| Wilson | |
|---|---|
Film poster |
|
| Directed by | Henry King |
| Produced by | Darryl F. Zanuck |
| Written by | Lamar Trotti |
| Starring | Charles Coburn Alexander Knox Geraldine Fitzgerald Thomas Mitchell Sir Cedric Hardwicke |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
| Editing by | Barbara McLean |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox |
| Release date(s) | August 1, 1944 |
| Running time | 154 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4,000,000 (estimated) |
Wilson is a 1944 biographical film in Technicolor about President Woodrow Wilson. It stars Charles Coburn, Alexander Knox, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell and Sir Cedric Hardwicke.
The movie was written by Lamar Trotti and directed by Henry King. Wilson's daughter Eleanor Wilson McAdoo served as an informal counselor.[1]
It won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color (Wiard Ihnen, Thomas Little), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Recording (E. H. Hansen) and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.[2][3] It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Alexander Knox), Best Director, Best Effects, Special Effects, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Picture. The film was notable for giving character actor Alexander Knox (in the title role) one of his few chances to play the lead in a film.
Though a critically acclaimed,[4] Oscar-winning film, Wilson is remembered for being a huge flop at the box office. It was a pet project of Darryl F. Zanuck, who greatly admired Woodrow Wilson, and its failure upset him to the point that he forbade any of his employees from ever mentioning the film in his presence again.
However, the film was not totally forgotten; it is now regularly shown on cable television but, as of 2010, has not yet been issued on DVD.