Hyde Park on Hudson [DVD]

FDR will always be remembered as the rock from which American's drew strength to pull themselves up by their boot-straps and overcome the devastating personal losses dealt them during the Great Depression and to then build our nation's tools of war so as to join and win the fight to preserve our freedoms and those of our allies threatened by Hitler and the Japanese - winning WW2 against insurmountable odds. This film delivers a superb "stage" that replicates the time & place where FDR's personal relationships are played out congruently with the pressures of the political climate that he bore and collectively defined him as a man and beloved president. The film depicts how the people and the press of that era chose not to sit in judgment and promote his physical limitations and rumors whispered of relationships outside his marriage: a marriage in which his wife could not endure the prospect of birthing more children - withdrawing her physical relationship with him and pursuing a lesbian relationship. She continued to be his legs and right arm - traveling throughout the country connecting with the people and gathering information on their plight. He loved her for that overlooked when her own political agenda went beyond his own; and, lastly, the ever-present and unavoidable stresses of dealing with a controlling mother whose love and financial support was a double-edged sword throughout his lifetime.The film depicts how deeply he loved and cared for people. How non-judgmental he was of the personal short-comings of others and vocal in his support of their strengths. He was the voice of the masses and centered all his governing priorities on improving the circumstances of the common man. I was particularly taken with the portrayal of his ability to exude cheerfulness - to seek out the joy - however small - found in living in the moment. He would not allow all the distractions of the dire circumstances pressed upon him and those he loved to take away a measure of happiness a sunny afternoon might present. The county's strength was held together in great part by a desire to believe in his persona of moral-based values and strength of character, while choosing to place little stock in his state of declining personal health.... because he chose to ignore it himself until the very end. History remembers him not for his personal weaknesses and physical limitations but as the most beloved president who saw the nation through the most trying of times and governed with grit and optimism and governing "by and for the people".

The directorial angle this film adopts is evident from the initial scenes. Obviously, it's a story that cannot be properly shared without an invasion of privacy, thus a candid emotional intimacy. HPoHudson is a novel on stilts, so, each new idea is played out with a patience, color and subtlety common to reality and the written word.Although the cinematography is good, giving us landscapes, discomfiting close-ups and descriptive shots gorgeous enough to be consumed as overpriced watercolors, it is the relationship between FDR and his distant cousin that pulls us along --which leads me to assert that the acting is also very good. Laura Linney, as usual, plays sweet, pained and transparent Daisy with such an ease we forget we've seen her do it before. Bill Murray's excessively jovial flawed father figure is slightly less believable, but only because the portrayal is of FDR. His actual performance is seamless.The disappointment expressed by other reviewers is understandable. My advice? Don't trust the trailer. This movie is well put together, boasting a solid score, intriguing characters, lively action and a historical connection with a highly theatrical draw, but there are three side stories swirling around the two mugs they put on the box and the posters. The central story disappoints.If you watch this film, enjoy the beauty created from the story boards and shot in nature, the accurate wardrobe. Follow the excellent characterization of Elizabeth and Bertie, played 'smashingly' by Samuel West and Olivia Coleman. Let your mind dance around the possible truths and bigger myths of our former first lady, Eleanor.If you watch this film, remember it's a period piece, a high-spirited, languid, misty, filtered, contradictory memoire.HPoHudson was carefully crafted by those participating mystical movie mavens. Even the 'mistakes' that make it less appealing to its desired audience were puposeful. It is a work of art and... Meh... I liked it.

Based on fact - FDR was human - and a great leader - this movie is well done with just the right touch of hmour and drama

Mi ha aiutato a capire meglio tre cose.La prima: la storia del mondo è fatta dagli uomini e passa dai dettagli, dagli incontri, dalle piccole decisioni personali (la seconda guerra mondiale, in qualche modo, è stata decisa dal morso a un hot-dog).La seconda: un uomo può essere un grande politico anche se la sua vita privata è moralmente un disastro.La terza: senza l'invasione smodata di internet, il mondo aveva meno problemi. Occorrerebbe ripensare a come vengono usati i mezzi di informazione, perché non è detto che raccontate tutto di tutti sia sempre la cosa migliore per il bene del mondo.

Usage privé. J’avais déjà vu ce film au cinéma. Ravi de l’avoir revisionné

What a pleasant surprise this little film was. It tells the story of FDR's relationship with Daisy, concentrating on the time around King George's awkward first visit in America, shortly before the outbreak of WW2. FDR (Bill Murray) escapes the pressures of office and the two powerful women in his life, his mother and his wife Eleanor, by spending time with Daisy (Laura Linney), a distant cousin. The visit of the insecure, stuttering young British King and his wife is seen as an unavoidable nuissance by the Americans, and the presence of the stiff and formal British royals in the rather informal country house in upstate New York (Hyde Park on Hudson) causes tension. However, the two men soon manage to forge a strong bond.The story is based on the diaries of the real Daisy, discovered after her death many years after the events shown in the film. For those viewers who, like me, know nothing about FDR's affair with Daisy and little about his meeting with the King, the director's feature length commentary included in the extra features is very helpful in understanding how much of the story is fact, and how much is fictional embellishment.The acting is very good all round, Samuel West is wonderful as the awkward young King, and Olivia Colman works unexpectedly well as the queen. I also loved Olivia Williams as Eleanor Roosevelt and the 90 year old Elizabeth Wilson is simply outstanding as FDR's forceful mother. The real surprise for me was Bill Murray. I am not usually a great fan of him and found it hard to imagine him as FDR. Boy, was I wrong! He is quite wonderful in this film and his performance here changed my opinion of him as an actor completely. The one person I could not get excited about is Laura Linney, but perhaps that is due to her character, Daisy, whom I could not warm to. There is nothing wrong with Linney's performance, it merely failed to leave a lasting impression.The quality of the DVD is good. Picture and sound are clear, and the extra features included provide valuable insights for those interested in both the making of the film and the historical events the story is based on.

アメリカ大統領のフランクリン・ルーズベルトと不倫関係にあったとされるデイジーの彼女の日記から構想を得て作品化されたイギリス映画です。ですので、物語自体の真偽の程は判りません。大統領の邸宅にイギリス国王夫妻が訪問して、そこでの出来事がメインとなっています。アメリカのAmazonの評価を見ると★５から３がそれぞれ２５％位あと２－１が２５％位です。デイジーに感情移入して見る人もいれば、大統領やイギリス国王からの立場で見る人もいるでしょう。当時、第二次大戦の直前で戦争開戦時にどうしてもアメリカの協力が欲しいイギリス、不干渉主義を守りたいアメリカその駆け引きもあると思うとこの映画も深みが増して評価が上がるでしょう。、単なるスキャンダル映画と見ると評価は下がるでしょう。自分の場合は７５点を付けたいので★３つです。