Oh, That Rascal FDR
By Skip Sheffield
Franklin D. Roosevelt died before I was born, but his “New
Deal” liberal policies were often a topic of my father’s grousing at our house.
“Hyde Park on the Hudson ”
is not as much about FDR’s politics or economics as it is about his love life.
Who knew FDR was such a Don Juan?
When he is played by Bill Murray, perhaps you can believe
it.
The title refers to Roosevelt’s family retreat, ruled over
by Franklin ’s starchy
mother (Elizabeth Wilson). The story is set on a long weekend in 1939 in which
the Roosevelts awaited the first ever visit by the King and Queen of England .
FDR knew King George VI (Samuel West) had an ulterior motive
when he agreed to travel with his wife and Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman),
mother of the current British monarch. They desperately needed the help of the USA in the
gathering storm of war, which would explode in just three months hence.
The royals were quite stuffy and formal, which allows for much
of the movie’s humor. Queen Elizabeth in particular is horrified that their
hosts plan to serve hot dogs at a family picnic. Evidently no royal has ever
deigned to taste the humble American snack.
The social and political maneuverings are secondary to the
allegedly true story of FDR’s affair with a distant cousin. She is called Daisy
(Laura Linney) here, but the story (by Richard Nelson) is inspired by the
diaries of one Margaret Stuckley, which were discovered after her death at age
99.
Whether or not FDR actually had an affair with Daisy is all a
matter of conjecture. As presented here Daisy is but one of several mistresses
FDR maintains simultaneously, despite the fact he was severely disabled by
polio (which was hidden from the public with the complicity of the press) and married
to unlovely Eleanor (Olivia Williams), who in this scenario knew full well her
husband’s indiscretions.
“Hyde Park ” depends heavily
on the raffish charm of Bill Murray, who plays knaves and rotters we like
anyway. FDR charms not only innocent Daisy, but the Queen and particularly the
King of England, with whom he forms a bond. Director Roger Michell has given Murray free reign to be
as outrageous as he needs to be. Laura Linney uses her considerable dramatic
skill to expose the 32nd President’s callous, thoughtless side.
This film would confirm my father’s worst suspicions about
FDR. For me it humanizes a man who has been put up on a pedestal and idealized,
and it accomplishes it with great wit and humor.
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