The Candidate
Directed by	Michael Ritchie
Produced by	Walter Coblenz
Written by	Jeremy Larner
Starring	Robert Redford, Peter Boyle
Music by	John Rubinstein
Cinematography	Victor J. Kemper, John Korty
Editing by	Robert Estrin, Richard A. Harris
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Released	29 June 1972 (USA)
Running time	109 min.
Language	English
Budget
Preceded by	{{{preceded_by}}}
Followed by	{{{followed_by}}}
IMDb profile

The Candidate is an American film released in 1972, starring Robert Redford. Themes of the film include that of how the political machine corrupts, and the pointlessness of politics. Also, parallels between John F. Kennedy and Redford's character Bill McKay exist. The film serves mainly to show how a race for a seat in the Senate develops. Image File history File links The_Candidate. ... Michael Ritchie (November 28, 1938 - April 16, 2001) was an American film director Michael Ritchie is also the name of an English college student in East Sussex who is famous for writing three novels for teenagers about teenage life. ... Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. ... Peter Boyle Peter Boyle (born October 18, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American actor. ... The WB Shield used from 2003 to present day Warner Bros. ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... See also: 1971 in film 1972 1973 in film 1970s in film years in film film // Top grossing films The Godfather Fiddler on the Roof Diamonds Are Forever Whats Up, Doc?, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan ONeal Dirty Harry The Last Picture Show A Clockwork Orange Cabaret, starring... Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. ... A political machine is an unofficial system of political organization based on patronage, the spoils system, and behind-the-scenes control within the structure of a representative democracy. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Politics Look up Politics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Politics (disambiguation) Democracy History of democracy List of democracy and elections-related topics List of years in politics List of politics by country articles Political corruption Political economy Political movement Political parties of... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK, or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ...

The film was shot in Northern California. Peter Boyle, later famous for his role as Frank Barone on the 1990s sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, gives a memorable performance as political consultant Marvin Lucas. The screenplay was written by Jeremy Larner, who was a speech-writer for Senator Eugene J. McCarthy during McCarthy's campaign for the 1968 Democratic Presidential nomination. The film won a Best Writing Oscar (and was also nominated for Sound). Northern California, sometimes abbreviated NorCal, refers to the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. ... Peter Boyle Peter Boyle (born October 18, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American actor. ... Everybody Loves Raymond, sometimes referred to in the abbreviated form Raymond, (1996–2005) was a long-running CBS sitcom. ... Eugene Joseph Gene McCarthy (born March 29, 1916) was a Congressman from Minnesotas Fourth District, from 1949 to 1959, and a United States Senator from Minnesota from 1959 to 1971. ... The Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. ...

Tagline: Nothing matters more than winning. Not even what you believe in.

Plot

Robert Redford plays Bill McKay, who is running for Democratic senator in California against the Republican incumbent Crocker Jarmon. McKay, a lawyer, is asked to run by a political consultant looking to make some money. McKay, son of popular ex-governor John J. McKay, decides to run assuming he will lose, and uses the race to speak his mind. The race tightens as McKay increasingly cedes control of his image and speeches to the political consultant, played by Peter Boyle. McKay is somehow able to pull off a victory on election day. The film highlights many criticisms of modern day American politics, such as the importance of money and the emphasis on the image of political candidates. The Democratic Party, founded in 1792, is one of the two longest-standing political parties in the world (the other is the British Conservative Party, which is older if you consider its origins in the older Tory Party, which was founded in about 1680). ... State nickname: The Golden State Official languages English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 4. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party), is one of the two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Democratic Party. ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ...

Reception

N.Y. Times (June 30, 1972) reviewer Vincent Canby applauded Redford's performance and commented that: "The Candidate is serious, but its tone is coldly comic, as if it had been put together by people who had given up hope." Christopher Null from filmcritic.com gave the film 4.5/5 and said: "... this satire on an American institution continues to gain relevance instead of lose it."

Cast

• Robert Redford as Bill McKay
• Peter Boyle as Marvin Lucas
• Melvyn Douglas as John J. McKay
• Don Porter as Sen. Crocker Jarmon
• Allen Garfield as Howard Klein
• Karen Carlson as Nancy McKay
• Quinn K. Redeker as Jenkin (as Quinn Redeker)
• Morgan Upton as Henderson
• Michael Lerner as Corliss
• Kenneth Tobey as Floyd J. Starkey

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. ... Peter Boyle Peter Boyle (born October 18, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American actor. ... Melvyn Douglas (April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was a United States actor. ... Don Porter (Born: September 24, 1912 - Died: February 11, 1997) was an american actor who appeared in a number of films in the 1940s, including Top Sergeant and Eagle Squadron, but is perhaps best known for his role as the widowed father of Gidget. ... Allen Garfield (22 November 1939 Newark, New Jersey, USA) is an American film person. ... Michael Lerner (born June 22, 1941) is an actor. ... Kenneth Tobey (Born March 23, 1917—December 22, 2002) was an American television and film actor. ...

Selected quotations

Bill McKay: It's the basic indifference that made this country great.

Marvin Lucas: You're the Democratic nominee for Senator.
Bill McKay: You make that sound like a death sentence.

Bill McKay: So vote once, vote twice, for Bill McKay... you middle class honkies.

In an ominous voice, an election-day sound truck bellows: "What has Bill McKay done for California? Not much... but his father was governor."

Bill McKay: What do we do now?

Trivia

Groucho Marx has an uncredited walk-on cameo in what would be his last screen appearance. Groucho Marx poses for an NBC promotional photograph Julius Henry Marx, known as Groucho Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977), was an American comedian, working both with his siblings, the Marx Brothers, and on his own. ... Martin Scorsese appears briefly in an uncredited role in this scene from Taxi Driver, the first scene in which Cybill Shepherd appears. ...

References

• N.Y. Times review by V. Canby June 30, 1972
• Filmcritic.com review
• Shooting locations for The Candidate

External links

• The Candidate at the Internet Movie Database
• Robert Redford at the Internet Movie Database
• Peter Boyle at the Internet Movie Database