints for a two-night miniseries.
Finally, the character of Archie (Clarence Williams III) was a bit too heavy-handed. He was a creation for the film, meant to show the conflicted views of the southern black man working for Wallace. The filmmakers tried to give him his own story, but it just seemed half-baked.
DVD FEATURES
Even though this is a two-disc set, it was packaged this way for the long film rather than for a boat-load of special features. The movie is split between the two discs, and the only other feature is a documentary called “Vision and Conflict: Collaborating on the Wallace Saga.” This featurette, made well after the TV movie, includes interviews with Sinise, Jolie, Mare Winningham and others involved in the film about their memories working with John Frankenheimer.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Policitcos, Southern Democrats and TV movie-of-the-week junkies.
