The Last Hurrah: John Ford

The Last Hurrah is a quaint, quietly charming film by John Ford about a New England politician named Frank Skeffington (Spencer Tracy) who may be corrupt, may be virtuous, may be a power-hog, and may have nothing but the best of intentions. Whatever the case, he is getting on in years and knows that he only has one election left in him: his "last hurrah." Ford's film watches as he campaigns, makes promises, and issues threats to keep said promises. He is quite an enigma. On the one hand, he is obviously involved in questionable enterprises in order to maintain voting blocs. In one scene, he turns the wake of a local buffoon into one of the year's biggest social events simply by showing up. But his motives are more complex: he didn't attend to get attention, but to give the widow, a dear friend of his, some money to tide her over. And if the wake becomes an impromptu rally? Well, at least the widow will have "proof" that the entire town "cared about her husband." But despite the intimate nature of Ford's director and Tracy's natural magnetism, The Last Hurrah pales when compared to other films. As a political thriller that examines the true nature of campaigning, it lacks the urgency of All the King's Men (1949). And while it's nearly impossible to not see Ford projecting himself into the character of Skeffington, the film lacks the subtlety and emotional weight of other Fordian self-portraits like The Sun Shines Bright (1953) and The Long Gray Line (1955). There are two moments where Ford's genius shines through. The first is a sequence where Skeffington takes his nephew Adam Caulfield on a tour of the slum where he was born and raised. The second involves Skeffington's carefree, playboy son. In one scene he rushes off to spend another day drenched in jazz music and beautiful women. Right before he leaves, he assures his dad that he would definitely vote for him...at least he would have if he had remembered to register. This scene hits like a bullet to the gut. But despite these moments of greatness, The Last Hurrah exists solely as a minor work by the legendary director.

6/10