Edgar hoover is a difficult subject to approach as a film, he was a man liked by almost no one, and feared and loathed by many, which makes him difficult to use as a sympathetic character, and indeed most of the time hes not. Written by dustin lance black, the film focuses on the career of fbi director j. When his father began to suffer from mental illness, a niece told me, hoover couldnt tolerate the fact. The life and career of john edgar hoover should make a juicy movie. Edgar 2011 this is a particular kind of moviethe based on fact biopicdone with great attention to period accuracy. Edgar hoover collaborated with the immigration and naturalization service to revoke his re. The secret life of j edgar hoover film the guardian. He puts on her dress and her necklace sort of in homage to her but also as a symbol of his tortured sexuality. If thats whats important, getting a bit of american history into a vivid big screen format, then this works pretty well.
Naomi watts fares equally well as helen gandy, hoovers longtime secretary. The film stars leonardo dicaprio, armie hammer, naomi watts, josh lucas, and judi dench. Edgar stars leonardo dicaprio, naomi watts, armie hammer, josh lucas the r movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 17 min, and received a. Edgar hoover led the fbi for decades and became one of the most influential and controversial figures in 20th century america. If anything, hoovers guilt over staying behind probably added to.
Edgar hoover was also a man very much caught up in his own myth, and the film does a good job of showing that. Edgar presents an understandably fictionalized portrait of the notorious fbi director. Edgar hoover, with very strong but somewhat implied prohomosexual sentiments that side with a longtime associate who allegedly according to the movie wanted to be hoovers homosexual lover and that posits that hoover was a repressed. Dec 28, 2011 that is the movie s one gesture toward one of the most famous sort of pseudo facts about j. He singlehandedly created and helmed the most powerful law enforcement agency in the world. Edgar hoover, with very strong but somewhat implied prohomosexual sentiments that side with a longtime associate who allegedly according to the movie wanted to be hoovers homosexual lover and that posits that hoover was a repressed homosexual because of his mother. Edgar hoover collaborated with the immigration and naturalization service to revoke his reentry permit. Without him, fingerprinting might still be ignored. J edgar s preferred targets, going so far as to go after them instead of the mob as discussed with robert kennedy. While the movie raises questions about hoovers sexuality that it doesnt answer, theres no actual sex in it though one scene features apparent recorded noises of an amorous couple. Edgar focuses on both hoovers career and his personal life, especially the neverdefined relationship with longtime companion clyde tolson armie hammer.
In real life, while hoover postured as the sherlock. Nov 12, 2011 timothee chalamet, armie hammer and steven gaydos at the 2018 texas film awards duration. Edgar hoover birth date january 1, 1895 death date may 2, 1972 education george washington university place of birth washington, d. His methods were at once ruthless and heroic, with the admiration of the world his most coveted prize. Edgar is a 2011 american biographical drama film directed, produced and scored by clint. The first director of the fbi, he remained in office for 48 years, from his appointment after the first world war to his death in 1972, achieving fame and.
Edgar explores the public and private life of one of the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures of the 20th century. After graduating high school, he worked at the library of congress while taking night school. Edgar hoover 18851972 was director of the federal bureau of investigation fbi for 48 years, reshaping that organization into a highly effective investigative agency. There had been a history of mistrust between local and federal investigators. As the face of law enforcement in america for almost fifty years. Edgar hoover leonardo dicaprio tells a young fbi agent the story of his life, which is presented through a series of flashbacks, beginning with the bombing of attorney general palmers house in 1919. When charlie chaplin left the us in 1952 to promote his movie limelight, j. The first director of the fbi, he remained in office for 48 years, from his appointment after the first. Edgar hoover leonardo dicaprio becomes one of americas mostpowerful men. Edgar is a workmanlike production that should garner an oscar nomination for leonardo dicaprio, but its not a great motion. J edgars preferred targets, going so far as to go after them instead of the mob as discussed with robert kennedy.
Sadly, this movie makes seemingly every mistake that milk so adroitly avoided. Edgar hoover, in full john edgar hoover, born january 1, 1895, washington, d. Starring leonardo dicaprio as the titular lead, the movie follows three different threads of the mans historic life. Edgars curse a novel french editor gallimard 2005, isbn 2070773795. Edgar hoover 1993, journalist anthony summers quoted society divorcee susan. Edgar is the relationships with the few people closest to him. John edg ar hoover january 1, 1895 may 2, 1972 was the first director of the federal bureau of investigation fbi of the united states and an american law enforcement administrator. When the fbi starts to become movie heroes in the popular culture, hoover begins to believe the hype that he is the supercop crusader and commander depicted in the movies, comic books and. With leonardo dicaprio, armie hammer, naomi watts, josh hamilton. Edgar hoover created, shaped, and wielded an impressive amount of political power in the fbi, but the mans intense focus on those who would harm americans also left him. Edgar hoover biography childhood, life achievements.
