![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
All the Way
Apr. 18th, 2019 11:51 amLast night, after a rather stressful journey (sparked by unusual spontaneity that went awry), I spent a lovely evening at a friend's new flat near Surrey Quays, for a political film night.
We watched the 2016 film All The Way, which charts Lyndon B Johnson's journey as the US President, from the day of the Kennedy assassination through to the 1964 election. The film focuses mainly on Johnson's battle to get the Civil Rights Act passed, as well as his own insecurities about being seen as an 'accidental president'.
Bryan Cranston gives a tremendous and very layered performance, portraying Johnson as a complex man under immense pressure. Anthony Mackie as Martin Luther King Jnr shows gravitas I didn't know he had. And there are a wealth of interesting supporting players, including J Edgar Hoover, Hubert Humphrey (Johnson's eventual VP), and Johnson's wife.
I found the whole thing a fascinating education in US politics and the difficulties Johnson faced in getting the Civil Rights Act passed in the face of huge opposition from within his own party.
The film is perhaps a bit long, but definitely recommended as a portrait of a man who is sometimes overlooked, and certainly had many flaws, but who also achieved a great deal for social good during his time as president.
We watched the 2016 film All The Way, which charts Lyndon B Johnson's journey as the US President, from the day of the Kennedy assassination through to the 1964 election. The film focuses mainly on Johnson's battle to get the Civil Rights Act passed, as well as his own insecurities about being seen as an 'accidental president'.
Bryan Cranston gives a tremendous and very layered performance, portraying Johnson as a complex man under immense pressure. Anthony Mackie as Martin Luther King Jnr shows gravitas I didn't know he had. And there are a wealth of interesting supporting players, including J Edgar Hoover, Hubert Humphrey (Johnson's eventual VP), and Johnson's wife.
I found the whole thing a fascinating education in US politics and the difficulties Johnson faced in getting the Civil Rights Act passed in the face of huge opposition from within his own party.
The film is perhaps a bit long, but definitely recommended as a portrait of a man who is sometimes overlooked, and certainly had many flaws, but who also achieved a great deal for social good during his time as president.
