Spencer Tracy plays a self made aircraft magnate, handpicked by his mistress (Angela Lansbury playing the head of a influential newspaper) and political insiders to run for the Presidency. Initially, Tracy shows his honest self as a -- dare I say, m... (read more) Spencer Tracy plays a self made aircraft magnate, handpicked by his mistress (Angela Lansbury playing the head of a influential newspaper) and political insiders to run for the Presidency. Initially, Tracy shows his honest self as a -- dare I say, maverick -- as he sets about proclaiming that "People have to know where I stand". But before soon, he is cowed under by his political handlers who assure him that in order to win he has to appease both labor and industry, rich and the poor, Italian-Americans against the Abyssinian-Americans and play all sides against each other.

His estranged wife, played by Katherine Hepburn, watches in disbelief as her husband is played like a fiddle by his mistress and the political establishment as they seek to further their ambition by using up Tracy's good name. In the end, watching his wife being humiliated on national radio (this is the 40's!) is enough to cause Tracy to snap back to his righteous self and publicly declare that his big name supporters are phonies and that he will run for office on an honest platform.

Having recently concluded the 2008 election cycle, the story's parallel arc to real world maverick isn't lost on me.

A bit slower than I remembered (it was college when I saw it, so maybe I was used to listening in more detail then), but still strikingly relevant in some ways today. Who knew Angela Landsbury could be so mean?

Sixty years later, still a timely commentary on the American political system. Hepburn is brilliant, as always.

We watched Desk Set a couple of weeks ago, and were disappointed at the lack of real fizz there between Tracey and Hepburn - but, thank goodness, there's much more of it here. And the script buzzes along: for all the differences in politics, this pl... (read more) We watched Desk Set a couple of weeks ago, and were disappointed at the lack of real fizz there between Tracey and Hepburn - but, thank goodness, there's much more of it here. And the script buzzes along: for all the differences in politics, this plays like a crib-sheet for Aaron Sorkin.

Decent performances from Tracey, Lansbury and Hepburn cannot cover the strong republican views of this film, despite the insistance and contradiction on the woman being more than a wife and mother. It also lacks the charm of other Capra works.

What a perfect film. Maybe not as funny as their regular pairings, but still, a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful movie.

Worth watching today. A movie about how the system can corrupt even good men. Some things never change.

This 1948 production of a contemporary play about corruption in politics could be re-played in 2007/8 as a metaphor for the current Presidential race - how little has changed. A thinking person's Sunday afternoon movie, well acted by Tracy, Hepburn a... (read more) This 1948 production of a contemporary play about corruption in politics could be re-played in 2007/8 as a metaphor for the current Presidential race - how little has changed. A thinking person's Sunday afternoon movie, well acted by Tracy, Hepburn and Lansbury.