George Wallace (film)

George Wallace (film)
George Wallace is a 1997 biographical two-part mini-series produced and directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Gary Sinise as George Wallace, the 45th governor of Alabama. The mini-series's teleplay, written by Marshall Frady and Paul Monash, is based on the 1996 biography Wallace: The Classic Portrait of Alabama Governor George Wallace by Frady. Mare Winningham, Clarence Williams III, Joe Don Baker, Angelina Jolie, Terry Kinney, William Sanderson, Mark Rolston, Tracy Fraim, Skipp Sudduth, Ron Perkins, and Mark Valley also star.
George Wallace was highly praised by critics and received various accolades: including Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing (Frankenheimer), Outstanding Lead Actor (Sinise), and Outstanding Supporting Actress (Winningham), and Golden Globe Awards for Best Miniseries or Television Film and Best Supporting Actress (Jolie).
Plot
George Wallace portrays the political life of a complex man. Initially an ordinary Southern judge, Wallace transforms himself to achieve political success and glory, becoming one of the most reviled political figures in the U.S. Finally, a failed assassination attempt which leaves him paralyzed and in pain leads him to realize what he has become.
The film follows the story of Wallace's life from the 1950s, when he was a circuit court judge in Barbour County, to his tenure as the most powerful Governor in Alabama's history. The movie depicts his symbolic "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door", where Wallace attempted to block black students from entering the University of Alabama. It details his stance on racial segregation in Alabama at the time, which proved popular with his white constituents, and also depicts Wallace's rise as a presidential hopeful. This eventually leads to his surprise victory in several states during the 1968 Presidential election, followed by his attempted assassination four years later.
Cast
Gary Sinise as George C. Wallace
Mare Winningham as Lurleen Wallace
Clarence Williams III as Archie
Joe Don Baker as Jim "Big Jim" Folsom
Angelina Jolie as Cornelia Wallace
Terry Kinney as Billy Watson
William Sanderson as T.Y. Odum
Mark Rolston as Ricky Brickle
Tracy Fraim as Gerald Wallace
Skipp Sudduth as Al Lingo
Ron Perkins as Nicholas Katzenbach
Mark Valley as US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy
Scott Brantley as Arthur Bremer
Kathryn Erbe as Mrs. Folsom
Steve Harris as Neal
Bobby Kirby as James Hood
Ketema Nelson as Vivian Malone
Reception
The New York Times Caryn James, wrote that events were "recreated with startling veracity and tension in the two-part mini-series called simply George Wallace." James wrote that Sinise was "amazing" and Mare Winningham was "extraordinary."
Sinise reprised his role as George Wallace in Frankenheimer's 2002 television film Path to War, about the Johnson administration's entry into the Vietnam War.
The Associated Press stated that the film's version of Cornelia Wallace was depicted as "a shallow sex kitten" and therefore Cornelia Wallace had criticism towards the portrayal.
Awards and nominations
George Wallace received award nominations: including eight Primetime Emmy Awards (winning three), four Golden Globe Awards (winning two), two Screen Actors Guild Awards (winning one), four Satellite Awards (winning one), nine CableACE Awards (winning four), a Directors Guild of America Award, and a Writers Guild of America Award. Also winning an American Cinema Editors Award, an American Society of Cinematographers Award, an Art Directors Guild Award, and receiving a Peabody Award.
See also
Civil rights movement in popular culture
References
External links
1997 television films
1997 films
TNT Network original films
American biographical drama films
1990s biographical drama films
American biographical series
Films about paraplegics or quadriplegics
Films based on biographies
Films set in 1955
Films set in 1958
Films set in 1963
Films set in 1967
Films set in 1970
Films set in 1972
Films set in 1974
Films set in Alabama
Films set in Massachusetts
Films directed by John Frankenheimer
1990s English-language films
Peabody Award-winning broadcasts
Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series
Best Miniseries or Television Movie Golden Globe winners
George Wallace
American drama television films
1990s American films