All the President’s Concubines
We already knew that Franklin D. Roosevelt was a lousy president — the Depression dragged on for 11 years, mostly on his watch, so the proper word for what he did to the economic calamity is “extend,” not “end” it — but the strange Bill Murray comedy Hyde Park on Hudson makes clear that FDR was a horrible man as well.
The movie is principally about FDR’s habit of employing his mother to call up local women, some of them cousins, and send them over to be the president’s concubines at his country house in upstate New York. It’s made clear to the women that they’re not to be taken seriously, they’re not to say anything, and they’ll be discarded as soon as the president tires of them, and in this film by Roger Michell (Notting Hill) all of this is presented as merry good fun and entirely suitable behavior by the iconic figure of the party that “cares about women.”
Laura Linney plays Daisy, a second cousin who is hurried into FDR’s life for unpaid sex work. FDR flirts with her by showing her his stamp collection, then takes her for a quiet country drive in his car, which is operated exclusively by hand controls due to his paralysis. But apparently the president was able to maintain an extramarital love life that can only be called Clintonian, or perhaps Kennedyesque. (Why is it that our most priapic presidents tend to be Democrats? Is it because they enjoy doing to the country what they do to unsuspecting younger women?) A more astute director would have played FDR’s womanizing as yet more evidence of the imperiousness of a president who famously used to lie around in bed in the morning dreaming up a price for gold, for instance declaring 21 cents to be the right number because sevens are lucky and 21 is three times seven.
Daisy, quickly accepted as the newest member of the household (though not the only concubine present), gets to witness the events of the summer of 1939, when (or so this movie would have us believe) the fate of the free world rested on whether or not the king of England would eat a hot dog.
The same monarch who was the subject of The King’s Speech, Bertie/George VI (Samuel West), arrives in the company of Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) for a state visit that threatens to go awry because Elizabeth can’t believe the couple are meant to attend an informal picnic where hot dogs are to be served. As maybe half a dozen scenes focus on the alleged importance of those hot dogs, it seems increasingly obvious that this is one of those movies based on the limited access of a minor observer (Daisy would go on to write about the affair in her diaries) that tries to inflate the importance of the few events witnessed by the storyteller. We can’t very well have a movie that says, “One of the women FDR bedded in the summer of 1939 hung around the house a lot that summer and didn’t see much of importance.” So the picnic is elevated to the status of a world-historical event that will supposedly decide whether or not the U.S. is to join Britain in the war against Germany. If the king and queen consume a frankfurter, then FDR will recognize the Brits as our kindred spirits and agree to sign on for the war.
Really? That’s not my understanding of how the Allies got together. To say the movie distorts history is to understate the case. Since the war did indeed start a few weeks later, and yet the U.S. stayed out of it for more than two years and even then might not have fought beside Britain had not Hitler declared war on us after Pearl Harbor, Hyde Park on Hudson is utter nonsense. Moreover, the film’s attempt to recast Roosevelt, perhaps the most patrician president since Washington himself, as a symbol of earthy, unpretentious American-ness in contrast to the snooty visiting Brits, is equally ridiculous. Murray, who certainly carries the regular-Joe aura about him, is completely wrong for the part of this born aristocrat and in no way looks or sounds like Roosevelt. No doubt liberal critics willing to forgive any error if it aids them in their enduring FDR propaganda mission will seek to enshrine Murray’s performance on Mount Rushmore, but let’s face it, the guy is a meatball and this movie has gotten its facts lost in translation.
*****
More new release movies from John Boot at PJ Lifestyle:
Given the tendency for Democratic presidents to be absolute pigs (Carter apparently the lone exception) I wonder what Obama’s private life is really like? For a man who seems to be so cold, so impersonal, so self-centered, I wonder (unless Michelle has threatened to castrate him if he does anything). Given that the media is doing everything it can to prevent any bad stuff about Obama coming out I have to wonder.
Based on his public persona, if Mr. Obama had an affair I think it would be with himself. He seems to be too much in love with himself to even cast eyes at another.
Hit the nail on the head!
I’ve felt for some time that, if the details of Mr. Obama’s personal life were truly known, he’d make Jack Kennedy and Bill Clinton look celibate.
I have no evidence for this… but he fits the type perfectly. He feels massively entitled, yet has an inferiority complex a mile wide. He is told repeatedly that there’s nothing he cannot do, and he seems to believe it. He’s treated like a rock star, and young women no doubt throw themselves at him all the time. It’s well-nigh impossible for me to believe that he’d resist, BECAUSE OF his narcissism.
As for Michelle, well, it wasn’t long ago that he was making oral-sex jokes in public at her expense. I wouldn’t be surprised if, one day, we find out that that was the week she found out about one of his affairs and gave him hell for it — to which he responded by ridiculing her in public.
For what it’s worth, I don’t particularly care about his libido or the state of his marriage. I care about him getting the job done. If President Obama were doing a great job, I wouldn’t care at all about such things. Since there’s precious little he’s gotten right, I can only wonder if he’s messed this up too.
