Despite my brother's endless supply of interesting presidential trivia, I'm not always able to remember everything he teaches me. With regards to Andrew Jackson, I knew about the War of 1812 and the Trail of Tears, but nothing more. After I watched the biopic The President's Lady, I asked my brother, "Did you know ___?" "Yep," he replied. "How about ____?" "Of course!"
If you're a walking political encyclopedia like my brother, you won't be as surprised about the plot as I was. If you don't really know anything about Andrew Jackson, you'll be sucked into this historical drama as soon as you see Charlton Heston step onto the screen. Not only does he look like him, but he does a very good job expressing all of Jackson's volatile emotions. This man had a temper! Brawls, duels, arguments-even if he didn't become President of the United States, he would still have had an interesting enough life to make a movie about. In fact, the movie is about pre-President Jackson, his youthful days and early foray into politics.
Alfred Newman wrote a lovely and fitting score, that's light and romantic at times, and dramatic and sad when necessary. He wasn't nominated for an Oscar for this movie; instead, he won an Oscar in 1954 for his score to Call Me Madam, another political film. Set and costume designs were honored during the 1954 season for The President's Lady, but although Susan Hayward wore some beautiful gowns in the film, Audrey Hepburn's gown in Roman Holiday captured the Academy's attention instead.
I enjoyed watching The President's Lady, even more so because I didn't really know anything about Andrew and Rachel Jackson. The acting and technical aspects are surprisingly good, and it's one of the rare classic biopics that doesn't feel cheesy or melodramatic. For fans of Charlton Heston, Susan Hayward, President Jackson, early American politics, or historical biopics, this is a great one to add to your list.
If you're a walking political encyclopedia like my brother, you won't be as surprised about the plot as I was. If you don't really know anything about Andrew Jackson, you'll be sucked into this historical drama as soon as you see Charlton Heston step onto the screen. Not only does he look like him, but he does a very good job expressing all of Jackson's volatile emotions. This man had a temper! Brawls, duels, arguments-even if he didn't become President of the United States, he would still have had an interesting enough life to make a movie about. In fact, the movie is about pre-President Jackson, his youthful days and early foray into politics.
Alfred Newman wrote a lovely and fitting score, that's light and romantic at times, and dramatic and sad when necessary. He wasn't nominated for an Oscar for this movie; instead, he won an Oscar in 1954 for his score to Call Me Madam, another political film. Set and costume designs were honored during the 1954 season for The President's Lady, but although Susan Hayward wore some beautiful gowns in the film, Audrey Hepburn's gown in Roman Holiday captured the Academy's attention instead.
I enjoyed watching The President's Lady, even more so because I didn't really know anything about Andrew and Rachel Jackson. The acting and technical aspects are surprisingly good, and it's one of the rare classic biopics that doesn't feel cheesy or melodramatic. For fans of Charlton Heston, Susan Hayward, President Jackson, early American politics, or historical biopics, this is a great one to add to your list.