All The King's Men (1949) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Columbia Classics Vol. 5)

In the genre of political dramas and thrillers, there’s few if any better than Robert Rossen’s 1949 adaptation of All the King’s Men. Starring Western and B-movie Heavy John Ireland (in an Oscar-nominated turn) with Broderick Crawford (who did win Best Actor) as the iconic Willie Stark, the film is a potent reminder of the corruptible temptation of unchecked power. I first saw this film in the 8th grade as part of a lesson my teacher was running about Civics and Ethics. We first watched the film, then debated whether we believed Broderic Crawford’s Willie Stark was always a power-hungry morally bankrupt individual, or was he drawn to the dark side by fame and fortune.  

I don’t remember much of a consensus of that debate, but I do remember my stance because it’s the one that I've always felt, Willie Stark once was a good man. He wanted to make his little slice of the world better for himself and everyone around him. However, somewhere along the way, as many a good man or woman does, Willie lost sight of the goal that put them on his path. Instead, he surrounded himself with Yes-Men, exploited his popularity, and fell away onto a trail of darkness with no light of conscience to show him the way back. I genuinely believe that at one point Willie Stark was a man who just wanted to do better, but then he became what he fought against. Now that’s not always true for every politician, some are just born dicks and grow from there, but there are good men and women who long to serve - they just need a little reminder of what and who they're fighting for.

The brilliance of this film is it asks the audience to empathize with the man through the eyes of John Ireland’s Jack Burden. As a man in search of a vision he can believe in, he sees Willie Stark as the incorruptible everyman hero. And he was for a time. But then when the hero becomes worse than the villains he fought, Jack must reconcile his beliefs against the evidence. It’s an incredibly personal and human position to be caught in. We’ve all been in relationships, friendships, or fans of individuals who may not be as sparkly clean as we thought, wished, or believed. Hell, we face that all the time as film fans when a movie star or director does something that completely destroys their legacy. Do we separate the art from the artist? Or do we see the art through a dark shadow? I believe that’s what is so brilliant about All the King’s Men, it puts us in this position of reevaluating our biases and prejudices. Because like Willie Stark, we’re not perfect either. And like Jack Burden, we sometimes have to reevaluate who we call our friends. The film absolutely deserved the Oscars it won, as well as all of the ones it lost. (fun fact, this is where the voice of The Exorcist Mercedes McCambridge won her Oscar!)

Anyway, enough of my dithering, Mr. Krauss wrote a hell of a review for us back for the 2014 Twilight Time release of All the King’s Men. Here are his more eloquent and insightful thoughts about this magnificent film: 

Politics is a dirty business and politicians are a dirty breed. Sure, most aspiring lawmakers try to pass themselves off as innocent, starry-eyed idealists who care passionately about the common man's desperate plight, but once they taste the sweet fruit of success and become an oily gear in the grimy political machine, they expose their true colors. Blinded by ambition and a slave to greed, these despicable characters thirst for power and subsist on its heady accoutrements, putting themselves before their constituents. And as their souls become engulfed by their manufactured images, they become ruthless, unscrupulous, self-serving, insensitive, and manipulative. But the higher they rise, the harder they fall...and most of them crash and burn, done in by their own arrogance, sense of invincibility, and dirty deeds. It's an age-old story that goes back to the Greeks and Romans, yet no matter how many times history repeats itself, few seem to heed the warnings or learn from the most recent casualty. Times change, but politicians don't, and what destroys them time and again is one simple thing...ego.

That may sound cynical, but it accurately represents the tone of 'All the King's Men,' writer-director Robert Rossen's stinging adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's highly acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the rise and fall of a demagogue. With uncompromising grit and an unmistakable sneer, this Best Picture winner chronicles the unlikely career of Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford), a poor, uneducated man who allows dreams of grandeur and toxic self-obsession to poison the altruism that inspires him to run for office. At first used and corrupted by the political machine he will soon ferociously helm, Stark evolves from naïve puppet to cunning manipulator in the blink of an eye, learning the rules of a distasteful game and exploiting them at every turn. His populist platform and incendiary, fire-and-brimstone oratories ("You're a hick, and nobody ever helped a hick but a hick himself!") get him elected governor, but once he's ensconced in the mansion, the only agenda he promotes is himself, and he uses bribes, blackmail, and smear campaigns to bulldoze his whims through the legislature and exact revenge on those who dare to cross him. Initially engendering faith and loyalty from a herd of wide-eyed supporters desperate for a hero, Stark chews up and spits out those closest to him like tough chunks of meat. Newspaperman Jack Burden (John Ireland) and his socialite girlfriend Anne Stanton (Joanne Dru) fall under his spell, but over time they become bitterly disillusioned, as does Sadie Burke (Mercedes McCambridge), Stark's misanthropic aide who's seen every trick in the book, yet still becomes ultimately amazed by Willie's heartless machinations. As time passes, everyone turns against Stark, even his own family, as his monstrous ego rages out of control and consumes the simple man he once was.

Unmistakable similarities between Stark and real-life Louisiana governor-turned-U.S. senator Huey Long abound, even though Warren refused to admit to any intentional connection when he wrote his best-selling novel. Both Stark and Long hailed from the same impoverished, uneducated backgrounds; their careers followed parallel paths (an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid followed by a victory four years later, which ultimately led to impeachment proceedings); they shared the same political philosophy; and Long's nickname was The Kingfish, which ties into the book's title, 'All the King's Men.' (Other blatant similarities exist, but discussing them here would spoil the movie's climax.) Yet whether or not we regard the picture as a thinly veiled portrait of Long doesn't matter, as Stark calls to mind countless colorful politicians from a variety of ages, and represents the underbelly of the American Dream. Though several films produced before 'All the King's Men' questioned the integrity of government officials ('Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' chief among them), Rossen's cinematic diatribe does so in a harsher, more critical tone, and one can only speculate what a notorious junior senator from Wisconsin named Joseph McCarthy (who strangely somewhat resembles Broderick Crawford) thought of this film and how it influenced him.

