LeonLouisRicci A Fine Emmy Winning Portrayal by Gary Sinise as Gov. George Wallace the Opportunist Southern Politician that let His Ambitions Corrupt His Principles and later "Saw the Light".A Good Supporting Cast helps the proceedings and Solid Directing from Frankenheimer, who doesn't let Style intrude on the Story and tells it Matter of "Fact". Relying on Stock Footage to set the Mood and Tone, the Story of Wallace and His Influence on Politics and Society is Interesting.It might Lack the Impact that His Racists Proclamations had on Blacks and Hateful Whites, He never did get the Implications of His Influence until it was Too Late and much Damage had been done. Wallace is shown On Screen Contemplating these things now and then. But He never seems to realize what He had Wrought and only in the End does He come to grips with the Guilt and Truth.Overall, it's a Long TV-Movie, originally shown over Two Nights and does seem a bit Shallow in Stretches and has Difficulties Maintaining a Profound and Consistent Message. But Overall, the some of the parts and the Acting make it a Good Study of the Man and His Time in and out of Power.

MartinHafer "George Wallace" is a made for TV documentary about the famous and very controversial governor of Alabama. Gary Sinese plays the title role and won an Emmy for his performance. The film runs about three hours and is a very long film. Very, very long. While there was more than enough material on the man to make a very long film like this possible, I question the need. Now this isn't to say it's a bad film. It's just that it seems to go on too long and loses some of its momentum through the course of the film. Yet, despite this, the film still is exceptional and is a quality production throughout--and I strongly recommend it. Another reason I recommend it is that while George Wallace is a rather famous historical figure, the WHOLE picture is not known by most people. How the repellent man changed through the course of the film is THE reason to see the film, as it's a rare chance to see a true story about redemption and change.By the way, look closely during the scene in Boston about midway through the film. One of the hard-hatted protesters is Ron Jeremy!

bkoganbing Gary Sinise delivers a superb performance in the biographical television film George Wallace. I well remember Wallace from back in the sixties and Sinise is so good in the part you think you're seeing home movies of Wallace, albeit a slightly skinnier version.No southern politician since Huey Long had the impact of Wallace on the national scene. He was a product of the white backlash to the Brown vs. Board of Education School integration decision of the Supreme Court. Wallace, previously a moderate who lost a gubernatorial primary in 1958, courted the die-hard segregationist vote in 1962 and won the first of several terms as Governor of Alabama. It was a platform that he used to rattle both the Democratic and Republican parties for several years.He unleashed a lot of dark and evil forces beyond even what he knew and maybe he never realized the full extent of them even after the attempted assassination of him at a presidential campaign rally in Laurel, Maryland in 1972. But he had to come to grips with pain and suffering as he never did before and maybe he caught a bit of empathy for those of the disenfranchised he'd demagogued against previously.It is a fact that the former poster boy for race segregation got a large amount of black support in his final race for Governor in 1986.Sinise is aided and abetted by good performances by Clarence Williams, III who serves as a kind of Greek Chorus, a fictional black servant at the Governor's mansion who is Wallace's sounding board as neither his two wives became. Mare Winningham who is the small town girl Lurleen who he married and who just wanted a normal home life. She became part of his ambitions when she was elected Governor herself in a ploy to get around Alabama's term limit law. Winningham is as I remember Lurleen Wallace and conceive of what she was like in her private life. Angelina Jolie in a break out role for her plays Wallace's second wife Cornelia who was the niece of former Governor Jim Folsom played her ably by Joe Don Baker. After Wallace was shot and paralyzed and lost the control of a number of lower body functions, she tries as best she can to adjust. A whole lot is against it though in both her's and his personalities.George Wallace is a much better than average made for TV product, it probably should have gotten a theatrical release. It's a portrait of some dark corners of America and shouldn't be missed.

Lee Eisenberg More than simply showing a part of history, "George Wallace" shows how a person - in this case a white supremacist - can change. In the title role, Gary Sinise does as intense a job as ever. Seeing what Wallace does early in his career, you're horrified, but you don't really grow to hate the guy (granted, you don't admire him either). Another interesting performance in the movie is a very young Angelina Jolie as Wallace's second wife Cornelia.In conclusion, I don't know how good most of John Frankenheimer's movies have been, but this one is definitely worth seeing. Also starring Mare Winningham, Clarence Williams III and Joe Don Baker.