The moviegoer

Permit me to take you back a bit into U.S. film history. In 1963 and 1964 my stepfather took an evening part-time cleaning job at the main Ft. Hood, Texas movie theater. As helpers, my brother and I were teens that benefited with free admission to as many films as we wished to see.

Very recently, I again viewed the April 1964 United Artists release of “The Best Man." Among the major stars were Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson, along with a bit role for Gore Vidal, the original scriptwriter. Although I generally stay away from all that involves politics, it was an excellent political drama that revealed a bit of what politicians do.

Muckraking, mudslinging, smearing and dealmaking occurred. The very same thing that has gone on not only in recent U.S. elections, but around the world as well. It seems that undermining and trying to weaken opponents' influence is acceptable in political circles. Suffering loss of esteem and suffering enduring reproach readily occur. Politics is brutal and often smiles and handshakes have different meanings.

In the movie's story, one character was willing to use any means necessary to win the support and election from ballot representatives. The other candidate had reservations due to conscience. In psychology, conscience is termed the "superego." It is the cognitive process that guides our conduct, intentions and moral character with ethical responsibility and obligation. We all know it as the feeling of misgiving about what one is doing or going to do in the context of right or wrong or good or bad choices. I like what one Swedish writer theologized, "Conscience is God's presence in man."

The film was a cutting-edge political analysis, a description and depiction of combat politics using any and all tactical resources to achieve an end. Human vices and follies and other fatal vunerabilities mirrored the image and reality of today's political noise. The realistic historical film continues to be a good study for those who wish to enter the industry and learn all the techniques of film production, especially directing, screenwriting, casting, cinematography, etc. By the way, the location manager chose the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles for the filming. If interested, you may view the 102-minute film "The Best Man" for free on YouTube movies, as I did.

Some other important entertainment events occurred in 1964 in the U.S. As part of the British invasion, The Beatles arrived in America, launching “Beatlemania.” Sidney Poitier became the first black actor to win an Academy Award as Best Actor for his performance in the previous year's “Lilies of the Field.” Also, in 1964, South Korean folk-rock singer and writer Kim Kwang-seok entered the world. The Korean war/action film “Red Scarf” ("Ppalgan Mahura") was released in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, but not in the United States, even though it primarily featured F86 Sabre jet aircrafts made in America. In addition, popular films in South Korea at the time were “Barefooted Youth” and “Deaf Sam-yong." Of course, you know other positive events for that year and we needed them and we thank the providers for counterbalancing or off-setting that which was negative and upsetting to us at the time.

The author (wrjones@vsu.edu) published the novella “Beyond Harvard” and presently teaches English as a second language.