Truman (1995 TV Movie) User Reviews

Gary Sinise=Truman

[FilmOtaku · 7/10 · 8 August 2003]

I knew that I was going to be interested in this film from the beginning, having read and enjoyed David McCullough's book of the same name. What I wasn't expecting was the incredible performance turned out by Gary Sinise as Truman. While I thought that he was the *only* good thing about the film Forrest Gump, I still wasn't completely sold on his acting ability. This film changed my mind, because I felt like I was watching Truman himself in action. I can't even fathom the amount of research he must have put into his role, but he was amazing.

As for the film itself, it was very well done, used stock footage well (although I would swear that I caught a glimpse of FDR in some footage after he had supposedly died) and was a good overview of the very lengthy source it came from. Having read the book, I would have liked to have seen the film act as more of a thesis than a summary, so while adding another hour may have alienated some in terms of length; it would have provided a more in-depth portrayal of a sometimes underrated president.

--Shelly

Great actors, great movie

[Trond_E · 8/10 · 17 July 1999]

I must admit, before seeing this movie my expectations were somewhat low. However, I was surprised to learn that it is a really intelligent, sober and most importantly, truthful TV movie describing how an "ordinary American" and farmer, Harry S. Truman, rose to become the leader of the free world in the atomic age. The acting is really impressing. Especially Sinise as Truman, is really breathtaking, showing once and for all that he is undoubtly one of Hollywood`s most underestimated actors. The movie is also true to a great number of historical details, which improves the film even more. For all you historical and political junkies out there, this is a must see.

The Buck stops here!

[lib-4 · 7/10 · 26 February 2000]

Gary Sinese goes a great job portraying the farmer who became a president- a man who could make tough decisions and live with them. Though surrounded by corruption, he never stooped to it. His letters to his wife are touching- since Bess did not cotton to Washington society. The whole movie- from his early days in haberdashery to the Korea and MacArthur are documented very well. I also liked the touch of his defending he daughter Margaret against the music critic of the Washington Post- He was a strong man- stubborn as a Missouri mule but also a man of intergrity.

After seeing Gary Sinise in this movie he became one of my favorite actors...

[Meggie-2 · 1 November 1998]

After seeing Gary Sinise in this movie he became one of my favorite actors. I live in Independence, the proud hometown of Harry S. Truman. I was fortunate enought to meet Gary, who is one of the friendliest actors around. ( Only said hi but he smiled and said hi back with such warmth.) I think he's a great actor who will hopefully be around for years to come!!

Imperfect but good biographical sketch

[mstomaso · 7/10 · 8 May 2005]

Harry Truman was an American president of rare integrity. Steadfastly honest and loyal to his friends, his causes, and his own heart, and born into a lower middle class farming family, Truman stands out as a real anomaly in 20th century American politics. Like similar men of profound integrity, such as John Adams, his presidency was a turbulent time of great triumphs for freedom and democracy and huge problems for ethics, nationalism and human rights. And as the symbol and scapegoat of those times, Truman, again like Adams, played his role - whether cast as hero or villain - with profound dignity. This film tells his story from his enlistment in the armed forces during World War One, at the age of 33, to his retirement from politics about 35 years later.

The characters of this film are portrayed sensitively and authentically. Truman and his wife, and the controversial Generals Marshall and MacArthur are particularly impressive. In some cases - particularly the Trumans themselves - this must have been a fairly difficult effort. Truman was not a very dramatic and flashy person, and his wife was fairly detached and private. Sinise and Scarwid play the parts and the relationship perfectly.

Since the study of history is a big part of my career, I am writing from a slightly unusual perspective. "Truman" has all the pedigree for what should have been a really powerful biographical film - a great lead actor, a solid supporting cast, a good production team, a great story and a very strong writing team. And it is refreshing to see such an accurate portrayal of a true hero of American politics and such a vivid realization of his times. Despite all of this, I feel that Truman could have been a better film - more dramatic, more visually powerful and more poignant. Somewhere between the script and the directing, a bit of cinematic art was lost and never quite recovered. Historiographically, this is a satisfying film, but it does not go too far past "satisfying".

The buck stops here!

[rimjak · 10/10 · 22 August 2004]

This solid, theatrical caliber bio of President Harry S. Truman covers much ground and offers Gary Sinise giving one of his finest performances to date.

