The Long Road Home for All the King’s Men
The last few years have left no doubt that Louisiana is rapidly becoming a movie-making hotspot, but nothing prepared it for the sheer onslaught of publicity witnessed when writer/director Steve Zaillian decided to shoot his film here. The second movie adaptation of former LSU professor and author Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, All the King’s Men, boasts Hollywood legends such as Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and LSU graduate Patricia Clarkson. Excitement ran high throughout the state, not just because of the cast, but because the story was being brought back to Louisiana, where many feel its roots are buried deepest.
All the King’s Extras
Thousands of people, many of them LSU students, poured into casting calls across the state, hoping to be discovered – or at least get cast as an extra. Barry Arceneaux, LSU history major, was one of the lucky few. As an extra in a pool hall scene, Arceneaux was outfitted in Depression-era clothing and worked on the set in New Orleans for several days. “It was a great experience,” he said. “Watching those characters come to life right in front of you was just unbelievable.”
An avid literature and history buff, Arceneaux’s first move after being given the part was to purchase a copy of the 1946 novel. “It’s just one of those books you can’t put down,” he said. “I’ve heard that saying before, but this is one of the few times it actually happened to me.”
The Book
“It definitely broadens your humanity,” said Jim Wilcox, Robert
Penn Warren professor of creative writing and program director at LSU.
A student and friend of the late Warren, Wilcox remembers reading the book and “being stunned by its power. I couldn’t believe I knew the person who wrote that!”
The novel chronicles the rise and fall of Willie Stark, self-proclaimed hick turned political demagogue. Jack Burden, the story’s narrator, serves as a researcher for the increasingly corrupt Stark, spending the majority of his time digging up dirt to ruin the governor’s enemies.
This position eventually leads the one-time reporter, would-be lawyer to threaten Judge Irwin, a close family friend, with extortionist evidence. Irwin’s subsequent suicide leaves Jack haunted with guilt but allows him to finally take control of his life. Stark, meanwhile, becomes so drunk and reckless with power that he is eventually assassinated.
Although Warren never explicitly states the location of All the King’s Men, most feel that the striking similarities between its setting and the Louisiana landscape cannot be denied. For this reason, many people were disappointed with the 1949 film version, despite its three Oscar wins. Filmed mostly in studios, the movie lacked the “local color” audiences expected.
Willie vs. Huey
A number of parallels can also be drawn between Willie Stark and the country boy turned king, Huey P. Long. Like Stark, Long was also an underdog in the gubernatorial race. Both men, real and fictional, were famous for their impassioned and often controversial speeches and widespread rumors of corruption. And, of course, both were assassinated in much the same way. If those similarities are not enough, just remember that when Warren arrived at LSU in 1934, Huey P. Long was still in office.
“You can’t write a Willie Stark character and pretend like it has no relation to what was out there at the time,” said Wilcox. But he also believes that Long was not the sole inspiration for Warren’s characters.
“His mind was so comprehensive that he was also thinking in terms of Machiavelli and Dante. But, yes, I think it’s grounded in the reality [of Long]. The book wouldn’t have had the sensational value it did in terms of grabbing people’s attention immediately if there had been no comparable figure.”
Richard White, professor of public administration at the E.J. Ourso College of Business and author of the highly acclaimed Long biography, Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long, concurs wholeheartedly.
“Huey P. Long was a brilliant, shrewd, unbelievably energetic, overly ambitious politician,” said White, who will be featured on the DVD release of All the King’s Men as an expert on Long.
According to White, Long’s charisma allowed him to twist the votes of his constituents into “unbridled power,” a situation mirrored in All the King’s Men.
“I think that people in this country need to understand that even in a democracy, we can create a dictator,” said White.
Better Understanding the Book
David Madden, Donald and Velvia Crumbley professor of creative writing at LSU and avid Warren scholar, worries about the potential impact of concentrating too much on the political implications of the novel. As the organizer of three Warren conferences, Madden takes special interest in promoting both the author and his work, particularly All the King’s Men. The book, he said, changed his life. Proposing that readers drop the political focus, Madden suggested some pointers to help people better understand the book.
While some critics compare it to William Faulkner’s or Thomas Wolfe’s, Madden said this is incorrect.
“Some readers have difficulty with the style,” he said. “Jack Burden, the narrator, writes his memoir in a very controlled style ... sometimes in a tough guy voice, sometimes lyrical, sometimes philosophical.”
He added that attributing the style of All the King’s Men to Warren and not Burden is a common mistake.
“Every word should be read as expressing the drama of Jack Burden’s complex consciousness.” Remember that it is a work of fiction, he said, and you will open yourself to an amazing experience.
Jim Wilcox agrees with Madden, saying, “It can be read by anyone, even by people who have never heard of Huey Long.”
But, he cautioned, the book does not offer easy solutions to the problems it proposes.
“Warren was very interested in the tragic vision of flawed good intentions,” Wilcox said, noting that both Stark’s and Burden’s characters are the direct embodiment of this fascination.
In the same vein, White reminds the American public to remember “how fragile a democracy can be in the midst of a depression when people are worrying about their next meal. They’ll give power to someone like Huey [or Stark] who has the charisma but also the lack of morals to misuse it.”
Although he believes that the current system of checks and balances would prevent such a blatant misuse of power today, he asserts that there always exists a risk.
“I think that if things were to get much worse, like (if) a depression or a national calamity were to happen, well, people start to worship false gods.”
For his part, Barry Arceneaux is excited just to be involved. “I’ve read the book, I’ve seen the original film, and now I’m an extra in the new adaptation. That’s enough for me. I do think that there are messages in both the film and the movie that are relevant today, but I also think that it’s just a great story for people to enjoy.”
Ashley Berthelot |
LSU Office of Public Affairs
Fall 2006
