Rarely have I been to a film where I thought to myself, what a brilliant scene...well written...well played. Hyde Park on Hudson had scenes like that. While the film may have many flaws, those scene are ultimately etched in my mind.
The trailer for the movie is misleading. It appears to show a romantic comedy centering on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's entertaining the King and Queen of England who have come to the United States pre-war to get America's support if war comes. Wit and warmth are strongly conveyed in the trailer.
The story becomes much darker than the trailer suggests. One of the focuses of the film is Roosevelt's philandering. Played with understatement and charm, Bill Murray allows the viewer an understanding of why people chose to see what they wanted to with Roosevelt in charge.
The President has an affair with his fifth cousin Daisy (Laura Linney) who realizes only too late in a devastating scene that she is only one of three current mistresses to the President. (The film suggests that polio may have rendered Roosevelt's legs unusable but not other parts.) Roosevelt is seen as charming, selfish, temperamental, a Momma's boy, and the ultimate manipulator. He knows exactly what to say to the young king of England and his wife.
The scene that I reacted so strongly to was the King Bertie and his Queen Elizabeth reacting to Bertie's being put in a room at Roosevelt's mother's home filled with colored vintage cartoons lampooning the 1812 British military. Bertie tells his wife that Roosevelt's mother had apologized but he had mollified her by saying he found them funny. In fact, he is highly embarrassed by them. Elizabeth assumes the Americans are trying to mock them. She is even more incensed when she learns that they will be entertained at a picnic by Native Americans and served hot dogs. She asks Bertie whether this is a way of making fun of them. Olivia Colman' Elizabeth is charming, wary, and devastating when she inadvertently compares Bertie with his brother who abdicated. Samuel West is outstanding as the stuttering king, charming, ill at ease, unsure how to bridge the gap he feels between himself and his wife and the people he visiting. When he tells his wife to never compare him to his brother again, one can feel all the hurt of his situation welling up in him. His ultimate film triumph, merely eating and enjoying a hot dog while all the Americans are judging him, becomes one of the joys of the film. West and Colman are wonderful.
Another of the scenes that plays particularly well is a scene between Roosevelt and Bertie where the elder man charms him by telling him he will be an admirable king. Knowing that Bertie has been at odds with his father, Roosevelt says that "if you were my son, I would be very proud." The two actors are at their best as they compare their handicaps.
Having been to the Hudson Valley many times, I know how beautiful the countryside is. Some of the views are magnificent. Daisy and Franklin have scene in a field of purple clover which is visually stunning. Film viewers only knowing Springwood (Mrs. Roosevelt's estate) from the movie, will be surprised if they see the real mansion.
Although the complete film doesn't quite live up to the brilliance of the couple of scenes described, the film is worth seeing. The main characters performances are memorable and enhanced by Olivia Williams' Eleanor (homely but in control), Elizabeth Marvel (Missy, Daisy's competition), and Elizabeth Wilson (Mrs. Roosevelt).
Hyde Park on Hudson (2012) ****
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