Eleanor & Franklin (1976)

Synopsis: ELEANOR & FRANKLIN is director Daniel Petrie's Emmy-winning two-part biopic based on Joseph Lash's book chronicling the lives of U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor. This... ELEANOR & FRANKLIN is director Daniel Petrie's Emmy-winning two-part biopic based on Joseph Lash's book chronicling the lives of U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor. This critically acclaimed historical drama features outstanding performances from Edward Herrmann and Jane Alexander in the title roles. Told primarily in flashback, Eleanor looks back on their lives together, beginning with their romance and the onset of WWI. The film follows the loving couple to Washington, D.C., where young Franklin serves on the Wilson administration. As time goes by, the couple's turbulent yet devoted relationship gets them through their darkest hour--Franklin's battle with polio, which paralyzes him during a summer holiday with their five children. Eleanor, forced to take a more active role in his political career, urges Franklin to run for presidency as he gallantly refuses to give in to his crippling disease. Eleanor and Franklin continue to fight side by side in the White House, becoming one of history's most prominent political couples. This captivating historical drama and passionate love story ends with the death of one of America's finest presidents in 1945. Petrie's film is a thoroughly remarkable portrait of two American originals who championed for progressive change in early-20th-century politics. Alexander is exquisite as the painfully shy and awkward Eleanor, who is forced into the limelight because of her husband's condition. ELEANOR & FRANKLIN was originally presented as a television miniseries and features music by renowned composer John Barry. [More]

Starring: Jane Alexander, Edward Herrmann, Ed Flanders, Rosemary Murphy

Starring: Jane Alexander, Edward Herrmann, Ed Flanders, Rosemary Murphy, Lindsay Crouse, Linda Purl

Director: Daniel Petrie

Director: Daniel Petrie
Composer: John Barry

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