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Wilson

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89% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Princeton University president Woodrow Wilson (Alexander Knox) leaves his post to run for governor of New Jersey, and soon becomes President of the United States. The turmoil of this era, from the death of his first wife, Ellen (Ruth Nelson), and his remarriage to the glamorous Edith Galt (Geraldine Fitzgerald), to the buildup to and aftermath of World War I, is faithfully dramatized. Wilson's political opponent Henry Cabot Lodge (Cedric Hardwicke) serves as the film's primary villain.
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Wilson

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety 07/07/2010
Through it all stalks a potent personality in Alexander Knox, a newborn star, supported by a flawless cast. Go to Full Review
Time Out 01/26/2006
The result's handsome, worthy and solemn. Go to Full Review
Bosley Crowther New York Times 05/20/2003
4/5
Much of the film's exceptional quality is due to the performance of Alexander Knox in the title role. Go to Full Review
Elena de la Torre Cine-Mundial 09/18/2019
[A] magnificent drama. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
TV Guide 01/31/2012
3/4
A lavish biography of Woodrow Wilson. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 03/05/2008
C+
Zanuck's biopic of President Woodraw Wilson is a typically middlebrow film, made for American audiences during WWII with more concern for patriotism than history or entertainment. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Alec B Mar 16 A grotesque hagiography. The movie cannot conceive of Wilson as anything other than a great man of history (literally placing him alongside Lincoln and Washington at several moments) while totally ignoring the more shameful moments of his Presidency. See more Leaburn O 07/04/2023 Worst picture to win five Oscars? Almost certainly. Worst to be nominated for ten Oscars? It has competition to be fair. This was more of a hagiography than a biopic. Nothing much was said other than giving Wilson two hours or so to grandstand about war and peace. Interesting to understand some of the background to his life but given the year this was released and the general patriotic tone, it's hard to take much of the film seriously. See more steve d 07/22/2020 Whitewashed but really well acted. See more 02/15/2018 Not bad, not bad. Strong educational value for me. Many aspects seem way over-simplified and there is no small amount of manipulation - some eyerolls no doubt - in keeping with movies of that time. It's pretty cheerleadery. But he's undeniably an important historical figure and it's a good watch. 6.8 out of 10 See more 11/06/2017 Wilson is a biopic about the life of Woodrow Wilson. It is a movie that loudly proclaims the virtues of our 28th president, and makes everyone who opposes him look like a vile troublemaker. I don’t mind getting some history from the movies, and it was nice to see some of the background of his career. However, when characters are presented in such a black-and-white fashion in a biopic, it’s hard for me to avoid questioning the authenticity and accuracy of it all. Alexander Knox was fine in the lead role, but the script continuously makes the character seem like a one-dimensional goody-two-shoes. The biggest problem with Wilson is that it desperately needed editing. The material isn’t the most exciting or compelling stuff, and when you linger on scenes for an excessive amount of time you aren’t helping with that. For a while I feared this movie would never get past the Democratic convention scenes because those dragged on for so long. There were a few segments of the film that actually had something of interest happening, or where they were able to grab my attention, but my interest would die out long before the scenes ended. I cannot see anyone getting much out of this film, however if you want a loose estimation of things that happened in the political career of Woodrow Wilson, then I guess you could check it out. Everyone else, feel free to avoid Wilson. See more 04/15/2017 Straightforward biographical film, focusing mostly on the political life, of the 28th President of the United States. Convincing portrayal of Woodrow Wilson by Alexander Knox, made all the more so by the fact that he looks very much like him. See more Read all reviews
Wilson

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Movie Info

Synopsis Princeton University president Woodrow Wilson (Alexander Knox) leaves his post to run for governor of New Jersey, and soon becomes President of the United States. The turmoil of this era, from the death of his first wife, Ellen (Ruth Nelson), and his remarriage to the glamorous Edith Galt (Geraldine Fitzgerald), to the buildup to and aftermath of World War I, is faithfully dramatized. Wilson's political opponent Henry Cabot Lodge (Cedric Hardwicke) serves as the film's primary villain.
Director
Henry King
Producer
Darryl F Zanuck
Screenwriter
Lamar Trotti
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox
Genre
Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 1, 1944, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 18, 2012
Runtime
2h 34m
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