State of the Union
by Frank Capra
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Actor: Adolphe Menjou, Angela Lansbury, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Van JohnsonDirector: Frank Capra
Brand: TRACY,SPENCER
Cinematographer: George J. Folsey
Producer: Frank Capra
Producer: Anthony Veiller
Writer: Anthony Veiller
Writer: Howard Lindsay
Writer: Myles Connolly
Writer: Russel Crouse
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 124 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-08-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of State of the Union
DVD Review: A bit different than most Hepburn/Tracy movies
Summary: 3 Stars
I was wondering why I had not heard of this one. One one of their collective best but still an interesting story.DVD Review: "I haven't enjoyed myself this much since Huey Long died!"
Summary: 4 Stars
Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy made nine films together, including 1948's "State of the Union." In this film, they play a married couple. Tracy is a highly successful airplane manufacturer who is approached to run for President of the U.S. He seems like an ideal candidate - full of common sense and integrity. However, it turns out that he's less than perfect; he's estranged from Hepburn and carrying on an affair with a king-maker newspaper publisher, played by Angela Lansbury. Tracy realizes that if he is to run for President, he needs Hepburn by his side. The two reunite tentatively, and Tracy's initial speeches strike a chord with the "common man." Unfortunately, as Lansbury becomes more involved, Tracy changes in some rather ominous ways.
"State of the Union" is not one of the better known Hepburn-Tracy pairings, such as "Adam's Rib" or "Woman of the Year." However, it is every bit as good as these classics. Frank Capra directed the film - it's his follow-up to "It's a Wonderful Life." Like that movie, "State of the Union" is a bit idealistic and has a rather mushy denouement. However, along the way, the script (adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse) makes some rather insightful comments on politics and human relations and contains some crackling witty dialogue. Much of this material is still relevant today, 60 years after the fact.
Hepburn is charming and beautiful as the betrayed wife, and Lansbury is the portrait of cold-blooded calculating ambition. It's hard to believe that Lansbury was only 23 years old when "State of the Union" was made. Another interesting aspect of the film is the obvious parallels to the Hepburn-Tracy relationship. It was a poorly kept secret that they were having an affair starting in the early 1940s which continued until Tracy's death in 1967, although the staunchly Catholic Tracy never divorced his wife. Hepburn acting wounded because Tracy has a mistress while she was in fact his real mistress - well it makes the mind boggle a bit! All in all, "State of the Union" is a solid 1940s comedy-drama on par with the couple's best pairings.
DVD Review: State of the Union DVD
Summary: 4 Stars
Not my favorite Capra movie OR Tracy and Hepburn movie, but well worth watching because of the wonderful pairing of actors and director! Tracy and Hepburn are a magical pair no matter what movie they are in, and Frank Capra always has a happy ending even for difficult situations. This movie almost seems like a role reversal to Tracy and Hepburn's movie "Woman of the Year". Angela Lansbury did a wonderful job in the movie also.DVD Review: WHERE IS GRANT MATTHEWS TODAY WHEN WE NEED HIM??
Summary: 5 Stars
The story begins with Kay Thorndike (Lansbury) rushing to the side of her dying father, Sam Thorndike, newspaper publisher baron. He challenges her to remain ruthless and get back at the Republican Party which he feels betrayed his chance to be president. Kay decides the best way to get to the White House is by backing (with all her personal assets and the newspapers she controls) her good friend and wealthy aviation manufacturer Grant Matthews (Tracy). Rumors have linked Matthews and Thorndike romantically because he is unofficially separated from his wife Mary Mathews (Hepburn). A public image of a happy marriage is important to a successful campaign and Thorndike and company set about to get the marriage back on track, at least for the public. Matthews knows that Mary is no pushover and will not be manipulated for the sake of his campaign. Yet Mary believes in him and knows that at the core his ability to be honest and his business skills are what the country needs, especially someone outside the influence of the Washington insiders. She decides to wholeheartedly back Grant's run for the nomination all the while fighting back the rumors of his unfaithfulness and the influence of the ruthless Thorndike. This begins the tug of war between Mary and Thorndike as to how the campaign should be run - total honesty and openness or politically shrewd playing all sides. It would be hard not to have an entertaining film, especially about such a hot topic, with the stars involved and under the direction of Frank Capra. A lesser known gem of Tracy and Hepburn, this is a great time to pull it out and watch. Maybe there is still a Grant Matthews lurking out there that we could nominate. For aviation buffs, there is a great scene where a couple of Grant's test pilots pull up alongside the campaign plane and challenge him to a little game of 'chicken' in the air. The picture quality is excellent. WWW.LUSREVIEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM.
DVD Review: surprisingly relevent
Summary: 4 Stars
I watched this recently in the midst of the 2008 campaign and I was struck by the parallels with today's race 60 years later. Politics have obviously changed enormously since '48, but yet not that much. I noticed a striking similarity between Spencer Tracy's character and Barack Obama. They are both relative political newcomers whose campaigns are ostensibly based on a new approach that transcends conventional petty politics and appeals directly to the voters. But political realities and the ambition to get the job get the better of them. They compromise their campaigns and make choices based on political expediency. They choose positions to target whatever demographic they need to chase and eventually become just like the regular politicians they are supposed to be an alternative to. It would be nice if we could have a true nonpolitical idealist elected directly by the people, but I don't think it could ever happen! That's basically the message of this movie, but yet it ends on an optimistic note.
Description of State of the Union
Academy Award-winning screen icons Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn shine in a classic film about marriage, politics and the pursuit of the American dream. When idealistic businessman Grant Matthews (Tracy) is chosen to run for the Presidency, he is caught between the ruthless ambition of a string-pulling newspaper owner and the integrity of his devoted wife (Hepburn). But just as Matthews embraces his ultimate goal, he realizes that he may have lost touch with the American people. Masterfully directed by three-time Academy Award winner Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night), State of the Union is a timeless crowd pleaser with a stellar supporting cast including Angela Lansbury, Van Johnson and Adolphe Menjou.State of the Union is somewhat better as a Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn movie than it is as a Frank Capra picture. No doubt about it, these are two good roles for the smitten stars: Tracy is a self-made businessman reluctantly drafted into a dark-horse presidential candidacy; Hepburn is his estranged but whip-smart wife, who joins him on the campaign trail. Adding intrigue is the newspaper heiress (played with relish by baby-faced Angela Lansbury) who's the cause of their marital problems. She's also the one who convinces a longtime political horse-trader (Adolphe Menjou) to take up the campaign--which leads to a series of compromises for the candidate.
The Capra flavor is here, in the paeans to liberty and the American Way, and in the crackling pacing of dialogue scenes. Capra's affection for supporting players is also evident, with standout stuff from Menjou, Van Johnson (as a cynical aide), Lewis Stone, and Raymond Walburn. But the film's roots as a hit play (by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse) are a little too evident, and the film as a whole doesn't feel as bracingly Capraesque as the director's 1930s work. Having said that, the political satire is as relevant today as it was in 1948, although the rapid-fire topical references might be puzzling to non-campaign buffs. Note for bloopers collectors: Hepburn's name is spelled "Katherine" in the opening credits. --Robert Horton
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