I didn't originally plan to review George Wallace the night before Barack Obama's inauguration, but it was certainly a striking moment to watch a film about an era when African Americans in the South weren't even allowed to vote. Directed by John Frankenheimer, this 1997 made-for-TV biopic finds Gary Sinise fairly inhabiting the role of Wallace, the three-time Alabama governor who was the face of Southern racism and one of the most divisive political figures in American history. The story begins in 1972, when Wallace is shot by Arthur Bremer while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, leaving him paralyzed and wheelchair-bound. Wallace's struggle to come to terms with his disability is then alternated with flashbacks depicting his life and career. According to the script (co-written by Marshall Frady, upon whose book the film is based), Wallace began as a liberal—a decent, tolerant man who publicly denounced the Ku Klux Klan—but political expediency, burning ambition, and sheer ego drove him to embrace segregation. That only makes his cynical conversion even more horrifying, as Wallace went on to provoke and preside over some of the most violent civil rights battles of the 1960s. Sinise is superb throughout, giving Wallace a dimension beyond his blustery public self, with Mare Winningham as long-suffering first wife Lurleen (who succeeded Wallace as governor when he was unable to change the state constitution's restriction against concurrent terms) and Angelina Jolie as sexy second spouse Cornelia. Joe Don Baker and Clarence Williams III also shine in supporting roles as former governor “Big Jim” Folsom and Wallace's servant, respectively. DVD extras include a retrospective featurette. Engrossing, edifying, and entertaining, this Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning film is highly recommended. (S. Graham)
George Wallace
Warner, 2 discs, 185 min., not rated, DVD: $24.98 Volume 24, Issue 2
George Wallace
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