This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

The first must-see film of the year.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

If this film were made today, it would be all about the affair that the charming and dapper Franklin Roosevelt probably was having with his secretary.But this 1960 production turns on the mutually respectful friendship between the future president and his quintessentially sensitive wife. Ralph Bellamy and Greer Garson turn in impressive impersonations.But what's best about this film is its thoughtful treatment of disability. FDR's contracting of polio at age 40 forces him to slow down and develop such admirable character traits as patience.Everyone can learn something from the courageous and gracious way in which he perseveres, partly in response to the encouragement of his good friend Louis Howe (played with gusto by Hume Cronyn), and in part to set an example for his five children."Anna, most of our blessings come in heavy disguises," Franklin tells his headstrong only daughter.Eleanor demonstrates extraordinary understanding at many points along the way."When one member of the family is ill, it's difficult for the rest of the family," she tells Anna. "What all of us tend to forget is, it's most difficult for the one who is sick." This movie lavishes too much time on Franklin's bossy mother but in all it presents an elegant meditation on determination.The final frame truly soars.

I'm a fan of biographies, but most I never want to watch again even if they were pretty good. SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO is an exception to my usual rule. This is such a complex and emotional film that it's worth seeing at least once.Ralph Bellamy repeats his successful stage role and does so with great aplomb. But the real bravo goes to Greer Garson. She's barely recognizable as Eleanor Roosevelt. I'm sure she gave Meryl Streep a lesson or two in becoming a real life character vs. portraying one. Both are fine actresses, but I'd say Garson accomplishes this goal even more so than Streep in THE IRON LADY. However, there's no need to have a competition. My point is that the great actresses of today clearly were influenced by the great ones of yesteryear. Garson, though nominated, didn't win the Oscar. Elizabeth Taylor did for BUTTERFIELD 8. This film is an example of an actress who might have won in a less political year. But the Oscars aren't the litmus test for all films.Garson's Eleanor Roosevelt champions Bellamy's FDR, overcomes his and her own adversities, raises a large family to boot, and is still one of the most famous women in history. Garson has no trouble whatsoever in accomplishing this great feat of portraying so adeptly this powerhouse of a woman. If you like American history (tweaked of course to pass the Hays code), biographies, or Bellamy, or especially Garson, then watch this engrossing film and be transported to another era where even the rich, famous, and powerful people have problems, yet they lead by example and overcome the necessary obstacles together that cover the steps (literally) which eventually lead to their place in political history.

"Sunrise at Campobello" enacts early events in the personal life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt with fine production values, including solid performances.Certainly both Ralph Bellamy and Greer Garson had their work cut out playing, respectively, Franklin and Eleanor. They got their characterizations down pat, and their work is of a high calibre. The talented supporting cast is headed by Hume Cronyn as Franklin's best friend and Ann Shoemaker as his doting mother. Jean Hagen is seen as a good-natured secretary.It may be that Dore Schary's script from his play was too lengthy, or that Vincent J. Donahue's direction was too slow. Whatever the case, running at 144 minutes this seems a pretty long haul for the average viewer. Bellamy's work is consistently exectued, with all of the famous FDR mannerisms--it is also slowly-paced. Garson's Eleanor captures her distinctivly slow, deliberate speech cadence. Likewise, both principals' makeups are subtely effective.The script begins in 1921 when Franklin was 40 and wisely ends just three years later with his politically important nominating speech for Al Smith. While there may be some dramatic modifications of factual material, the basic flavor of the period and characters are well handled.Fraklin's overcoming of physical adversity to become a four term US president is a story of great interest, from both a human and professional perspective. "Sunrise at Campolbello" skillfully presents this inspired period of American history.

Ralph Bellamy gives perhaps his best performance as a very credible FDR. Greer Garson and Hume Cronyn give their usual solid efforts, and the supporting cast is all great. The atmosphere is right. The script is surprisingly crisp, but the length of the piece weighs it down. When it reaches the two-hour mark, the whole movie starts to creak. So if you have an interest in history and politics, it's great. If not, it's tough sledding up this long, steep hill.