Seven Days in May

American president Jordan Lymans (Frederic March) has signed a peace treaty with the Russians which results in a violent public opinion campaign against him. The treaty also incurs the wrath of conservative military brass General Scott (Burt Lancaster in a part inspired by the far-right ramblings of one General Edwin Walker), who considers this move towards disarmament as an act of treason. When Colonel Casey (Kirk Douglas) discovers a cryptic message on Scott’s desk relating to a top secret military base in Texas whose existence is unknown even to the Presidents, he becomes convinced that Scott will use the forthcoming Full Alert exercise to overthrow the US government. Having won the President’s trust, Casey gathers a small circle of loyal friends around him to go and seek evidence against Scott before the Alert deadline. All their efforts seem thwarted by accidental death or false imprisonment, until Casey obtains from Scott’s former lover Eleanor (Ava Gardner) incriminating letters that could be used to force his resignation. At a time of supreme US confidence in the solidity of their institutions, Frankenheimer delivered with ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ and ‘Seven Days in May’, two solid conspiracy theory films that were ahead of their time. Not before the 70s and a few fatal blows dealt to American optimism (Kennedy’s assassination, the Bay of Pigs), would the genre be revisited and flourish. ‘Seven Days in May’ is also a rare film: a taunt political thriller, rated G, with barely a gun shot or a swear word and whose razor-sharp dialogues and memorable quotes are delivered by old sparring partners Douglas and Lancaster. Based on the novel by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II