All the King's Men
Promotional poster for All the King's Men
Directed by	Steven Zaillian
Produced by	Ken Lemberger Mike Medavoy Arnold Messer Steven Zaillian
Written by	Robert Penn Warren (novel) Steven Zaillian (screenplay)
Starring	Sean Penn Jude Law Kate Winslet Anthony Hopkins Patricia Clarkson James Gandolfini Mark Ruffalo
Music by	James Horner
Cinematography	Paweł Edelman
Editing by	Wayne Wahrman
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	September 22, 2006
Running time	125 minutes
Country	Germany USA
Language	English
Budget	$55,000,000
Preceded by	A Civil Action (1998)
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

All the King's Men (2006) is a film adaptation of the 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian (born on 30 January 1953 in Fresno, California) is an American Screenwriter, Film director Morris Mike Medavoy (born January 21, 1941) is an American film producer and executive co-founder of Orion Pictures (1978 former chairman Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian (born on 30 January 1953 in Fresno, California) is an American Screenwriter, Film director Robert Penn Warren (April 24 1905 &ndash September 15 1989 was an American poet Novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian (born on 30 January 1953 in Fresno, California) is an American Screenwriter, Film director Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning American Film Actor Jude Law (born 29 December 1972 is an English Actor. He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987 and had his first TV role in 1989 Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born 5 October 1975 is a five-time Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe -nominated Emmy Award -nominated Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, CBE (born 31 December 1937 is a Welsh Film, stage and Television Actor. Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American Academy Award -nominated and Emmy-winning Actress. James J Gandolfini Jr (born September 18, 1961) is a Golden Globe, three-time Emmy and five-time Screen Actors Guild Award -winning Mark Alan Ruffalo (born November 22, 1967) is an American Actor. James Roy Horner (born August 14 1953) is an American Composer of orchestral and film music Pawel Edelman is a Polish Cinematographer who was born in Łódź on 26 June 1958. Wayne Wahrman, sometimes credited as Wayne P Wahrman or Wayne R }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States A Civil Action is a 1998 film starring John Travolta (as plaintiff's attorney Jan Schlichtmann) and Robert Duvall, based on Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, All the King's Men is a Novel by Robert Penn Warren, first published in 1946 Robert Penn Warren (April 24 1905 &ndash September 15 1989 was an American poet Novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. It was directed by Steven Zaillian, who also produced and scripted the film. Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian (born on 30 January 1953 in Fresno, California) is an American Screenwriter, Film director The story is about the life of Willie Stark (played by Sean Penn), a fictional character resembling Louisiana governor Huey Long. Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning American Film Actor Fiction is the telling of stories which are not real More specifically fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative, one of the four basic Rhetorical modes. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government Huey Pierce Long Jr ( August 30, 1893 September 10, 1935) nicknamed The Kingfish, was an American Politician

All the King's Men had previously been adapted by Robert Rossen in 1949. Robert Rossen ( March 16, 1908 &ndash February 18, 1966) was an American Screenwriter, Film director, and Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Although it does not follow the 1949 film's narrative and is more faithful to the novel than the earlier movie, the 2006 film is often considered a remake of the 1949 version. All the King's Men is a 1949 drama Film based on the Robert Penn Warren novel of the same name. According to IMDb writer /director Steven Zaillian never saw the original film, and adapted the screenplay solely from Robert Penn Warren's novel.

Filming took place in New Orleans, Morgan City, Donaldsonville, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge and many other places at Louisiana. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana Morgan City is the name of some places in the United States of America: Morgan City Alabama Morgan City Louisiana Donaldsonville is a city in and the Parish seat of Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the west bank of the Mississippi The Louisiana State Capitol ( French: Capitole de l'Etat de Louisiane) building is the capitol building of the state of Louisiana, located in Baton Baton Rouge (French Bâton-Rouge ˌbætən ˈruːdʒ in English, and in French) is the capital city of Louisiana. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America

The world premiere was held at the Toronto Film Festival^[1] on September 11, 2006. The Toronto International Film Festival ( TIFF) is a publicly-attended Film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. There the film was first screened to the press.
A special screening was held at the Tulane University in New Orleans on September 16, 2006. Tulane University is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Cast

Reception

James Carville, executive producer

The film was a commercial failure, despite its strong cast, direction, and production team. Jackie Earle Haley (born July 14, 1961) is an Academy Award -nominated American Actor. James Carville (born October 25 1944 is an American Political consultant, commentator actor attorney Media personality and pundit. Motion Pictures An executive producer of a Motion picture is typically a producer who is sometimes involved in creative or technical aspects of production Few critics endorsed it, despite garnering strong Oscar buzz before its initial opening. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. ^[2]

Entertainment Weekly on its August 18, 2006 volume included All the King's Men on its Oscar Preview and said it was most likely to win an Oscar and the only reason for it not to win an Oscar is that the opening will be delayed again. Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated as EW) is a Magazine published by Time Inc Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. (the film was originally to be opened in 2005)

