Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

ShangLuda Admirable film.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

jjnxn-1 Good old fashioned biography of FDR's struggle against polio and his journey back to the political arena. Good supporting performances and a handsome production add luster to this. The real strength of this is in the performances of the lead pair. Greer Garson as Eleanor does a terrific approximation of that great lady, people have mentioned that her teeth are distracting but Mrs.Roosevelt did have large teeth and an overbite so kudos to the studio for remaining true to the actual woman. She was still alive when this came out so the audiences of the time were well aware of her appearance. It's only a surface characteristic anyway and Garson portrayal goes much deeper giving a fine account of the future first lady. However it's Ralph Bellamy in the best role he ever had as FDR that walks away with top acting honors. Having performed the role on stage he has perfected it to a fine point and richly deserved the Oscar nomination he received. He conveys both FDR's weariness as well as the strength required to bounce back from the blow polio dealt him.Beautifully appointed this is studio film making at its best. Wonderful ending.

Hot 888 Mama . . . though Murray's HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON is a much snappier film than SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO. The problem is that after SAC writer\producer Dore Schary won the Tony award for his original play, he decided to rest on his laurels, making few changes in the movie script, thinking he could just sit back and wait for the money to roll in. Unfortunately, he forgot the reason a play is so long is because there are intermissions scheduled to allow patrons to go to the concession stands and the bathroom. Like many Broadway moguls, he apparently didn't realize movie patrons are poorer than theater goers, and generally cannot afford multiple trips to the concession stand (unless it is for free refills on the way home). Plus, cinema folks have healthier bladders. SAC as a movie runs 144 minutes, 30 to 60 minutes too many, given its lack of action. Who is going to take a date to sit for nearly 2 and a half hours, watching FDR do his muscles exercises, update his stamp collection, and rebuff the KKK?! That said, Greer Garson is great here and deserved Oscar much more than Liz Taylor in her lame Holly Golightly wannabe BUTTERFIELD 8 role!

abcj-2 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.

harry-76 "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.