Curiously and deliberately the author's name is replaced with "Anonymous" in the opening credits. Why? Two seconds in and you're intrigued by the mystery already!
It's based on an English novel written by a futurist from Liverpool. With his ability to 'think outside the box' Thomas Tweed became a trusted advisor to David Lloyd George during the former prime minister's twilight years. The President in the novel and indeed the film is Lloyd George - or rather Tweed's idealised Lloyd George.
The 'Welsh Wizard' is remembered today as being both one of this country's best and at the same time, worst leaders. Best because not only did he lead the country to victory in the war, do his best to make the country "a land fit for heroes" but also helped to make it a place where everyone, irrespective of class or status didn't need to be wealthy to live happily. Many of his ideals were to championed by FDR when he took over the US decades later - that was the good bit. Lloyd George was also bad because he perfectly summed up the old adage: "power corrupts" - let's just say he wasn't the world's most honest politician! Walter Huston's Hamilton begins as bad Lloyd George with a bit of Hoover thrown in and then a miracle turns him into good Lloyd George with rather a large bit of FDR.
Considering that this was written by an actual political advisor, this is staggeringly naive - then again, nobody back then really understood what was causing The Depression. To appreciate this, it helps if you have a reasonable knowledge of what was happening in American politics at that time since the plot is based on actual events. Knowing the hiatus however also equally unhelpful! The more you know, the more childish and annoyingly over-simplistic the solutions seem (although some of these ideas were FDR's and they did work)
That it's semi-factual, essentially a political advertisement and that we now know what happened next makes this film uneasy viewing. You can't simply watch this as a piece of entertainment, it's more of a snapshot into the thinking of the time. The premise of a self-serving politician becoming president who is subsequently possessed by an angel from God which runs the country, ends the Depression and engenders world peace is just too silly to be taken seriously.
At one point, Pendy, the president's mistress (based on Lloyd George's own mistress) says: I'm not a religious person but I wonder - Does it seem too fanciful to believe that God sent the Angel Gabriel to do for Judd Hammond what he did for Daniel?
Yes, of course it bloody does!
They take it all too seriously but bearing in mind that this a serious topic that's understandable. This approach does however make this particularly unenjoyable but nevertheless fascinating.
It's based on an English novel written by a futurist from Liverpool. With his ability to 'think outside the box' Thomas Tweed became a trusted advisor to David Lloyd George during the former prime minister's twilight years. The President in the novel and indeed the film is Lloyd George - or rather Tweed's idealised Lloyd George.
The 'Welsh Wizard' is remembered today as being both one of this country's best and at the same time, worst leaders. Best because not only did he lead the country to victory in the war, do his best to make the country "a land fit for heroes" but also helped to make it a place where everyone, irrespective of class or status didn't need to be wealthy to live happily. Many of his ideals were to championed by FDR when he took over the US decades later - that was the good bit. Lloyd George was also bad because he perfectly summed up the old adage: "power corrupts" - let's just say he wasn't the world's most honest politician! Walter Huston's Hamilton begins as bad Lloyd George with a bit of Hoover thrown in and then a miracle turns him into good Lloyd George with rather a large bit of FDR.
Considering that this was written by an actual political advisor, this is staggeringly naive - then again, nobody back then really understood what was causing The Depression. To appreciate this, it helps if you have a reasonable knowledge of what was happening in American politics at that time since the plot is based on actual events. Knowing the hiatus however also equally unhelpful! The more you know, the more childish and annoyingly over-simplistic the solutions seem (although some of these ideas were FDR's and they did work)
That it's semi-factual, essentially a political advertisement and that we now know what happened next makes this film uneasy viewing. You can't simply watch this as a piece of entertainment, it's more of a snapshot into the thinking of the time. The premise of a self-serving politician becoming president who is subsequently possessed by an angel from God which runs the country, ends the Depression and engenders world peace is just too silly to be taken seriously.
At one point, Pendy, the president's mistress (based on Lloyd George's own mistress) says: I'm not a religious person but I wonder - Does it seem too fanciful to believe that God sent the Angel Gabriel to do for Judd Hammond what he did for Daniel?
Yes, of course it bloody does!
They take it all too seriously but bearing in mind that this a serious topic that's understandable. This approach does however make this particularly unenjoyable but nevertheless fascinating.