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The Man (1972)
Director: Joseph Sargent
Cast: James Earl Jones, Martin Balsam, Burgess Meredith, Lew Ayres
Runtime93 min
RatingG
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When the President and Speaker of the House are killed in a building collapse, and the Vice-President declines the office due to age and ill-health, Senate President pro tempore Douglas Dilman (James Earl Jones) suddenly becomes the first black man to occupy the Oval Office. The events from that day to the next election when he must decide if he will actually run challenge his skills as a politician and leader.
Critical Reception & Ratings
The Man, a 1972 political drama directed by Joseph Sargent, received mixed reviews from critics but has been praised for its timely exploration of racial politics. While the film received no major awards, its depiction of the first African American president resonated with audiences, as evidenced by its respectable 7.1/10 rating on IMDb.
Why you might like this:
Fans of political dramas and insightful character studies will appreciate the gripping performance by James Earl Jones as the first Black President in this 1972 film directed by Joseph Sargent. The film explores the challenges of leadership and moral decision-making with nuance and emotional depth.
About
The Man is a 1972 American political drama film directed by Joseph Sargent and starring James Earl Jones. Jones plays Douglass Dilman, the President pro tempore of the United States Senate, who succeeds to the presidency through a series of unforeseeable events, thereby becoming both the first African-American president and the first wholly unelected one. The screenplay, written by Rod Serling, is largely based upon The Man, a novel by Irving Wallace. In addition to being the first black president more than thirty-six years before the real-world occurrence, the fictional Dilman was also the first president elected to neither that office nor to the Vice Presidency, foreshadowing the real-world elevation of Gerald Ford by less than twenty-five months.
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