The Volokh Conspiracy
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"The Best Man," Sixty Years Later
Gore Vidal's classic film on presidential nominations holds up
Just in time for this week's DNC, I have an essay over at Law & Liberty on the 60th anniversary of Gore Vidal's classic film on presidential nominating conventions, "The Best Man." I've always enjoyed the film for its portrayal of the fun and banality of democratic politics--as well as its ironic take on the whole thing. Here's an excerpt:
This year marks the 60th anniversary of perhaps the greatest political film of all time, 1964's The Best Man. Based on a play of the same name by Gore Vidal, who also wrote the screenplay, The Best Man tells the story of a deadlocked political convention at which two candidates vie for their party's presidential nomination. Sixty years on, the film remains tremendously entertaining: clever, suspenseful, with an exceptional cast. The dialogue is outstanding. Considering what we have witnessed in the current presidential campaign—and it's only August—Americans might again find interest in Vidal's depiction of the backroom intrigue that determines a nomination.
The Best Man holds up for its mordant but profound observations about American democracy. There's not much idealism here. The film's most principled character has flaws that make him unfit to lead and the ultimate nominee is a "nobody" whose lack of record is his best quality. But there are important lessons about the sort of person who seeks high office in a democracy—and the sort of person high office requires. Perhaps surprisingly, given that Vidal was a man of the Left and had a rather acid personality, The Best Man offers a basically fair, even forgiving, depiction of progressives and conservatives. Neither are wholly good nor wholly bad, just human.
You can read the whole essay here.
