Sunrise at Campobello

For anyone remotely interested in the history of U.S. presidents, SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO does an outstanding job of recreating the period of time during which Franklin Deleano Roosevelt coped with his victory over suffering polio in his forties, just as his political ambitions were taking shape.

RALPH BELLAMY repeats his stage role and makes you forget that all he ever played in his earlier movies were the hapless saps who lost the girl in the last reel. He gives a full-bodied portrait of the man and is ably assisted by an actress who seemed a most unlikely choice for her role--GREER GARSON as Eleanor Roosevelt.

With a striking supporting cast headed by HUME CRONYN as Roosevelt's closest friend and adviser, the only weak point of the whole enterprise is the length of time it takes to tell the story. 144 minutes is a long time to sit through a tale such as this, crammed as it is with some static scenes and full of dialog exchanges that go on for some length of time.

But all in all, it's a fascinating history lesson in that all of the events unfold using a lot of historical background as to the politics of the time. Oddly enough, Bellamy himself did not win an Oscar nomination but Greer Garson did. She also won awards from The National Board of Review and the Golden Globes as Best Actress.

Well worth seeing, although it seems to wear out its welcome during the last twenty-five minutes or so.

A 1960 film dealing w/the early days of FDR's trials & tribulations due to the effects of polio which left him wheelchair bound for the remainder of his life. Tracing the genesis of the disease's onslaught, we find FDR, played by Ralph Bellamy (one of the brothers from Trading Places), his wife Eleanor, played by Greer Garson & their children spending their lazy summer days at their seaside cabin & all seems to be well as the family frolics in the sun & spend their nights dolling out roles for their presentation of Julius Caesar. FDR keeps himself professionally busy by remaining in a law firm & even though his political days are behind him (he was Mayor of New York) his close confidante & political pusher, played by Hume Cronyn, keeps popping into his life, keeping the possibility fires burning for him to reenter the fray but when FDR collapses & a dirge of doctors descend upon him, his world turns upside down as not only does he have to deal w/this debilitating blow to his physical psyche but also the fretting from Garson & his own mother fortifies him to push forward eventually succeeding as he goes out in public more determined than ever. This story-line has been handled in later films like Hyde Park on Hudson w/Bill Murray (who played FDR) or Warm Springs w/Kenneth Branagh, both of which covered slices of FDR's life (one w/his infidelities & the other where he explored therapeutic treatments to his ailment) but Bellamy may well be the benchmark actor for this role (he already won a Tony for the stage version) capturing his intelligence, warmth & gritty determination to never quit (a sequence where he struggles to lift himself w/crutches is inspiring w/Garson (wearing fake teeth like Eleanor had) can do no wrong even when she breaks down in front of the children but quickly thinks of the family & straightens herself out. Look for David White (Larry Tate from Bewitched) as a political operative.

Before Franklin D. Roosevelt could lead the nation in overcoming economic depression and fascist aggression, he had to overcome one of the greatest of personal challenges any would be president ever had to overcome. The years 1921 to 1924 in his life are the subject of Dore Schary's play Sunrise At Campobello which won a Tony Award for Best Play and for Ralph Bellamy as FDR.

Bellamy and Alan Bunce as Alfred E. Smith are the only ones who repeated their stage roles in this film. Bellamy, a most respected player was certainly not a leading man in a traditional sense nor any kind of box office. Mary Fickett who played Eleanor Roosevelt on stage was replaced by Greer Garson. I'm not sure why Henry Jones who also won a Tony for playing Louis McHenry Howe was replaced, but Hume Cronyn certainly did an admirable job as the asthmatic, cigar smoking former reporter who became FDR's devoted acolyte and one of the very few whom he vested 100% trust in during his life.

You can read the various biographies of Roosevelt by James McGregor Burns, Frank Freidel, Emil Ludwig and a host of others and most recently by British author Conrad Black and you'll find that Schary sticks very closely to what exactly happened in those four years. For people who grew up in the Roosevelt era like Schary, like my parents, Roosevelt approached almost deification in their minds. I would have expected nothing less than that from Dore Schary, a certified New Deal liberal in his politics.

One summer after spending a day swimming in the Bay of Fundy on Campbello Island where the Roosevelts had a summer home, Roosevelt was taken down with chills which quickly developed into paralysis, infantile paralysis, a dread scourge back in those days.

Roosevelt's career was thought to be over. At the time the disease struck him he was contemplating his next move after having run for Vice President with James M. Cox in 1920 on the Democratic ticket. It was thought he was finished then, he would retire to his estate at Hyde Park with people occasionally remembering what might have been. That was certainly what mother Sara, played by Ann Shoemaker wanted.

It's not what Eleanor wanted and definitely not what Louis Howe wanted who gave him the spark to overcome the limitations the disease put on him, if not the disease himself. That's the story of Sunrise At Campobello.

Sunrise at Campobello got four Oscar nominations, Best costume design, best art&set direction, best sound and for Greer Garson, best actress. Greer unfortunately was up against a sentimental vote for Elizabeth Taylor who had battled back from disease herself that year for Butterfield 8.

However the film is best remembered for Ralph Bellamy as FDR. He became the actor most identified with the role even though many like Dan O'Herlihy and Arthur Hill have played FDR in other venues. Bellamy got to repeat his portrayal of FDR in the acclaimed mini-series The Winds Of War. It's certainly something better to remember him by than what he had done before in films, usually the earnest goof who loses the leading lady in the end.

I highly recommend this film, especially for younger viewers who want to get a glimpse of incipient presidential greatness. It holds up well and will continue to for centuries.

Good old fashioned biography of FDR's struggle against polio and his journey back to the political arena. Good supporting performances and a handsome production add luster to this.

The real strength of this is in the performances of the lead pair. Greer Garson as Eleanor does a terrific approximation of that great lady, people have mentioned that her teeth are distracting but Mrs.Roosevelt did have large teeth and an overbite so kudos to the studio for remaining true to the actual woman. She was still alive when this came out so the audiences of the time were well aware of her appearance. It's only a surface characteristic anyway and Garson portrayal goes much deeper giving a fine account of the future first lady.

However it's Ralph Bellamy in the best role he ever had as FDR that walks away with top acting honors. Having performed the role on stage he has perfected it to a fine point and richly deserved the Oscar nomination he received. He conveys both FDR's weariness as well as the strength required to bounce back from the blow polio dealt him.

Beautifully appointed this is studio film making at its best. Wonderful ending.

Ralph Bellamy gives perhaps his best performance as a very credible FDR. Greer Garson and Hume Cronyn give their usual solid efforts, and the supporting cast is all great. The atmosphere is right. The script is surprisingly crisp, but the length of the piece weighs it down. When it reaches the two-hour mark, the whole movie starts to creak. So if you have an interest in history and politics, it's great. If not, it's tough sledding up this long, steep hill.