George Wallace is a 1997 biographical television film, produced and directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Gary Sinise as George Wallace, the 45th governor of Alabama. The teleplay, written by Marshall Frady and Paul Monash, is based on the 1996 biography Wallace: The Classic Portrait of Alabama Governor George Wallace by Frady. Mare Winningham, Clarence Williams III, Joe Don Baker, Angelina Jolie, Terry Kinney, William Sanderson, Mark Rolston, Tracy Fraim, Skipp Sudduth, Ron Perkins, and Mark Valley also star.
Sinise reprised his role as George Wallace in Frankenheimer's 2002 television film Path to War, about the Johnson administration's entry into the Vietnam War.
George Wallace premiered on TNT in August 1997, being broadcast in two parts. It was highly praised by critics and received various accolades: including Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing (Frankenheimer), Outstanding Lead Actor (Sinise), and Outstanding Supporting Actress (Winningham), and Golden Globe Awards for Best Miniseries or Television Film and Best Supporting Actress (Jolie).
Plot George Wallace portrays the political life of a complex man. Initially an ordinary Southern judge, Wallace transforms himself to achieve political success and glory, becoming one of the most reviled political figures in the U.S. Finally, a failed assassination attempt—which leaves him paralyzed and in pain—leads him to realize what he has become.
The film follows the story of Wallace's life from the 1950s, when he was a circuit court judge in Barbour County, to his tenure as the most powerful Governor in Alabama's history. The movie depicts his symbolic "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door", where Wallace attempted to block black students from entering the University of Alabama. It details his stance on racial segregation in Alabama at the time, which proved popular with his white constituents, and also depicts Wallace's rise as a presidential hopeful. This eventually leads to his surprise victory in several states during the 1968 presidential election, followed by his attempted assassination four years later.
Cast
Production Principal photography began on 13 January 1997. Reception The New York Times Caryn James, wrote that events were "recreated with startling veracity and tension in the two-part mini-series called simply George Wallace." James wrote that Sinise was "amazing" and Mare Winningham was "extraordinary."
The Associated Press stated that the film's version of Cornelia Wallace was depicted as "a shallow sex kitten" and therefore Cornelia Wallace had criticism towards the portrayal. - Alternate version ("Cornelia Wallace, 69, First Lady of Alabama, Dies") at The New York Times, January 9, 2009. Version ("Cornelia Wallace, 69, second wife of Alabama Gov. George Wallace") at The Hour (Norwalk, Connecticut), January 8, 2009. Alternate ("Former Alabama first lady Cornelia Wallace dies") at The Columbus Dispatch, January 8, 2009.
Awards and nominations George Wallace received award nominations: including eight Primetime Emmy Awards (winning three), four Golden Globe Awards (winning two), two Screen Actors Guild Awards (winning one), four Satellite Awards (winning one), nine CableACE Awards (winning four), a Directors Guild of America Award, and a Writers Guild of America Award. Also winning an American Cinema Editors Award, an American Society of Cinematographers Award, an Art Directors Guild Award, and receiving a Peabody Award.
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref. CableACE Awards Miniseries Mark Carliner, John Frankenheimer, Julian Krainin, and Ethel Winant Actor in a Movie or Miniseries Gary Sinise Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries Joe Don Baker Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries Angelina Jolie Directing a Movie or Miniseries John Frankenheimer Writing a Movie or Miniseries Paul Monash and Marshall Frady Art Direction in a Dramatic Special or Serires/Movie or Miniseries Michael Z. Hanan, Charles M. Lagola, and Douglas A. Mowat Editing a Dramatic Special or Series/Movie or Miniseries Antony Gibbs Makeup Janeen Schreyer, John E. Jackson, Matthew W. Mungle, Patricia Androff, and Jamie Kelman Peabody Awards TNT and a Mark Carliner Production American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Episode from a Television Mini-Series Antony Gibbs American Society of Cinematographers Awards Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Miniseries Alan Caso Art Directors Guild Awards Excellence in Production Design Award – Television Movie or Mini-Series Michael Z. Hanan, Charles M. Lagola, and Arlan Jay Vetter Artios Awards Best Casting for Mini-Series Iris Grossman Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries John Frankenheimer Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Gary Sinise Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Angelina Jolie Mare Winningham Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Television Mini-Series – Effects & Foley Brady Schwartz Humanitas Prize PBS/Cable Television Paul Monash and Marshall Frady Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Miniseries Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Gary Sinise Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best New Titles Sequence in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries Mark Carliner, John Frankenheimer, Julian Krainin, Ethel Winant, Mitch Engel, and James Sbardellati Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Gary Sinise Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Angelina Jolie Mare Winningham Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Movie John Frankenheimer Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or a Movie Iris Grossman Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie Alan Caso Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Janeen Schreyer, Patricia Androff, Jamie Kelman, Cheryl Ann Nick, Keith Sayer, John E. Jackson, and Matthew W. Mungle Satellite Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Gary Sinise Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Joe Don Baker Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Mare Winningham Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Gary Sinise Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Mare Winningham Writers Guild of America Awards Long Form – Adapted Paul Monash and Marshall Frady; Based on the book Wallace: The Classic Portrait of Alabama Governor George Wallace by Marshall Frady Costume Designers Guild Awards Excellence in Costume Design for Television May Routh
See also Civil rights movement in popular culture
References
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