Richard Schickel (Time Magazine) liked the movie, arguing that "it's much more faithful to the tone of the novel" than the original. Richard Warren Schickel (born February 10, 1933 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an Author, Journalist, and documentary ^[3]

Kenneth Turan (Los Angeles Times) praised the film's "undeniable moral seriousness" and the actors' "exceptional ensemble work. Kenneth Turan ( (b 27 October 1946) is an American Film critic and Lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University " He argued that Zaillian's script and direction "expertly extracted the core of this greatest of American political novels, a work that is both of its time and outside it. "^[4]

A.O. Scott (NY Times) expresses disappointment with the film: "Nothing in the picture works. Anthony O "Tony" Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American Journalist and Critic. It is both overwrought and tedious, its complicated narrative bogging down in lyrical voiceover, long flashbacks and endless expository conversations between people speaking radically incompatible accents. "^[5]

Michael Medved gave All the King's Men two stars (out of four) calling it ". Michael Medved (born October 3 1948) is an American radio host, conservative political commentator, Film critic . depressing and disappointing. . ", a ". . stodgy melodrama. . " and a ". . pointless, pretentious, plodding period-piece. "^[6]

Recently, the film was featured in Nathan Rabin's ongoing blog feature for The Onion's A.V. Club, "My Year of Flops". For the vegetable see Onion. The Onion is an American " fake news " organization The AV Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion eaters. Of three categories (failure, fiasco, or secret success), he labeled All the King's Men as a failure and said of the film: "Zaillian’s dud manages the formidable feat of being at once histrionic and agonizingly dull, hysterically over-the-top yet strangely lifeless. "^[7]

Steven Zaillian was clearly stunned by the critical and box-office failure of this film, which opened with only $3. Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian (born on 30 January 1953 in Fresno, California) is an American Screenwriter, Film director 8 million and barely made $7. 2 million at the end of its run in US theaters. The weekend's other new wide release, Jackass Number Two, made $28. 1 million.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times Zaillian said that it was "like getting hit by a truck. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed . . . I don't know what to make of it. "^[8]

Differences between the book and the screenplay

Jude Law (left) and Sean Penn star in Columbia Pictures’ drama All the King’s Men.

• The film (with the exception of flashbacks) is set during the early 1950s. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive The book is set during the Great Depression.
• In the book, Sugar Boy is portrayed as a stuttering imbecile who worships Willie's every move. In the film, he rarely talks, and is portrayed as a strong and silent bodyguard. His adoration for the Boss is not emphasized.
• Jack’s character is far more complex in the book. He is a pessimist, seems to be apathetic towards life, and is obsessed with Anne Stanton. The film only partially captures Jack’s feelings. Notably, his philosophical discussion in the novel about what he calls "The Great Twitch" is absent in the film. He is also semi-hostile towards negroes, an aspect that is not portrayed in the film. Negro is a term referring to people of Black African ancestry
• Jack’s doctoral research storyline is not in the film. His research was about Cass Mastern, an ancestor who lived in the Antebellum South and fought in the American Civil War. " Antebellum " is an expression derived from Latin that means "before war" ( ante, "before" and bellum Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South The book devotes an extensive passage to the story of Mastern and the way in which he unwittingly and drastically influences the lives of others, which many critics have argued serves as the novel's moral center. Jack walks away from his study of Mastern because he is unwilling to accept the way in which people's actions influence the fates of others.
• Jack is far more enraged in the book when he learns that Willie has taken Anne as a mistress.
• The whole storyline in the book involving Tom Stark is removed. He is only seen a few times in the film. In the book Tom impregnates a girl, which threatens his governor father with a huge scandal (A scene to this effect is included on the DVD). His father whitewashes the situation by bribing the girl’s family, while his wife agrees to raise the child. Shortly afterwards, Tom gets seriously injured during a college football game. After an unsuccessful surgery performed by Adam Stanton and a revered spinal doctor, Tom becomes a vegetable, eventually dying shortly after his father’s assassination.
• The film ends a few minutes after Willie Stark’s assassination, explaining little (through newspaper headlines) about what takes place after the event. In the book, the author/Jack Burden explains many things that take place after the assassination, which includes Tom’s death. By chance Jack encounters Sugar Boy at a library and nearly coaxes him into assassinating Tiny Duffy to avenge the death of Willie (A scene to this effect is included on the DVD). Jack also reveals that he and Anne got married. In addition, Jack returns to his study of Cass Mastern, now prepared to cope with "the awful responsibility of time. "

References

See also

• Politics in fiction
• The Last King of Scotland

External links

• All the King's Men at the Internet Movie Database
• Film screenplay (1949 version) at MovieScriptPlace.com
• All the King's Men Official Website
• All the King's Men Reviews at Metacritic
• Soundtrack Album Information
• A 'First Listen' of James Horner's soundtrack
• Footage from James Horner's scoring session
• JUDE LAW NOT LAWFUL IN ALL THE KINGS MEN at Youtube, added May 3, 2007 from Artisan News Service