Seven Days in May
| Seven Days in May | |
|---|---|
| File:Seven Days in May DVD cover.PNG Seven Days in May DVD cover | |
| Directed by | John Frankenheimer |
| Written by | Fletcher Knebel (novel) Charles W. Bailey II (novel) Rod Serling |
| Produced by | John Frankenheimer Edward Lewis |
| Starring | Burt Lancaster Kirk Douglas Fredric March Ava Gardner |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates | February 12, 1964 (U.S. release) |
Running time | 118 min |
| Language | English |
Seven Days in May is a political thriller novel (current hardcover edition: ISBN 0060124369) written by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey. The novel was made into a cinematic motion picture in 1964, with screenplay by Rod Serling and directed by John Frankenheimer.
The plot
Template:Spoiler The novel and film tell the story of fictitious President of the United States Jordan Lyman (Fredric March). The time is May 1974. As the story begins, Lyman faces a wave of public dissatisfaction with his decision to sign a treaty with the Soviet Union, an agreement that will supposedly result in both nations simultaneously destroying their nuclear weapons under mutual international inspections. This move is extremely unpopular with the President's opposition and the military, who each believe the Soviets cannot be trusted.
As the debate over the treaty rages on, an alert and well-positioned Pentagon insider, USMC Colonel Martin "Jiggs" Casey (Kirk Douglas) becomes aware of a conspiracy among the Joint Chiefs of Staff led by his own superior officer, the charismatic head of the JCS, Air Force General James Mattoon Scott (Burt Lancaster). As he digs deeper into the details of the conspiracy, he discovers its shocking purpose: Scott and his conspirators, along with allies in Congress and the news media, are plotting to stage a coup d'etat to remove President Lyman and his cabinet seven days hence.
The plot itself, called ECOMCON (for "Emergency Communications Control"), entails the seizure of the nation's telephone, radio, and television network infrastructure by a secret Army combat unit created and controlled by Scott's conspiracy and based at Fort Bliss, Texas. Once this is done, General Scott and his co-conspirators will control the nation's communications assets; then, from their headquarters within a vast underground nuclear shelter called "Mount Thunder" (based on the actual Alternate Seat of Government maintained by the U.S. at Mount Weather in Berryville, Virginia), the conspirators will use the power of the media and the military to prevent the implementation of the treaty.
Although personally opposed to President Lyman and to the treaty, Casey is appalled by the existence of this unconstitutional cabal and brings his findings to Lyman and his inner circle. As the countdown to takeover begins, both sides maneuver behind the scenes: Casey is sent by Lyman to New York to ferret out secrets that can be used against Scott, forcing Casey to cruelly deceive the general's former mistress, the vulnerable and winning Ellie Holbrook (Ava Gardner). Meanwhile, Scott and the conspirators take action against Lyman's closest advisors, the aging and alcoholic Georgia Senator Raymond Clark (Edmond O'Brien) and earnest White House aide Paul Girard (Martin Balsam), as they race against time to block the ECOMCON plot.
As events reach their climax, Lyman confronts Scott in the Oval Office; Clark and Girard each find that their pursuit of truth has led them into deadly danger; and Casey must decide between his newborn love for Ellie Holbrook and his oath to protect and preserve the United States Constitution.
Debuts and Awards
Actor John Houseman (playing the uncredited role of ECOMCON conspirator Admiral Farley Barnswell) debuts in the film, and a young Richard Anderson, better known as Oscar Goldman from the 1970s ABC-TV hit series The Six Million Dollar Man, makes an early screen appearance as well as Pentagon aide Colonel Murdock. John Frankenheimer directed the film, which garnered several prestigious awards, including the Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for O'Brien and the Best Art Direction-Set Decoration/Black-and-White Oscar nomination for Cary Odell and Edward G. Boyle. Edmond O'Brien also won a Golden Globe award for his performance in the film.
Trivia
The novel states that the story is set in May 1974. By coincidence, the year 1974 did indeed see the ouster of a President of the United States, though under constitutional circumstances. The novel also referenced a stalemated war in Iran, but along conventional warfare lines similar to Korea.
The scenario of the film may have , however, got its inspiration from the famous General Curtis LeMay and his clash with President John F. Kennedy. It is suspected that LeMay, furious after the Cuba crisis for not been allowed to use his atomic bombs, talked to some of his staff about removing the President from power. A later film, Thirteen Days, refers to this clash; in it, LeMay is directly quoted as calling Kennedy a traitor to the United States.
HBO's The Enemy Within (1994) loosely resembles Seven Days in May.