 List Price: $14.98
Lowest Price: $7.72 
Product Description: 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.System Requirements:Running Time: 95 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 025192063022 Manufacturer No: 20630 Amazon.com: 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 Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-01
surprisingly relevent
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. Rating: 
Date: 2007-06-25
State of the Union
Frank Capra, unparalleled purveyor of populist Americana, sets his sights on the smarmy, corrupt practices that get people elected to high office. Though some will focus on little dated touches, the film's underlying message still manages to sound prophetic. Tracy delivers a perfectly balanced portrayal of a principled man momentarily blinded by the seduction of raw power. While Kate always seems at her best opposite her real-life partner, it's Angela who steals the film as the seductive, ruthless, ice-cold Kay-certainly a long way from "Murder, She Wrote"! A wise-cracking Van Johnson and old veteran Adolphe Menjou round out a top-flight cast playing slick, cynical operators in Grant's camp. In all, a still relevant tale, imbued with intelligence and heart. Rating: 
Date: 2007-06-21
Tracy and Hepburn Wade Through Capra-Corn as Lansbury Sharpens Her Talons
This somewhat forgotten 1948 dramedy is not the undiscovered gem of the Tracy-Hepburn pairings, but the 2006 DVD provides an opportunity to take a look at the political corruption running rampant in Washington at the time, clearly as prescient now as it was relevant then. The subject is well suited to filmmaking legend Frank Capra, who made the classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington a decade earlier and echoes a similar theme of an honest man surrounded by those who tear at his ethics. Adapted by Anthony Veiller and Myles Connolly from a play by Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay, the plot centers on Grant Matthews, a pulled-from-his-bootstraps industrialist who has not lost touch with the common folks, a quality seized upon by Machiavellian newspaper publisher Kay Thorndyke, who uses her considerable media power to shape him into a viable candidate for the presidency.
Thorndyke also happens to be Matthews' lover, even though he is still married to stoic, disillusioned Mary, his estranged wife who has remained in the marriage not only for the sake of their two children but also in the dimming hope that he will come back to her. Initially, Matthews balks at the idea of becoming President, but he recognizes an ambition to improve the country. At the same time, Thorndyke and her cohort, proto-Karl Rove political advisor Jim Conover convince him to make compromising speeches to win the votes of powerful lobbies. If you know Capra films, you know how it will all turn out. The main problem I had with the film is the pacing and the relative inconsistency in tone. Much of the time, it feels truncated with little transition between scenes, and farcical moments are mixed with more serious ones in ways that make the film feel emotionally askew at times.
The performances can't be faulted. Spencer Tracy is well cast as the plainspoken Matthews, while Katharine Hepburn lends her much-needed verve and snap to the cautiously hopeful Mary. All of 22 but looking far more commanding and mature, Angela Lansbury almost steals the picture as Kay, even though her character is so venal and humorless that it is hard not to hiss when she's onscreen, especially with her dragon-lady cigarette holder. It's easy to see the future Mrs. Iselin in John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate. Adolphe Menjou plays Conover in his typical blowhard manner, while Van Johnson is unctuous in a likeable sort of way as reporter Spike McManus. Capra lays out his familiar flag-waving cornpone thickly here, sometimes quite effectively, but the attempts at slapstick humor are pretty laborious. This remains an interesting curio in his canon. The DVD provides a fairly clean print but has absolutely no extras, not even chapter stops. Rating:
Date: 2007-02-24
A overlooked Tracy, Hepburn, and Frank Capra film
This has become my favorite Tracy and Hepburn film. As with most Frank Capra films the ultimate political message is a bit sappy but the film has a superb cast, it's funny, and, as an Iowan who has survived many Presidential campaigns, I know it rings true. Spencer Tracy tries to win the Republican nomination while Katherine Hepburn, his wife, worries about his ties to newspaper publisher and manipulative presidential kingmaker Angela Lansbury. Cynical Van Johnson, a columnist for Lansbury, starts to like the Tracy and Hepburn and starts to believe that Lansbury and her political hacks are the last thing Tracy and Hepburn need. Lansbury has the same chill she honed to perfection in "The Manchurian Candidate". Van Johnson always shines as the cynic with a heart of gold. Tracy and Hepburn benefit from the goofy charm that Capra can provide. My wife and I can watch this film over and over again. Then get "Desk Set", another addictive Tracy and Hepburn movie that should be better known. Rating:
Date: 2007-01-04
Evil is attacked and Good prevails
In most new films, evil is celebrated. In this film it is condemned. Politicians are really exposed for how evil many of them really are. But, like Capra movies, he gives you a take on how politicians really should be. The ending is such a brilliant delight! It has to be one of the best speeches a politician could ever give!! Its sad how all of these great Capra films are a dream of characters who actually do the right thing! To bad we have to stop the movie and go out among [...]. I wanna be around the Capra characters!! |
