Centennial Ava Gardner: Review of ‘Seven Days in May’ (1964)

The reviews of Daniel Farriol:
Centenary Ava Gardner
Seven Days in May (1964)

Seven days in May it’s a thriller American politician led by John Frankenheimer (Black Sunday, The Man from Alcatraz). The script is written by Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone, Planet of the Apes), adapting the novel by Fletcher Knebel Y Charles Waldo Bailey II. The story places us in the middle of the Cold War, when a soldier suspects that a general is trying to overthrow the US President through a coup. The Head of State has only seven days to find the necessary evidence that will allow him to abort the coup. It is starring Kirk Douglas, Ava Gardner, Burt Lancaster, Fredric March, Edmond O’Brien, Martin Balsam, George Macready, John Houseman Y Hugh Marlowe.

A wake-up call in the middle of the Cold War

In the midst of an escalation of tension in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, with the Cuban missile crisis still hot, the film was released seven days of maya thriller anti-war politician who questioned the military growth backed by governments as a symbol of world power and, on the other hand, extolled the power of democracy as an identity sign of patriotism. To the New York craftsman John Frankenheimer He was not unfamiliar with military issues since he himself had served under the rank of Lieutenant during the Korean War and was also a cameraman in various documentaries made for the Air Force.

His political commitment and military themes would accompany him in several projects throughout his career, being seven days of may considered the second film in the filmmaker’s “paranoid” trilogy that would follow The Manchurian Candidate (The Manchurian Candidate) (1962) and would precede the misunderstood Diabolical plan (Seconds) (1966). Frankenheimer He was a very gifted filmmaker for action cinema who did not give up for that reason to delve into the moral conflicts of his main characters, becoming on his own merits one of the great precursors of the thriller conspiracy theorist of the 60s and 70s together with Sidney Lumet, Alan J. Pakula either Sidney Pollack.

Realist political fiction

The argument of seven days of may revolves around a military man, Colonel Martin ‘Jiggs’ Casey (Kirk Douglas), which uncovers an evil military plan led by decorated General James Mattoon Scott (burt lancaster), to overthrow the President of the USA, Jordan Lyman (fredric march), and thus put an end to their nuclear disarmament plans agreed with the Soviet Union, in a clear declaration of intent against peace and in favor of war as the only way to maintain world power. The plot is fictitious, but some elements that are included are loosely based on real events or characters. In that way, the character of General Scott is a combination of the generals Curtis LeMay, Douglas MacArthur Y Edwin Walkerthe latter was expelled from the army after it was discovered that he was indoctrinating his troops in the ideology of the extreme right.

Entering political fiction, the film is set in a near future that seen through the eyes of a current viewer is something that can go unnoticed. Made in 1964, there are several images that suggest that the story could be taking place in the early or mid-70s. To delve into that dystopian feeling, very modern technology for that time is used, such as the slide viewer, teleconferences or a digital display that tells the time at the Pentagon. In fact, in the third part of the “paranoid” trilogy mentioned, diabolical planthe director would embrace science fiction more strongly with a story where people could start a new life by undergoing experimental surgery that turned them into other people.

office intrigues

seven days of may It is an action and suspense film in which, paradoxically, almost everything happens in offices and through well-dialogued conversations that allow us to discover the different points of view of the characters. Even so, the tension is increasing, the race against time to obtain the necessary evidence to uncover the plot becomes increasingly dramatic and exciting. Frankenheimer uses a neat staging that plays with depth of field to highlight certain emotions of the protagonists depending on the presence they have within the frame, also plays with reflections in mirrors, glass or even TV monitors to ratify the duality people’s morals.

Shot in black and white and with music by Jerry Goldsmith (which replaced David Amram), the film also offers some moments of urgent cinema shot with a “hidden” camera in order to show the door of the Pentagon or a military Naval Air Station. The Department of Defense did not grant the filming permits despite the fact that President Kennedy himself was enthusiastic about adapting the novel. The funniest anecdote of the shoot is that during one of those “stolen” shots the actor Kirk Douglasdressed in Marine Corps uniform, received salutes from the royal military personnel he passed.

However, the negative event linked to the film was that the predictions of a possible attack against the President of the United States came true and on November 22, 1963, they shot dead John Fitzgerald Kennedy while driving in his presidential car through Dallas. The film was scheduled to be released in December of that year and had to be delayed a few months to overcome the duel in which the country was plunged.

people are important

We cannot forget to also talk about our honoree Ava Gardner what in seven days of may plays a secondary role, appearing in just three or four sequences that only took him 6 days of filming. Delving into her decline, the role of Eleanor Holbrook is quite similar to that of Moira Davidson that she played in the final hour (Stanley Kramer, 1959), but with less dramatic substance. Another alcoholic woman who did not need beautifying makeup to take advantage of the marks that alcohol consumption had already left on the actress.

At first glance, the subplot that he stars in might seem light, a little out of place or a mere excuse to enhance the ethical distance between Colonel Martin ‘Jiggs’ Casey, with whom a possible sentimental relationship is glimpsed, and General James Mattoon Scott , who was his lover. However, the character of Eleanor Holbrook is also inspired by true events and is based on Elizabeth Rosario Coopera Eurasian woman who was a lover of General Douglas MacArthur and whose relationship was used by some journalists to defend themselves against a defamation complaint. In fact, if we analyze current politics or events that have occurred in the past, we will see that low passions and extramarital affairs have caused more resignations in politics than financial or corruption scandals.

seven days of may It is a wonderful film that reflects on the obsession with weapons of governments and on the dangers of extremist thinking within the security forces of the states. Dialogues written by Rod Serlingadapting the novel by Fletcher Knebel Y Charles Waldo Bailey II, they are splendid and contain phrases as eloquent as one pronounced by the President: «The enemy is an era, a nuclear age. He has destroyed man’s faith in his ability to change his destiny.” Something that connects perfectly with the closing of the film where you can read the phrase “We the People” extracted from the Preamble of the United States Constitution to underline the pacifist and humanist vision that this recommendable film has. .


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Centennial Ava Gardner: Review of ‘Seven Days in May’ (1964)