An Emmy-winning production, this also boasts lavish period detail and a strong supporting cast (lead by Diana Scarwid as Bess Truman). It also features one of my all-time favorite character actors, Richard Dysart. He plays Secretary of War Henry Stimson and is quite memorable in an otherwise minor supporting role. All in all I gave this an IMDb '10'. Even with a whitewash of some details, this has to be one of the best presidential bios ever. They obviously put lots of time, money and effort into it.

Accurate, Great Acting, Lacks Punch

[merylmatt · 6/10 · 31 March 2016]

Having just finished David McCullough's 900 page book on Truman (this movie is based on the book), I thought I'd check this out.

I'm a fan of Gary Sinise, he does a great job in this role. The movie is accurate to the book and history. Despite the challenges Truman faced, the movie script does not reflect the drama of the times - the decision to drop the A-Bomb, facing the Cold War, rebuilding Europe, the Red Scare are but a few of the things facing the Truman administration. The actors do the best they can, but the screen play comes off as wooden.

It's too bad because Harry was an interesting president during a rough time. Good history not well told.

Gripping and enthralling 'biopic'

[Susan_Child · 10/10 · 28 January 2002]

Based on David McCullough's weighty biography of Harry S Truman, this film is a fascinating and gripping 'biopic'. By refusing to resort either to simple hagiography or revisionist 'debunking', Frank Pierson has directed an excellent account of Truman's road to and period in the White House. He lets characters and events speak for themselves rather than imposing on them some wayward, overly-personal, directorial interpretation (who knows what Oliver Stone would have made of this one). In an age when all politicians, whatever their merits, are usually the targets of ridicule, it was interesting to watch a film which portrayed the difficult, if not impossible, decisions with which political leaders are routinely faced (the use of the Atomic Bomb, the Korean War and recognition of the state of Israel were just some of problems with which Truman had to grapple). Of course, the director's job was made a great deal easier by an excellent cast and flawless acting. 'Acting' is not really an accurate or adequate way to describe Gary Sinise's portrayal of the former President and the word 'performance' suggests impersonation - on the contrary, he seems simply to have 'become' Harry Truman for the duration of the film.

Good Work By Gary Sinise In An Interesting But Somewhat Shallow Biography

[sddavis63 · 6/10 · 3 December 2009]

Gary Sinise was well cast as Harry S Truman. I've generally had some mixed feelings about Sinise. I like a lot of his supporting work, but when cast in the lead, I've considered him a bit weak and unconvincing, lacking the "presence" if you will to carry a production. That quality fit Truman, though, who suffered from some of the same perception. He was a solid politician, a product of the Pendergast Democratic machine in Missouri, but one who largely stayed in the background and resisted becoming front and centre as a national figure, partly because of his uncertainties about his own ability. Thrust into the presidency by the death of FDR after he had reluctantly agreed to run for Vice President, he came into office facing a weight more burdensome than any president save Lincoln, at a time when momentous decisions had to be made on a variety of issues, ranging from the atomic bomb to Korea to civil rights, and whether you think he was right or wrong, he made the decisions and never looked back upon them with regret. Consistently looked down upon by his contemporaries, Truman is thought of more highly by historians, and is now widely considered one of the better presidents in US history; one of the best of the 20th century.

Sinise captured the man. His solid but underwhelming (to me at least) screen presence was a perfect representation. I also appreciated Diana Scarwid's performance as Bess Truman, the reluctant and not especially happy wife of a politician who nevertheless understood in the end that Truman had to seek election in his own right in 1948 or he would live the rest of his life thinking of himself as an accident. Those good performances aside, though (and there were other good supporting performances as well) I thought this account of Truman's life was somewhat shallow. I suppose that was inevitable in some ways. How do you do justice to such a life in a couple of hours? Still, this movie left me with little understanding of what you might describe as "the making of a president." There are scenes of Truman's life from his experiences in World War I onward, but they're just scenes. Aside from his problematic relationship with his mother in law (we get the impression that she looked down upon him) and a bit of material about his relationship with Pendergast (Truman was one of the few who would sometimes stand up to him) there's really little sense of the man's development into a a great leader. Instead we get what are essentially snippets: of Truman as a haberdasher, of Truman as a judge, of Truman as a senator, of Truman with FDR, of Truman with MacArthur, etc., etc. Snippets but little substance.

