Review of Gabriel Over the White House (1933) by Kevin H — 02 Jun 2012

Gabriel Over the White House is a bona fide left-field Pre-Code Hollywood oddity. What we have here is a Depression-Era New Deal propaganda film that romanticizes the rise of an FDR-like Fascist American Dictator, President Judson Hammond. After awakening from a near-fatal traffic accident, the president is apparently possessed by the spirit of the Archangel Gabriel. Following his divine possession, President Hammond fires his cabinet, dissolves congress, and immediately declares martial law. Hammond creates a federal "Army of Construction" (putting millions of unemployed to work), abolishes the 18th amendment while opening government liquor stores, and tries political opponents in kangaroo military courts where they are executed by firing squad. After disarming the entire world the President is seen as one of the greatest men that ever lived.

While the politics of this film boil down to a radical anti-democratic pipe dream, Gabriel Over the White House provides a unique snapshot of Depression Era America. For the love of history, Pre-Code cinema, and all that is weird, Gabriel Over the White House is a wonderful curiosity piece.