Review of The Candidate (1972) by Peter S — 03 Mar 2010

3: Not as entertaining or remarkable as I was hoping it would be, but I'm certainly viewing it through a different lens than contemporary audiences must have. Having seen Robert Altman's Tanner '88 series, as well as many other lesser political campaign films, this seems a bit conventional by comparison.

It is still very well done and a quite probing and insightful picture. It reinforces an interpretation of society that has been on my mind of late. Films like Executive Action, Forrest Gump, and Taking Woodstock are other examples of films I've recently viewed that confirm the view that there is nothing new under the sun.

Pick a decade or a time and the world seems to have been falling apart. Watch, listen , or read news accounts from the past and they don't necessarily seem that much worse than those of today. 24/7/365 media from so many different outlets has certainly altered society to some extent, but I would argue that the discord is not that different from that of other periods in our history.

Politics has always been filled with acrimonious sentiment. It's always been extremely divisive. One could even argue that today's society is harmonious compared to other periods in our history.

I suspect political campaigns, like the one depicted here, and their inevitable effect on those involved on every level haven't changed all that much over the years either. One can find exceptions to every rule of course, but on the whole I'd say not much has changed.

Redford is perfect for this role. I wonder if he'd ever flirted with entering politics or would have later in life but for this picture. Very solid filmmaking all around.