:
Kenneth Branagh,
Kenneth Branagh,
Cynthia Nixon,
more...
:
Joseph Sargent
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: HBO Home Video
: Drama, Biopics, WWII
: 120 min.
: English, Spanish
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In the tradition of Dore Schary's Sunrise at Campobello, the made-for-cable biopic Warm Springs focuses on one of the least publicized aspects in the life of America's most-publicized (and longest-serving) president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, here played brilliantly by British actor Kenneth Branagh. Like Sunrise, Warm Springs uses as its starting point the year 1921, when the 39-year-old Roosevelt was permanently paralyzed from the waist down by an attack of polio. But whereas the earlier film concentrated on FDR's battle to return to public life despite his handicap, this film zeroes in on Roosevelt's efforts to cure himself of his affliction. Having heard of the therapeutic value of the waters of Warm Springs in rural Georgia, Roosevelt makes a pilgrimage to the area, which is little more than a swamp surrounded by dilapidated shacks. Though he never experiences the "miracle" cure that he so desperately seeks, Roosevelt is instrumental in the conversion of Warm Springs from a backwater hellhole to a streamlined, efficiently managed polio-treatment center, a virtual mecca for hundreds of thousands of others who had been crippled by the debilitating illness. And in the process, he also brings hope, optimism, and racial enlightenment to the poverty-stricken, multiethnic citizens of Warm Springs. Even more significantly, FDR removes the stigma of polio from the public consciousness, forever abolishing the misguided notions that the disease adversely affected the brain, that it could be spread merely by physical contact, or that it represented celestial "punishment" of the victim (it is noted, however, that Roosevelt was always careful never to reveal the true extent of his immobility nor his atrophied legs in public, feeling that it might diminish the nation's image of an "invulnerable" Commander in Chief). Also in the cast are Cynthia Nixon as Roosevelt's devoted wife, Eleanor; Jane Alexander (who'd previously played Eleanor Roosevelt in two TV miniseries) as his over-protective mother Sara; David Paymer as his crusty chief aide Louis Howe; Kathy Bates as his no-nonsense physical therapist Helena Mahoney; and Tim Blake Nelson as Tom Loyless, the man in charge of Warm Springs. Originally telecast by HBO on April 30, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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| Biography--a Slice of It, at Least--Done Right
by talltale
October 9, 2005 - 9:37 AM PDT
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1 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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Of late, every time I see an HBO movie, I am amazed and grateful all over again. WARM SPRINGS is no exception. In fact it's probably one of the best. And-- boy--do we need it now. Dealing with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the American President notoriously much-hated by the currently powerful (and, one hopes, temporary) Bush family, the movie details the Roosevelt's experience as a polio victim at a restorative health spa down south.
There, slowly bonding with owners, staff & other sufferers, he begins to understand the difficulties of life from the perspective of "the masses." If this sounds preachy and obvious, the film manages to make it truthful and moving. No small hurdle, but yeoman (mostly TV) director Joseph Sargent ("Something the Lord Made," "A Lesson Before Dying," "Miss Evers' Boys," and earlier "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3" and "Colossus: The Forbin Project") handles everything so well that what you get is a movie that works almost perfectly, taking the term "mainstream" to new heights.
Kenneth Branagh (no surprise) is excellent, in his wert-and-all approach, and Cynthia Nixon amazes in her likeness to Eleanor and her pitch perfect, moment-to-moment reality. The entire supporting cast (including Kathy Bates and Tim Blake Nelson) is wonderful, and writing/acting-wise, every character, no matter how small, is beautifully rendered. Thankfully, the movie never pushes; there's a built-in reticence to the writing and direction that often takes us to the edge, but never over it.
Most importantly, "Warm Springs" allows us to see how a rich, would-be politician became a real one and also grew to understand his duty to the American people--which he then fulfilled, in spades. Is anything like this remotely possible today? If only. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.75)
4 Votes
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