The Best Man

"Does The Best Man Always Get To The White House?"

1964 1h 42m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 45

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The other party is in disarray. Five men vie for the party nomination for president. No one has a majority as the first ballot closes and the front-runners begin to decide how badly they want the job.

“Does The Best Man Always Get To The White House?”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Henry Fonda
William Russell
Cliff Robertson
Joe Cantwell
Edie Adams
Mabel Cantwell
Margaret Leighton
Alice Russell
Shelley Berman
Sheldon Bascomb
Lee Tracy
President Art Hockstader
Ann Sothern
Sue Ellen Gamadge
Gene Raymond
Don Cantwell

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Writers: Gore Vidal
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, shot by Haskell Wexler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mort Lindsey. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Swink shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson and Edie Adams carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Does The Best Man Always Get To The White House?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0057883 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 45 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Franklin J. Schaffner directs. Haskell Wexler behind the camera. Mort Lindsey scores. Robert Swink cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

162 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, shot by Haskell Wexler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mort Lindsey. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Robert Swink shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson and Edie Adams carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Does The Best Man Always Get To The White House?".
7IMDB entry: tt0057883 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 45 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Haskell Wexler
Original score: Mort Lindsey
Editing: Robert Swink
Production design: Lyle R. Wheeler
Makeup / hair: Ben Lane
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Best Man (1964)

Also by

Franklin J. Schaffner

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-04-04
★ 7/10
As the presidential nomination process comes to it's chaotic climax, the two leading candidates are deadlocked. The more principled "Russell" (Henry Fonda) and the more savvy "Cantwell" (Cliff Robertson) are trying to get the approval of the former president "Hockstader" (Lee Tracy) whilst the former tries to avoid the whole process becoming mired in personal issues (and back-stabbing). Like so many films that depict American political process, it presents a scenario in which it's rarely the best man who wins and the so-called "Land of the Free" proves anything but! Neither of these candidates really merit the job, it all just boils down to which is going to be prepared to scrape the bottom of the barrel and ruin the reputation of the other. Both Fonda and Robertson are on good form, but pale by comparison with the rather manipulative and scheming Tracy whom you could actually believe held high office once. The pace is good, there is plenty of intrigue and as the denouement looms, I was still never quite sure who was going to come out on top. I liked the ending, though I did feel it was just a little bit of a cop out. Almost as if Gore Vidal didn't really want to make a choice either! Nobody is all bad, nobody is all good - but is compromise always the best answer? It's good, this.

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