Seven Days in May(1964)
Submitted by Julio M
Oscar Nominee: Best Supporting Actor (Edmond O’Brien) ; Best Production Design-Black & White.
Short pooper:
President Lyman (Fredric March) gets in front of the whole situation and delivers a televised press conference where he informs the dismissal of Gral. Scott (Burt Lancaster) and the other three co-conspirators. In the meantime, the confession recovered from Vice-Admiral Barnswell (John Houseman) comes to the hands of Lyman and all plotters. Powerless and dejected, Scott gives up and goes home, while Lyman’s image once again strengthens and galvanizes public support as he delivers a speech.
Longer version:
The situation further complicates for Pres. Lyman when Barnswell, after having originally provided a written confession of the conspiracy details at large -which seemingly got lost after the plane crash in Spain-, later denies any knowledge of it during a radio-conference; meanwhile, key characters of the Military High Command and the Government’s inner circle keep either disappearing or somehow being stonewalled due to their knowledge of the conspiracy or their intents to try and stop it.
Despite not having any tangible evidence to confront Gral. Scott and expose him for his perceived treacherous intentions, Lyman summons him to a private meeting at the White House and demands his immediate resignation. At first, Scott denies any knowledge of the plot, but, when Lyman warns that taking a coup into effect could trigger a nuclear response from the Soviet Union, Scott retorts the American people will always support him unconditionally. In desperation, Lyman challenges him to run for office to prove it and considers the route of blackmail by producing the damning letters Col. Casey (Kirk Douglas) obtained from Eleanor (Ava Gardner), Scott’s old mistress, but desists from doing so. The meeting ends on a tense note, but Scott gets to leave.
Shortly after, Scott meets the other Joint Chiefs of Staff -in cahoots for the plot- and demands their reassurance that they are still on board with the events since, according to him, “the President doesn’t appear to have tangible evidence to successfully accuse any of them of treason”; despite the fact that the other mean are starting to feel queasy about everything. However, they seem to be more in tune and agree to appear on a nationally televised press conference on Sunday night to “denounce that President Lyman has dismissed them all and they are challenging such a step”.
Unexpectedly, Lyman gets the upper hand and holds his own press conference, also televised, ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, catching everyone by surprise, and in which he demands the immediate resignation of Gral. Scott and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As he does this, the conference is briefly interrupted with the arrival of an attaché from the American Embassy in Spain bringing the handwritten confession provided by Barnswell; it was presumed to be lost in the previous plane crash, but, in reality, it was hidden in Girard’s (Martin Balsam) cigarette case. As Lyman becomes acquainted with these details, he also orders copies of this document to be immediately sent to Scott and the other conspiring men.
With this compromising evidence now known and made public, the conspirators see their plan completely collapse and have no other choice but to abandon it. Scott is seen dejected, leaving, boarding a taxi and telling the driver to “just take him home”. Lyman resumes the conference, making it official that all men have resigned from their positions and the movie ends with him delivering a strong speech where he extols the power of democracy, the nation’s values and the importance of prevailing by means of peace instead of conflict, to which everyone applauds, thus reasserting the collectively regained confidence in him.