'All the King's Men' is powerful stuff, operatic in scope and arc, yet down and dirty like the best pulp fiction. Rossen's terse, poetic script zeroes in on the unsavory qualities that fuel Stark and his crooked environment, and takes special care to develop the trusting fools he so deftly manipulates. His excellent direction also cleverly mixes elements of film noir with a semi-documentary style to create a brooding mood of disgust and impending doom. Intimate shadowy scenes of backroom dealings are juxtaposed with chaotic protests and raucous legislature sessions, all leading to an explosive and shattering climax. Not surprisingly, Rossen received well-deserved Oscar nominations for his direction and screenplay, but lost both awards to Joseph L. Mankiewicz for the vastly different, far more sedate 'A Letter to Three Wives.'

Crawford, however, was rightfully named Best Actor for his blistering performance. He and Stark were made for each other, and he devours the part with a thrilling mix of gusto and bravado. Stark isn't subtle and neither is Crawford, but his evolution from mild-mannered oaf to blustery glad-hand to ruthless kingpin is a sight to behold. The actor, who originated the role of Lenny in the Broadway production of 'Of Mice and Men,' was only 38 years old when he portrayed Stark, but he seems and looks a good decade older, and though he also achieved renown the following year playing Judy Holliday's gangster boyfriend in the classic comedy 'Born Yesterday,' Stark remains his greatest and most lasting triumph. McCambridge, in her dynamic film debut as Stark's tough gal Friday whose only passion is politics, won Best Supporting Actress, and both Ireland and Dru, who would marry shortly after production wrapped, are also impressive in their more sensitive roles. (Ireland nabbed a Best Supporting Actor nomination, but lost to Dean Jagger in 'Twelve O'Clock High.')

 'All the King's Men' is a timeless tale that's just as relevant today as it was 65 years ago. Though we may be loath to admit it, there are probably plenty of Willie Starks roaming the halls of our nation's capitol this very moment. Some will be exposed, others will escape retribution, but one thing is certain: the American political engine - greasy and foul as it may be - will continue to hum for the foreseeable future. And just like Congress performs checks and balances on the executive office of the presidency, so, too, do films like 'All the King's Men,' which keeps our eyes open and our perspective grounded. Rossen's film tells a crackling story, but it's the truth behind the tale that gives it power and meaning.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Once again we’re opening the bifold box of a Columbia Classics 4K UHD collection. Kicking off our coverage for Volume 5, we pull out 1949’s All the Kings Men. As with past Columbia Classics sets, we have a two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray offering, a BD66 for the 4K with a BD50 for the 1080p and bonus features. A slip is included with the full box set giving fans a digital copy option.

Sony sure as hell did a masterful job celebrating Columbia Picture’s centennial this year, and they cap off that celebration with another terrific run of 4K releases for Columbia Classics Vol 5. Starting our coverage of this latest set of six features, we open with All The King’s Men and it’s a beauty. I love this film to death, but it’s not one I pull out all that often. Actually I really only come back to every four years or so (I wonder why?). Back in 2014, we got a pretty great Blu-ray from Twilight Time, and that disc has served well for the last ten years. But then Sony comes along with a splendid 2160p 1.37:1 Dolby Vision transfer and gives us a reason to upgrade. From the opening frames, this transfer is in immaculate shape giving us a fully detailed, clean, clear image to enjoy. There are a few small blemishes, a couple of instances of speckling, but for a 75-year-old film, it’s in incredible shape. With Dolby Vision HDR, the grayscale is gorgeous offering brilliant bright whites, deep inky blacks, and a full range of shadows in between. Film grain is retained for an appealing cinematic appearance. Image depth is impressive, particularly for the big rally sequences. 

On the audio side, the film comes home with a lovely DTS-HD MA mono mix. This is perfect for this film. I always get a little worried about films of a certain vintage getting “upgraded” to a 5.1 or even an Atmos track where the sound design just never called for that kind of activity. This film is largely conversational, but the track has a nice big feel for those crowd scenes or the montages of Willie Stark’s rise to fame and power. The excellent score from Louis Gruenberg also sounds fantastic without issue. All around a clean clear track to help celebrate this film.

Bonus features for this film are solid, but slim. The additional “however” of that statement is that they’re all only on the included Blu-ray, including the excellent commentary track from Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff. That commentary is the genuine highlight of the set - but that’s par for the course with any Kirgo-led commentary or essay. After that is a solid Making of piece. At 25 minutes it’s not the longest, most extensive look at a film ever produced, but its quality can’t be denied as they dive into the filmmakers, actors, and themes of the film. 

• Audio Commentary featuring Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff
• A Force of WIll: The Making of All the King’s Men (HD 25:40)
• Trailer

All the King’s Men is a genuine classic making it a fitting release for this fifth volume of the Columbia Classics collection. It was a potent mix when it first hit the silver screen in the late 1940s, and it resonates just as strongly today - perhaps even more so. Expertly adapted and directed by Robert Rossen with incredible performances from John Ireland and Broderick Crawford with an equally impressive turn from Mercedes McCambridge, All the King’s Men is essential viewing for any film fan. Now on 4K, the film is treated to a beautiful black and white Dolby Vision 4K transfer with a clean and effective mono audio track. Bonus features might not be a stacked slate, but the audio commentary and Making-of are well-produced informative, and interesting pieces to dig into. Highly Recommended