The Best Man by Franklin J. Schaffner

Watching this film, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, it becomes obvious that nothing has changed in political behavior since the 60s. In the middle of a party convention to select its presidential candidate, two men are in the running to be “the best man”.

Despite the scandals involving his extra marital affairs, William Russell (Henry Fonda) seems to be the one with the most integrity. At first he refuses to play dirty games to defeat his biggest opponent, Joe Cantwell (Cliff Robertson). But as usual, no one can be trusted in politics.

Joe on the other hand is clearly a political street fighter who practices a "means justifies the end" philosophy. According to the former President, Art Hockester (Lee Tracy) – a kind of mentor for both candidates – Joe and Russell are playing with politics as he used to play polo.

The Best Man is a very talkative film which shows political parties’ strategies in constructing images and increasing numbers of voters. Using long yet fast-paced and ironic dialogues, the scenes are generally structured in order to never take the side of either protagonist, or judge whether they are behaving correctly or not. An effective and precise portrait of political games and the power of rhetoric.

Estela Cotes