The Man (1972 film)
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| The Man | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Joseph Sargent |
| Produced by | Lee Rich |
| Written by | Rod Serling |
| Starring | James Earl Jones |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Edward Rosson |
| Editing by | George Jay Nicholson |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 19 July 1972 |
| Running time | 93 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Man is a 1972 political drama directed by Joseph Sargent and starring James Earl Jones. Jones plays Douglass Dilman, the President pro tempore of the United States Senate, who succeeds to the U.S. Presidency through a series of unforeseeable events, thereby becoming the first African American president. The screenplay, written by Rod Serling, is largely based upon The Man, a novel by Irving Wallace.
[edit] Plot
The president and the speaker of the house are killed in West Germany when its parliament buildings suffer a collapse. The vice-president, elderly and very ill in health, refuses to assume the office, pointing out that they'll need another replacement almost immediately. Arthur Eaton (William Windom), the secretary of state, is urged to take the office, but he points out that the law of succession places the job with the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Douglass Dilman (Jones).
The stunned Dilman, having been sworn in, arrives at the White House to assume office, and first finds that he's being micromanaged. At first, he goes along with the information provided as advice, but during a news conference, after an aggressive reporter (who detects the puppet strings) questions his independence, Dilman crumples a note passed from Eaton, shoves the briefing notes binder to the floor, and proceeds under his own initiative.
Dilman runs into issues. Robert Wheeler (Georg Stanford Brown), a young black man, is sought for extradition by apartheid South Africa for a deadly act in that country; Dilman offers his help and the young man claims he was in Burundi. The South Africans share news film with Senator Watson (Burgess Meredith) that proves the young man was indeed in South Africa, and it breaks as scandal, threatening Dilman's young presidency. Watson has other work in progress - the Watson Bill would prevent Dilman from firing any cabinet minister without the Senate's approval.
Dilman's activist daughter Wanda (Janet MacLachlan) clashes with the secretary of state's outspoken wife Kay (Barbara Rush) at a dinner. The secretary of state and his wife, though disagreeing about his "handing over" the presidency to Dilman, both share his ambition to succeed Dilman.
Dilman finally obtains the young man's confession, but handing him over for extradition alienates Dilman's daughter, who doesn't agree with handing over an activist for black rule in South Africa. Dilman addresses a scrum of reporters as he washes his hands of the issue; a reporter asks if he's going to pass up a run for the presidential nomination.
Dilman replies that he is going to put every effort of his being into winning the nomination, and to the tune of "Hail to the Chief", he is introduced to the party's national convention.
[edit] External links
- The Man at the Internet Movie Database
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