That is the movies one gesture toward one of the most famous sort of pseudo facts about j. Edgars release early this month, hundreds of agents have griped about the film on xgboys, a closed email list for fbi retirees that takes its name from one of hoovers pet. Edgar hoover, the longtime, controversial director of the federal bureau of investigation. Rororo, hohoho, pcpcpc, rhrh, ac, b, l, v, ss, n, a, d, mm very strong romantic worldview about the founder of the fbi, j. Edgar hoover, hed be happy to tell you the facts about himself. Edgar hoover leonardo dicaprio was the head of the federal bureau of investigation for nearly fifty years. Kenneth ackerman separated fact from fiction in hoovers legacy. Edgar movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on. And, although hoover generated a variety of passionate responses from individuals throughout the 20th century, theres nothing in this movie that provokes much in the way of an emotional connection with or against him. In his biography of hammer the tycoon, not the actor called dossier. Edgar hoover, with james wainwright as the young edgar, broderick crawford as the elder hoover, june havoc as his mother and dan dailey as tolson. Edgar hoover, controversial fbi director for nearly. Edgar hoover was a worldclass intimidator, who used his manipulative skills and power to build the fbi into a national crimefighting force.
He slowly builds the agencys reputation, becoming the sole arbiter of who gets hired and fired. Early in his career, hoover fixated on communists, anarchists, and any other revolutionary taking action against the u. On top of that, leonardo dicaprio is excellent, very professional. He built the bureau into a mighty law enforcement agency but also perpetrated abuses that reflect dark chapters in american law. Edgar hoover was the head of the bureau of investigation from 1924 until he died in 1972. J edgar hoover was a us government official who served as the first director of the federal bureau of investigation. Charlie chaplin was such a concern to the fbi that j. Edgar hoover, controversial fbi director for nearly five. Edgar hoover has been the passion of author richard hack for nearly two decades, leading him to write the book, puppet master. And why not, for the memo that james comey reportedly wrote about a meeting with president trump is positively hooveresque in its potential implications. If anything, hoovers guilt over staying behind probably added to his later zeal.
He pulled the doubters along with him through sheer force of will. Garrow, david j, the fbi and martin luther king, jr. Coming from a modest background, hoover commenced his career as a clerk and soon became a government official at the department of justice. Nov 11, 2011 two women influence the story albeit in small doses. Edgar, which tells the controversial story of the life of the man who built the fbi and ruled over it for almost half a. Given these matters, and the additional fact that the screenplay for clint eastwoods j. Edgar hoover was the nominal author of a number of books and articles, although it is widely believed that all of these were ghostwritten by fbi employees. His agenda shaped federal law enforcement for half a century until his death in 1972. Edgar, which tells the controversial story of the life of the man who built the fbi and ruled over it for almost half a century, comes out next week.
This is the second installment of our factcheck film series. He was appointed as the director of the bureau of investigation th e fbi. Edgar, a sweeping profile of the longtime head of the fbi, isnt anywhere near as good. Edgar hoover leonardo dicaprio told by hoover as he recalls his career for a biography. Under the administrations of coolidge, hoover, roosevelt, truman, eisenhower, kennedy, johnson and nixon, he was, many believed, the second most powerful man in government. The movie addresses most of the controversies surrounding hoover. In the movie j edgar, long sequences are devoted to his supposed role in tracking down the murderer of the aviator charles lindberghs baby son.
When that agency was reorganized as the federal bureau of investigation in 1935, he became its first director. That evening, hoover tells tolson that he cares deeply for him, and tolson tells hoover that he. Edgar hoover, which is this idea that he was a crossdresser. Edgar hoover joined the justice department in 1917 and was named director of the departments bureau of investigation in 1924. Edgar hoover of the fbi cashiering the mustachioed. John edgar hoover was born on january 1, 1895, in washington, d. Edgar 2011 this is a particular kind of movie the based on fact biopicdone with great attention to period accuracy. Edgar stars leonardo dicaprio, naomi watts, armie hammer, josh lucas the r movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 17 min, and received a score of 59 out of 100 on.
The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a conspiracy so monstrous they cannot believe it exists. The american mind simply has not come to the realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst. Edgar is a 2011 american biographical drama film directed, produced and scored by clint eastwood. Now he has been dead for 39 years, and what most people. Most presidents before him, though, had had cause to fear hoover or. Edgar hoover was appointed head of the bureau of investigation boi, the fbis predecessor agency, in 1924. John edgar hoover january 1, 1895 may 2, 1972 was the first director of the federal. It has been widely speculated that hoover had yet another side to him, that he was a closeted homosexual who shared a marriagelike intimacy if not carnal pleasures with clyde tolson, his second in. Edgar hoover returns to the spotlight as the clint eastwood biopic j. Clint eastwoods biopic of j edgar hoover never gets to grips with the fbi founders sexuality, or his impact on american life.
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