This film is only about a small portion of Jackson's life--when he met, courted and married his wife, Rachel. It doesn't talk about his career as a general, the Trail of Tears, the Battle of New Orleans, his invasion of Spanish Florida, his closing the National Bank or many of his other exploits and only BRIEFLY talks about the rest of his exciting life. This isn't surprising, as in the 1950s Jackson was a revered figure and they just wanted to present a romantic version of his life. Today, there's a push to take him off the $20 because of changing sensibilities. My how times change!
I should be honest about this film. I resisted watching it for years because I am a retired history teacher and consider Andrew Jackson the most evil and awful president in US history. The reasons are many but it all boils down to his being an extremely trashy person--prone to acting rashly and selfishly and NEVER looking at what's best for the country. He was a great man...but very, very flawed, that's for sure. But IMDb is not a place for me to rant about Jackson. I'm mentioning this because it does show that I have a strong predisposition to dislike the film and I only saw it (finally) because I like Charlton Heston's movies. So, the fact that I actually LIKED the film and thought it very well made says something! The acting is very nice (particularly by Hayward whose performance was surprisingly restrained), the script actually very close to the truth and the direction nice. Who would have figured?!
I should be honest about this film. I resisted watching it for years because I am a retired history teacher and consider Andrew Jackson the most evil and awful president in US history. The reasons are many but it all boils down to his being an extremely trashy person--prone to acting rashly and selfishly and NEVER looking at what's best for the country. He was a great man...but very, very flawed, that's for sure. But IMDb is not a place for me to rant about Jackson. I'm mentioning this because it does show that I have a strong predisposition to dislike the film and I only saw it (finally) because I like Charlton Heston's movies. So, the fact that I actually LIKED the film and thought it very well made says something! The acting is very nice (particularly by Hayward whose performance was surprisingly restrained), the script actually very close to the truth and the direction nice. Who would have figured?!