Seven Days in May

This is a great movie. Directed by John Frankenheimer from a screenplay by Rod Serling no less this movie from 1964 tells the tale of a military coup planned for the United States by an unhappy military.

Later interviews revealed that President Kennedy felt that under the right circumstances such an event could happen in the United States.

In the movie Col Jiggs Casey becomes aware of a plot within the Joint Chiefs of Staff to depose the President. The Chiefs are led by Air Force General James Mattoon Scott. This General is the charasmatic leader of the coup. Believing that the President is a weak leader being taken advantage of by the Russians. Scott, played conviningly by Burt Lancaster is a true beleiver.

Frederic March plays the President and is perfect for the role. Playing a Midwestern liberal with ease the role of President Lyman is not far a huge stretch from his role of the banker in The Best Years of Our Lives.

The movie is dramatic, suspenseful and could easily be converted to the screens today. Of course today they would curse, have sex and blow things up.

Spartacus

This 1960 Movie won four Oscars. Directed by Stanley Kubrick this movie was a good representation of the famous story of a Roman slave revolt.

The movie is a three hour epic and I watched it over a period of a week. However the length the movie moved quickly. The cast was very strong. Kirk Douglas plays Spartacus, Lawrence Olivier plays Crassus, Jean Simmons ( a very pretty woman ), Tony Curtis as an excaped slave, Charles Naughton as Graccus who in Roman history was the advocate of the Plebes.

Winning the Oscar for Supporting Actor in this movie was Peter Stinov who plays a slave trader. It was a winning role and he was very beleivable as one who always seeks a financial advantage no matter which side he plays. As a person watching the movie fifty years out it was strange to me as Ustinov in his accent and tone reminded me like nothing so much as David Ogden Stiers from Mash.

A great movie