That's not to say that this production is of little value. Even if it does lack depth, it's an interesting portrayal of an interesting man, and if it leads some folk to actually read some material about Truman, especially the more in depth biography by David McCullough on which this is based, then it will have served an important purpose. That earns it some points, but judged on its merits as a TV production, it gets no higher than 6/10 from me.

A Superb Biographical Drama

[michael_the_nermal · 9/10 · 26 December 2006]

Plot spoilers ahead.

HBO Productions did very well with "Truman." Gary Sinise is excellent as our 33rd president. This movie traces Harry S. Truman's life, from his humble beginnings as a Kansas City judge, to his decade in the Senate, to both of his terms as president. This movie does not sugar coat Truman's legacy at all, and is not afraid to tackle controversy. Among the events that the movie tackles are the decision to drop the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima; Truman's decision to force railway workers to end their strike with the threat of a draft; his decision to fire popular general Douglas McArthur; and, of significantly less importance, his decision to write a fiery response to a theater critic who had panned his daughter's performance. Sinise manages to humanize Truman, and makes the role all his own. His performance was realistic and seldom over the top. This film treats Truman with the respect and dignity worthy of his place in American history.

Straightforward Biography.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 11 November 2013]

It's like an entertaining history lesson. Here's Harry S. Truman (Sinise), a plain farmer and haberdasher from the middle of some Midwestern nowhere, who gets promoted into the Senate by a local political strong man, then becomes a nonentity as Vice President, and finally President-by-Accident for two terms, retiring in 1953.

We get to watch him politely court his wife, put up with insults from his cantankerous mother-in-law (Smith), command a battery of guns in World War I, decide to drop the bomb on Japan, duel with General MacArthur over Korea, ignore Tailgunner Joe McCarthy's rants in the Senate, and finally go home to Independence, where he more or less stayed until his death.

Sinise is pretty good. His natural voice doesn't really resemble Truman's very much but he approximates the Missouri accent. Diana Scarwid, as wife Bess, can be a fine actress given the right role. She was hilarious as the compulsive hair dresser in "Silkwood". But she's constrained by the role here, and she's not much more than the stereotypical strong supporting wife, who merely more or less submits to life in the arena while longing for the plowed fields of yesteryear.

As Truman, Sinise too is stuck with an unimaginative and schematic script. Truman was something more than the plain-spoken man from the very un-chic Midwest. Plain spoken, yes, but much of that speech was more colorful than what we hear on screen. I'm sure David McCollough's book was more detailed than this sketch is. Maybe the screenwriter and producers wanted an uplifting story of an honest patriot. But how could they leave out Truman's incandescent rant about the turnaround in Korea -- when the Chinese became "the yellow peril," and "the Chinks," and "the heathen Chinee"? Ed Flanders brought more energy and flamboyance to the role of Truman in the equally bland story of "MacArthur." I'm sorry that nobody got to play Thomas E. Dewey, New York's racket-busting DA. Dewey had an innocent but comical appearance. Someone said he looked like the little man in the tuxedo on top of a wedding cake.

It's also too bad that we don't learn more about the internal dynamics of the Truman administration. We don't even learn who his Vice President was, or his Secretary of State. The latter was James F. Byrnes, a lawyer from South Carolina who was a segregationist, who lacked diplomatic skills, and who provided Truman with advice on foreign affairs. Byrnes was an important figure but if his name is mentioned I missed it. The Marshall Plan gets about ten seconds.

Yet, I'm glad that HBO brought this out, whatever weaknesses it may have. Okay, Harry Truman is cleaned up a little for public consumption but today's kids don't even know who Truman WAS, let alone anything about his personality or his appearance.

A Little Touch of Harry . . .

