Crooked senators, lying governors, and sleazy political kingpins may be found in endless Hollywood films produced across the decades. One could spend hours citing examples-- and one need not wonder why celluloid politicians have long been collectively depicted as crooks and liars.
However, as we are neck deep in the presidential primary season, it is appropriate to survey the manner in which America’s chief executives have been portrayed onscreen. There are two categories here. The first centers on dramas, thrillers, and even rom.coms featuring fictionalized presidents. The second spotlights biopics which purport to chart the lives of real chief executives.
Regarding made-up presidents, characters conjured up by screenwriters mostly have been immune to ridicule. This is the case even in our cynical, anything-goes age. The reason for this, I suspect, is that the office of the presidency is somehow sacred. Special men-- or, more to the point, special Americans-- have held the office. But the stories of all real U.S. presidents are not worth telling, and this explains why the likes of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt have more than occasionally appeared onscreen while there are no biopics of Millard Fillmore, for example, or Chester A. Arthur.
Still, among fictional chief executives, there occasionally have been outright villains. Take for example ABSOLUTE POWER, a 1997 Clint Eastwood action-crime drama. Here, Gene Hackman plays a sadistic U.S. president whose sexual tryst with a married woman results in her death. But for the most part, as I say, the office of the presidency has been depicted with a certain amount of reverence. We even have films such as 1996’s INDEPENDENCE DAY and 1997’s AIR FORCE ONE, in which the president becomes an action hero. And in 1995’s THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, the chief executive, who is charmingly played by Michael Douglas, is likable and high-minded as well as romantically desirable.
I could cite dozens of additional portrayals of righteous presidents. But perhaps the most intriguing dates back to 1933. It is a film titled GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE, it is available on DVD, and it is well-worth seeing and pondering.
I reviewed GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE in the Leonard MaltinMovie Guide, and the words I chose to describe it are “bizarre” and “fascinating.” It’s a dizzying Prohibition/Depression Era/New Deal fantasy in which a do-nothing sort by the name of Judson Hammond, who is played by Walter Huston, is elected President.
At first, Hammond is little more than a political hack. However, early on, he survives a car accident and a near-death experience, at which point he mysteriously changes his ways. He becomes a genuinely compassionate ruler who is intent on tackling unemployment, ridding the country of racketeers and bootleggers, and even working for world peace. And his methods for achieving these ends are better seen than described. In this, a presidential election year, GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE is a perfect film to discover-- and discuss.
Rob Edelman has authored or edited several dozen books on film, television, and baseball. He has taught film history courses at several universities and his writing has appeared in many newspapers, magazines, and journals. His frequent collaborator is his wife, fellow WAMC film commentator Audrey Kupferberg.
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