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The jarring political violence that opens Seven Days In May was merely a prelude of real things to come during the second half of the 1960s. This period in our history witnessed a series of protests and riots throughout the United States against the nuclear arms race. In fact, the growing protests against nuclear weapons helped launch other movements that resulted in even greater sources of political and social unrest that ravaged the fabric of our society. These included the protracted conflict in Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement which were just gaining momentum at the time Seven Days In May was released to theaters on February 12, 1964.
Seven Days centers on a clique within the US military scheming and plotting to take over the government because of irreconcilable disagreements with President Lyman (played by Fredric March) over how he negotiated a disarmament treaty with Soviet Russia. This clique is appalled that he has jeopardized the United States’ position of greatness as the superpower leading the free world. Sound familiar? This story has plenty of relevance today as our own political discourse has become increasingly fractious and seems to be disintegrating under the weight of deception, mistrust, resentment, continuous culture wars, and ideological battling. With all this in mind, I still find it curious, but also something of a relief that neither Democrats or Republicans are heaping blame on each other for the unfolding crisis of faith and loyalty threatening to end the democratic process in Seven Days.
In fact, although neither party is the focus of the skulduggery or even specifically mentioned in the film, Seven Days was adapted to the screen from the 1962 novel by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II which is a quintessential example of the political intrigue themed novel. The book sold well and made the New York Times best seller list in November, 1962. Adding in the critical accolades, there was little doubt it would be prime material for film. Still, it is noteworthy that the film version lacks the extreme partisanship that characterizes our current, real life political scene. The film boasts a powerhouse cast including Burt Lancaster as James Mattoon Scott, a U.S. Air Force General and Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff who is planning the coup.
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It also stars Fredric March as the fictional and beleaguered President Lyman, Kirk Douglas as USMC Colonel Martin Casey who finds out about the plot and tries to foil it. Ava Gardner is Washington socialite Eleanor Holbrooke whose past relationship with Scott adds to the brewing storm. Some of Hollywood’s best supporting actors of the era such as Edmond OBrien and Martin Balsam are cast as senators or various Washington power brokers that help make Seven Days a memorable, superior placement in the political intrigue sub genre. While watching Seven Days In May for the first time in ten years or so, it makes me think more about how Fascist takeover of our government might actually occur, what would be the straw that finally breaks the camel’s back?
The chilling narrative that unfolds in Seven Days In May which involves shadowy, elite forces, secret military bases, plans to seize control of mass media and other nefarious schemes are brought to the fore in an understated manner but still fraught with anxiety. For all of this, the possibility of a fascist coup taking over the government doesn’t seem so far-fetched. In any case, I still find it interesting that both Dr. Strangelove (discussed in my previous post) and Seven Days In May feature mentally unbalanced, high-ranking military officers attempting to overthrow the government, with both movies being released within a month of each other and both adapted from novels published within a few years of each other.
All of this came about during the most critical juncture of the Cold War era well before any arms limitation treaties were agreed upon. It seems that these novelists not only have lively imaginations but also intuitively tapped into the anxieties and fears much of humanity was experiencing with the nuclear age where nuclear midnight was narrowly averted. In Part 3 next week I’ll discuss Fail Safe!
