SimonJack Watching this movie again after many years, I had a familiar quote ringing in my ears: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you." Joseph Heller penned that in his 1961 novel, "Catch- 22." I wonder if the makers of "The President's Analyst" hadn't read Heller's book, especially in the development of James Coburn's character, Dr. Sidney Schaefer. I agree that the cast are generally good in their roles. Coburn is good, but he doesn't quite seem to nail his character. Others like his grinning smile at times, but that seemed strange to me when at other times he was frightened. Godrey Cambridge and Severn Darden give the best performances of the film. The film story was a great idea – especially with the surprise ending. But I think the script didn't develop the story well. The first half of the film drags on, and the direction and film editing seem choppy. It shouldn't take an audience so long to get into the satire. And then, there aren't many scenes that bring out laughter. Other reviewers have noted the numerous conventions of the 1960s that this film pokes fun at. Sometimes many lampoons don't work as well as fewer but better developed ones. That may be the case with this film. I would like to have given this movie a higher rating, but it's just not up to the mettle of the great comedy satires. "Dr. Strangelove," "Ninotchka," "To Be or Not to Be," "The Great Dictator," "The Mouse that Roared," and others have wonderful plots with great mixes of witty dialog, spoofing scenes and general satire. One trait that the great films in this sub-genre have is a mix of roles. Some characters have genuinely serious roles, while others have cynical, and others outright comical roles. Coburn's character is the only one that has a semblance of seriousness at times. All the rest – the heads of the fantasized spy agencies, the "hit" men, the people in the groups being lampooned – are funny or silly. It seemed like a spy spoof that the Marx Brothers might make. Or, like the TV sitcom airing at the time, "Get Smart," in which most of characters were buffoons of one type or another. So, the satire doesn't work well. One other thing someone else observed seemed quite bad – the musical score in places. One line by Kropotkin (Severn Darden) seems quite poignant. Remembering that the film was made in 1967, his comments seem close to being fulfilled today. In a discussion with Dr. Sidney Schaefer (Coburn), Kropotkin says, "Logic is on our side. This isn't a case of a world struggle between two divergent ideologies of different economic systems. Every day your country becomes more socialistic, my country becomes more capitalistic. Pretty soon we'll meet in the middle and join hands."With a solid rewrite of the script, this film could have been a much better comedy satire for the time.

ppilf This movie made me realize that I had something of a talent for appreciating great motion picture production. I fully agree with nearly all professional movie critics, directors, screen playwrights, authors, etc. that this satire is one of the most underrated films ever made. In fact I regard it as the most underrated film by the general movie-going audience in motion picture history, along with four other films close behind. "The President's Analyst" has always held a very high position on my list of 100 favorite movies, holding the #15 position for the past 12 years. I remember being dismayed and shocked when many of my friends said they didn't consider it very good, ranking it with James Coburn's "Our Man Flint" B-movies. I was absolutely flabbergasted that anyone would categorize this film with those ridiculous spy-action-thriller children flicks. I hate those movies. I remember thinking, "am I the only person on earth who understands and appreciates this beautiful film?" Then I started reading the reviews of well known critics and accomplished film makers, acclaiming it as a cold-war era classic political satire, highly underrated. I remember feeling much better, relieved and vindicated. I personally loved this film from the first time I saw it in 1971, to present; it hasn't lost any of its luster to me. I don't know if anyone could have done a better job playing Dr. Sydney Schaefer than James Coburn. In fact the whole casting was genius as far as I'm concerned. This film attests Coburn's remarkable Oscar-winning spectrum as an actor. I further agree with critics that this film was far "ahead of its time". I consider it a modern turning point in movie satire and comedy style. It somehow applies a light-hearted ambiance to very grim but important modern political subjects, and not only gets away with it, but creates a whole new beautiful style. It mixes everyday people of all walks with heavy big-government international drama. Character development, dialog, acting, editing, screenplay, soundtrack, camera work.. everything is excellent, making a very entertaining and beautiful movie.

lewwarden Great satire of many of our social institutions of the mid-Vietnam era. But not so funny now; too much dirty water over the dam since then. Plainly what passed for Liberals in those days were pilloried, as well as tired old targets--some more deserving than others--such as J Edgar Hoover, FBI, and CIA who apparently had enough muscle in those days to persuade Hollywood to change their initials, although to what end God only knows. I noted that the "right wing extremists" label was used in the movie, which was old hat then and is still the battle cry of Democrat propagandists. The more things change, the more things remain the same, and propaganda slogans become eternal verities. But old Ma Bell, THE telephone company of those days, isn't with us to kick around any more. Our present crop of corporate and financial rulers are nothing like the benign despot portrayed in this picture. Our boys don't pretend to serve; they just brazenly exploit, and laugh all the way to the bank with their "bail out" billions. Anyhow, all and all The President's Analyst is a good evening's entertainment with some nice acting and even a slice of history. But who was the analyst's very obliging sweety working for?

noneabve1947 Simply one of the funniest movies ever made......I just watched my DVD of this and I'm amazed at all the new stuff I pick up and a lot of stuff nobody did or ever would.OK....it's a satire, but some of it is too clever for it's own good. For example, the head of the FBR is named "Henry Lux". Fine. "Lux" is also the name of a brand of vacuum cleaner. Another brand of vacuum is a "Hoover". Um, who was director of the FBI when this was made? J. Edgar Hoover. Accident? I don't think so but you can't watch this and not be paranoid.I have a sick fantasy. No, not the ones involving Ms. Delaney and whipped cream. This involves a high tech room where this movie can be shown on all four walls plus the ceiling and floor, a sound system that can crank up to 130 decibels, and locking Dick Cheney in it for 24 hours. Somehow I don't think YouTube would post that video......