“Seven Days in May” is an exciting political thriller about an attempted military takeover of the U. S. government when the President negotiates a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. Director John Frankenheimer (“Birdman of Alcatraz” 1962) and screenwriter Rod Serling skillfully crafted this superior Cold War drama, with a scenario that was believable in those troubled times. It was adapted from the 1962 novel of the same name by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II.
The cast included some of the best actors available, including Burt Lancaster as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kirk Douglas as a Marine Corps colonel, and Fredric March as the President of the United States. Co-stars include Ava Gardner, Martin Balsam, Andrew Duggan, Hugh Marlowe, Whit Bissell, Helen Kleeb, George Macready, Richard Anderson, Bart Burns, and Edmond O’Brien as a United States Senator. John Houseman had an uncredited role as a Vice Admiral.
OBrien was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. A second nomination for this film went for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration/Black-and-White. Yes, the picture was filmed in black and white, giving the watchable “Seven Days in May” a classic look for this Paramount Pictures production.
Seven Days in May (1964)
cinema
My Review
“Seven Days in May” is an exciting political thriller about an attempted military takeover of the U. S. government when the President negotiates a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. Director John Frankenheimer (“Birdman of Alcatraz” 1962) and screenwriter Rod Serling skillfully crafted this superior Cold War drama, with a scenario that was believable in those troubled times. It was adapted from the 1962 novel of the same name by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II.
The cast included some of the best actors available, including Burt Lancaster as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kirk Douglas as a Marine Corps colonel, and Fredric March as the President of the United States. Co-stars include Ava Gardner, Martin Balsam, Andrew Duggan, Hugh Marlowe, Whit Bissell, Helen Kleeb, George Macready, Richard Anderson, Bart Burns, and Edmond O’Brien as a United States Senator. John Houseman had an uncredited role as a Vice Admiral.
OBrien was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. A second nomination for this film went for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration/Black-and-White. Yes, the picture was filmed in black and white, giving the watchable “Seven Days in May” a classic look for this Paramount Pictures production.