I’m more worried about the young men Oblahblah entertains. On the other hand, Michelle might beat him up if his eye, ahem, strays. I wouldn’t want to get her upset.
Is FDR yet another “lovable rogue” Democrat?
The dinner that is the subject of that film is mentioned in the second verse of the song “Off the Record,” from the Cagney film “Yankee Doodle Dandy”:
We entertained the royalty, but we were never flustered;
We served them Yankee hot dogs, with Coleman’s English Mustard—
Don’t print it; strictly off the record.
Notice that in the following verse he mentions liking to “park and hide” in Hyde Park—which may be a reference to the mistress/secretary the film also alludes to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV-U1DJxsAM
– hated war,
but hated
Eleanor
More.
Agree, casting BM as FDR is lame (or maybe just BM). Jon Voight as FDR in Pearl Harbor was the most convincing depiction I can recall.
I agree with the miscast of Murray.. though that’s been his case in a myriad of dramatic films as well.
- The 1984′s, ‘The Razor’s Edge’ where he’s miscast as Larry Darrell. Though I did like his co-star Theresa Russell’s portrayal of Sophie. She’s no Jane Tierney though enjoyed her take nonetheless. That said Tyrone Power’s LArry Darrell was SUPREMELY better.
- Mad Dog & Glory: Could be his worst movie.. imo.
- The Royal Tenenbaums: Murray’s character was under utilized and as per usual the one-dimensional Owen Wilson was OVER utilized.
- Lost in Translation: It seemed to be a flat, wannabe indy/ art nouveau movie. Lame.
- Broken Flowers: Worse than, Lost in Translation.
- Moonrise Kingdom: I miss the talented writer, director Wes Anderson. The guy’s lived off his yesterdecade talent far too long.
IMO, Bill Murray is miscast in every movie he’s ever made — or, in every movie I’ve seen him in. He’s not my favourite.
He seems to sleep walk through his parts and to think that this is a cool way to act. He’s a doofus through and through. Needless to say, I won’t be seeing this piece of fluff.
I agree with your take in many respects. Though I do like Murray’s ‘fumbling’ nature in some of his 70′s-80′s era comedies.
His SNL days when adding his ‘lounge lizard lyrics’ to the Star Wars theme song.
Meatballs, albeit dated, for me still has its moments.
Caddyshack, first Ghostbusters have some great zingers.
Stripes as well.
Link without comment (if that is possible).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li0qPwn4U8Y
There was a 1980′s FDR with a fairly good actor now lost to obscurity-and my memory-but in a lot of films and TV at the time. He had FDR down!!
I’ll have to look into it. If I indeed find anything I’ll respond. Thanks for the tip!
Hi. Was just perusing the commentary and saw your, er, comment. You May have been thinking of Edward Hermann as FDR. I’m an 80′s kid, so it was the first guy that came to mind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsQZDGDBEQY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Herrmann
Regards
Ed Herrmann.. the head vampire from, ‘Lost Boys’ – !
I’m an 80′s kid as well.
Thanks Ra.
I think FDR enjoyed tormenting Eleanor. My guess is he despised her because of her connection to Theodore Roosevelt and the fear that one of TR’s sons might become a war hero and challenge him for the Presidency. FDR was so consumed with a potential TR family rival that he carefully censored any news from the war front about Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
FDR was a political strategist of the highest rank who was a ruthless as Machiavelli. See my recent blog post at http://www.redstate.com/kipling/2012/12/07/understanding-the-modern-democratic-party/ for more information.
Film implies Elanor was having a lesbian affair.
Historian Paul Johnson has IMHO, exploded that myth some years ago.
Elanor’s paramour was a Secret Service Agent.
Which causes me to wonder if a hetrosexual Elanor would be too much for politically
correct Hollywood to endure.
RHIP.
Rank certainly has its privileges especially for people whos call themselves Democrats.
Democratic perhaps because in their droit de seigneur they do not discriminate , are fair, give equal rights and are socially just to any nubile and sort of willlng whether or not in the club. Perks for everyone. Maybe even little wifey?
Edward Herrman is the actor who played FDR a number of times some years back.
Younger, taller and a good deal more robust than the actual FDR of course.
That FDR was able to seduce/coerce the rambunctious print, radio and newsreel media of his day into a collective decade-long successful conspiracy to conceal that he was paralyzed and in a wheelchair, forcryingoutloud, may seem unimaginable today. Yet he did. That is true power.
Progressives have similarly rewritten and sanitized the history of the New Deal. FDR and his brain trust were enthusiastic admirers of first Mussolini and then Hitler. Most of the New Deal’s NRA alphabet work programs, and all of its guiding spirit, were copied directly from what were viewed by the DC elite as the ‘economic miracles’ of Fascism. Including the cult of the all wise savior as President For Life. The analogies of FDR and Obama are chilling.
This sorry film is being thrown into that pit of obscurity known as March.
One week after release, we won’t see/hear anything about it until its on Netflix and they have a DVD coming out, probably in July.
March theater release and July DVD release are the dead zones.
Some producer actually thought it would be a good idea to cast Bill freakin Murray as FDR? Was it Mimosa Friday or something?