I was planning on returning to Clint Eastwood this evening when I switched on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and came across Robert Osbourne introducing the film Executive Suite. It's a favorite film of mine and I decided to watch it all the way through.
Executive Suite is an all star film featuring William Holden, June Allyson, Barbara Stanwyck, Frederic March, Walter Pigeon, Nina Foch, Dean Jagger, Louis Calhern and Shelly Winters. It tells the story of a power struggle at the top of a large corporation. It was directed by Robert Wise (Sound Of Music, West Side Story, The Day The Earth Stood Still) and is one of the few Hollywood films that has no musical score.
The film opens with the death of the CEO of a large furniture manufacturing corporation. The film then becomes a power struggle amongst members of the board to see who will replace him. Essentially the film argues what is the most important function of a corporation. Is it to make a profit and a gain for the shareholders, in a sense making every corporation into a financial institution, or is a corportaion something more? Is a corporation responsible to the town it operates in? To the workers who toil there. Is the corporation a place that turns out something good, or is what it turns out just a means to an end?
The film is a bit melodramatic, especially when exploring the personal lives of some of the characters, but it ends on a tense boardroom scene where William Holden delivers a rousing speech about corporate good that too many CEO's have failed to listen too.
The film was made and takes place in 1953 and when you listen to the executives talk you can hear the seeds of many of the changes that took place in corporate America in the last half of the 20th century.
At the Movie House rating *** stars.
2 comments:
I've never heard of this film...thanks for bringing it to my attention.
And look at that cast!
How does this film compare to "Mad Men"? Do you feel that it influenced the series?
It's great Hollywood melodrama. I don't really think the film influenced Mad Men. The time period is not quite right. The film has two distinct looks. The heavy furniture of the boardroom of the executive suite and the modern lines and designs of the home belonging to the William Holden character. he plays a designer/architect in the film and anything that was modern in 1953 is in his home.
Another fun "corporate" film is the comedy "The Solid Gold Cadillac" with Judy Holliday.
Two films that influnced Mad Men would be "The Apartment" and "How To Suceed In Business Without Really Trying"
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