Hyde Park on Hudson Movie Download

8 / 10

Far better than its meager score would suggest
“Hyde Park on Hudson” is a film with a rather low score on IMDB, as it’s currently 5.8. With such a low score (making it a slightly below average picture), I really expected far less from this film. I think its low score can be attributed to several factors. It’s not a ‘big movie’. That means that it was never meant to be a big screen hit…more a simple movie with relatively modest expectations. It certainly is no blockbuster based on its style and pace. I also think it’s about a topic that, frankly, most folks today simple couldn’t care less about…unless you are a history teacher or lover of history. As a retired history teacher, it was exactly the sort of film I’d enjoy…but not most people. Finally, I am sure some were disappointed because although I felt Bill Murray was jut fine playing Franklin Roosevelt, his performance didn’t seem like an exact imitation…more his homage to the man. And, they made him look FDR-ish…but it was never meant to be exactly him. Prosthetics and even more makeup might have done the trick…but this didn’t seem to be the intent of the filmmakers.

The story is based on a series of letters apparently discovered after the death of FDR’s distant cousin, Daisy (Laura Linney). While there had been rumors of their affair (as well as rumors of other affairs of Roosevelt), these letters proved that their friendship was, at times, far closer than just friends. However, the film is about the relationship but only when it first began as well as when it coincided with King George VI’s visit to see Roosevelt at his Hyde Park residence in the late spring of 1939….just before the beginning of WWII in September of that same year.

I think limiting the scope of the film to mostly 1939 was a good choice and the film is less about the affair and more about the time period. Because of this, it really doesn’t romanticize this adulterous affair….more just chronicles what happened and how it coincided with the King’s visit. In other words, it’s more like a snap shot of the period and is well worth seeing. In fact, I nearly gave the film a 9…it was so good in so many ways. The highlights for me were the cinematography, the lovely period music and incidental music as well as showing more of Roosevelt’s personality than other overly idealized films (such as the rather saccharine “Sunrise at Campobello”). Well worth seeing, but certainly not a film for everyone. Most young people would be bored by it despite its quality.

By the way, I do have a couple final comments. First, I loved some of the moments in the film with just FDR and George VI. In particular, one little scene almost brought me to tears when FDR took a very fatherly sort of attitude towards the younger king. Second, and it relates to this, I wonder HOW the filmmakers knew about these moments, as Daisy was NOT present and I don’t know if any other record of these thing existed. Perhaps the filmmakers made it up, perhaps it was just inspired by actual events or perhaps it was real…I really can’t say.Read More