All the King's Men story
All the King's Men is a 1949 American political drama film written, produced, and directed by Robert Rossen. It is based on Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1946 novel of the same name. It stars Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Mercedes McCambridge, and Joanne Dru. The film centers on the rise and fall of Willie Stark, an idealistic-but-ruthless politician in the American South, patterned after Louisiana Governor Huey Long.
25 total · 5 choice · 12 major · 8 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| corruption in society | choice | Willie Stark started out as an idealistic, morally upright, campaigner for the people. When he realized that he was being outmaneuvered by his unscrupulous political adversaries he decided to become more Machiavellian himself. He became a populist, and was soon elected governor. However, as time went on it became evermore obvious that he was using blackmail, pork-barrel dealings, hired goons and suchlike dirty and corrupt tricks. |
| electioneering in society | choice | The story concerns the aspiring politician Willie Stark as he goes from being a humble "hick" to becoming governor of his state. He was on the campaign trail countless times. His assorted methods, some legal some corrupt, were a central point of the story. |
| power corrupts | choice | Willie Stark started out as an idealistic, morally upright, campaigner for the people. When he realized that he was being outmaneuvered by his unscrupulous political adversaries he decided to become more Machiavellian himself. He became a populist, and was soon elected governor. However, as time went on it became evermore obvious that he was using blackmail, pork-barrel dealings, hired goons and suchlike dirty and corrupt tricks. |
| professional politics | choice | Willie Stark started out as an idealistic, morally upright, campaigner for the people. When he realized that he was being outmaneuvered by his unscrupulous political adversaries he decided to become more Machiavellian himself. He became a populist, and eventually was elected governor. However, as time went on it became evermore obvious that he was using blackmail, pork-barrel dealings, hired goons and suchlike dirty and corrupt tricks. |
| the end justifies the means | choice | A central question in this story is whether and to what extent Willie Stark dirty, underhanded, and corrupt methods were justifiable by the ultimate good for society that he intended to achieve with them. |
| becoming like what you oppose | major | The story concerns the aspiring politician Willie Stark as he goes from being a humble "hick" to becoming governor of his state. When he realized that he was being outmaneuvered by his unscrupulous political adversaries he decided to become more Machiavellian himself. As governor, Willie succeeded in building up the state (e.g., roads, a hospital, a university, and a football stadium) but in so doing behaved in an at least as corrupt manner as the politicians he replace. |
| blackmail | major | Jack Burden became Willie Stark's hatchet man and kept a diary of publicly embarrassing, or even incriminating, information about Willie's political opponents for use in blackmailing them. Willie Stark tried to blackmail Judge Stanton into using his influence to get various state senators to vote against Willie's impeachment. |
| boss and employee | major | Willie Stark ruthlessly pushed his underlings around. To an extent he also did this to his friend Jack Burden, who worked as his hatchet man. |
| disillusionment | major | Jack Burden initially supported the populist politician Willie Stark with enthusiasm, but grew increasingly disillusioned after Willie became governor and proved little different from the corrupt politicians he replace. |
| father and son | major | Willie Stark had a troubled relationship with his son and heir, Tom. Willie pressured Tom into playing in the big football game when he was already out of sorts with a head injury. The result was Tom leaving the field a paraplegic. After that, Tom went back to live on the farm with his mother and had little love left for his father. |