Please don't spend money on this.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It is easy to look at politics and politicians as an exercise in skulduggery; like Sarah Roosevelt, the politician just a little above the garbage collector.This movie documents FDR's affliction with what was surmised than as infantile paralysis, at the relatively young age of 39; a paralysis that left him incapacitated for the rest of his life. It ends in 1924 when he walks using braces and crutches to the podium to nominate Al Smith as Democratic Presidential Candidate.But the film shows Roosevelt not only battling his handicap, but battling his mother, battling his family, battling Louis Howe, battling the politicians--the film shows a strong willed person standing up to anyone who looked at him as 'handicapped'. It is that strong will that led to the Governorship of New York in 1928 and to the Presidency in 1932.I saw the movie when it came out in 1960, was impressed then, and am still impressed. it caught the family dynamic pretty much as it was reported in various books about Roosevelt. His mother was domineering, Mrs. Roosevelt tolerated her but barely. Louis Howe (excellently portrayed by Hume Cronyn) was looked on as something of a charlatan by both Eleanor and Sarah. But most importantly it caught that intangible something that goes into the making of a politician who is expected to lead the nation, and not let the nation wallow in self-destructive behavior.Many years later, after this event, when Roosevelt was President, still in the early stages of the Great Depression, Roosevelt made the assertion that something had to be done or there would be no democracy. (Paraphrasing roughly) When Roosevelt said in his first Inaugural address, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" he went on to mention the fear as something that paralyzes people... Roosevelt knew what he was talking about re the metaphysics of paralysis. And the nation knew what he was talking about re the metaphysics of paralysis because the President and the Nation had been there.There are those who say that Roosevelt gained a human touch as a result of his paralysis and that made him a successful politician able to create practical solutions to real problems. In 1960 Kennedy became President. Much later, his brother made the assertion: "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" That quote is in the progressive tradition of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

If this film were made today, it would be all about the affair that the charming and dapper Franklin Roosevelt probably was having with his secretary.But this 1960 production turns on the mutually respectful friendship between the future president and his quintessentially sensitive wife. Ralph Bellamy and Greer Garson turn in impressive impersonations.But what's best about this film is its thoughtful treatment of disability. FDR's contracting of polio at age 40 forces him to slow down and develop such admirable character traits as patience.Everyone can learn something from the courageous and gracious way in which he perseveres, partly in response to the encouragement of his good friend Louis Howe (played with gusto by Hume Cronyn), and in part to set an example for his five children."Anna, most of our blessings come in heavy disguises," Franklin tells his headstrong only daughter.Eleanor demonstrates extraordinary understanding at many points along the way."When one member of the family is ill, it's difficult for the rest of the family," she tells Anna. "What all of us tend to forget is, it's most difficult for the one who is sick." This movie lavishes too much time on Franklin's bossy mother but in all it presents an elegant meditation on determination.The final frame truly soars.

"Sunrise at Campobello" enacts early events in the personal life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt with fine production values, including solid performances.Certainly both Ralph Bellamy and Greer Garson had their work cut out playing, respectively, Franklin and Eleanor. They got their characterizations down pat, and their work is of a high calibre. The talented supporting cast is headed by Hume Cronyn as Franklin's best friend and Ann Shoemaker as his doting mother. Jean Hagen is seen as a good-natured secretary.It may be that Dore Schary's script from his play was too lengthy, or that Vincent J. Donahue's direction was too slow. Whatever the case, running at 144 minutes this seems a pretty long haul for the average viewer. Bellamy's work is consistently exectued, with all of the famous FDR mannerisms--it is also slowly-paced. Garson's Eleanor captures her distinctivly slow, deliberate speech cadence. Likewise, both principals' makeups are subtely effective.The script begins in 1921 when Franklin was 40 and wisely ends just three years later with his politically important nominating speech for Al Smith. While there may be some dramatic modifications of factual material, the basic flavor of the period and characters are well handled.Fraklin's overcoming of physical adversity to become a four term US president is a story of great interest, from both a human and professional perspective. "Sunrise at Campolbello" skillfully presents this inspired period of American history.

Ralph Bellamy gives perhaps his best performance as a very credible FDR. Greer Garson and Hume Cronyn give their usual solid efforts, and the supporting cast is all great. The atmosphere is right. The script is surprisingly crisp, but the length of the piece weighs it down. When it reaches the two-hour mark, the whole movie starts to creak. So if you have an interest in history and politics, it's great. If not, it's tough sledding up this long, steep hill.