[jamesashford · 9/10 · 14 August 2008]

In 1963 I was about to leave a graduate program in political science at Cornell to return to California and enter law school. In an attempt to get me to come back to Ithaca, my faculty adviser, Clinton Rossiter, suggested that on the way home I pass through Independence, Missouri, and spend some time at the Truman Library, on Cornell's dime. "Why don't you write the President?" said Rossiter. I did, and by return mail got a letter from Mr.Truman, inviting me to come on down. I ended up spending a couple of weeks, and aside from some formal interviews with the man, I saw and talked to him every day---it was his custom to wander through the research stacks and sit down with anyone there, to suggest what materials might be most helpful, and generally to shoot the breeze. He was in his element as a former President, and extremely generous and kind to this then 22 year old "scholar."

Gary Sinise appeared this summer at a symposium at California State University Fresno and, I am told, said that he considered "Truman" to be his best work. Based on my experience years ago, I'd say that Sinise was at the top of his game in his portrayal. He captured the man absolutely; looks, speech, mannerisms. The film is ambitious in historical scope, perhaps too much so, but for anyone who wants to experience what Truman was like in person, this is a film to watch.

An ordinary and yet extraordinary man

[dimplet · 7/10 · 22 July 2013]

The makeup crew deserve a lot of credit for the fantastic job they did on Gary Sinese and Diana Scarwid, especially the aging. Both actors truly captured the spirit of Harry and Bess.

The program did not provide any basic background on Bess Wallace Truman, that she was actually far above Harry's station in school and in the community, but that he never wavered over many years of courtship in his plans to marry her. It was truly an extraordinary love affair. His step- mother, though, always thought Bess had married down, even when they were in the Whitehouse!

What an ordinary and yet extraordinary person Truman was. The show conveys some of this. I hope it inspires viewers to read more about him, both David McCullough's very readable bio and Merle Miller's wonderful Plain Speaking.

The campaign of '48 is perhaps the most interesting part from a contemporary perspective because Truman's descriptions of the Republican Party and Congress sound so much like today, but better articulated. While history doesn't always repeat itself, the GOP certainly does.

There are some inaccuracies in the film. The worst is the statement that Truman was going to join the Klu Klux Klan, but Pendergast dissuaded him. This is absurd because the KKK in Jackson County was "a Republican adjunct," according to Truman - they didn't support Democrats.

The one time Truman lost a campaign was because of KKK opposition: his 1924 campaign for re-election as county judge. He heard they were holding a meeting and he went: "I got up and told them exactly what I thought of them. Got down off the platform, walked right down through the center of them, and started home."

Now, that's Truman in a nutshell. Too bad Thomas Rickman didn't put it in the film.

The portrayal of his relation with Pendergast is sort of accurate. Truman awarded all of the road work contracts to the low bidder, as he said; the film suggests there was a $10,000 favor to Pendergast, which I don't believe. Truman said Pendergast never asked him to do a dishonest thing.

Pendergast did ask him to attend a meeting with paving contractors who believed they deserved the work because they were local. Truman told them he would award the contracts to the lowest bidders, regardless of whether they were local or out of state. Said Truman: "... afterward Tom Pendergast said to me that I was to go ahead and carry out my commitments as best I saw fit, and that is what I did." (P. 120, Plain Speaking.) They were good, solid roads, too, unlike some elsewhere.

Instead, Rickman seems compelled to play up the stereotype of the evil political boss, even if it means making up facts. What Truman did do was fill some patronage jobs with Pendergast boys, but that's politics. One of the finest things Truman did was attend Pendergast's funeral; it showed real character.

The film provides a good outline of the historical decisions he faced: Korea, Gen. MacArthur, Sen. McCarthy. And I am glad to see mention of his beef with Eisenhower over his treatment of Gen. Marshall.

The film makes an important point about the Bomb, that we already were able to kill as many or more people in cities with massive conventional bombing runs. And his little speech about how he couldn't face the families of soldiers later if he didn't use it was straight out of Plain Speaking, which is good.

It would have been nice to have had a scene where he ordered Gen. Marshall to allow the plan to rebuild Europe, which was really Truman's plan, to be called "The Marshall Plan," so called because it was presented in a speech by Marshall. Marshall didn't want the public attention, and Truman didn't want the plan politicized by having his name on it. It says a lot about Truman. And he brought President Herbert Hoover out of mothballs to help administer relief aid.

There is a lot of cynicism about politics today. Harry Truman was an exceptionally fine person who became a senator and president. He is an inspiration for politicians to speak their mind honestly and directly. In some ways, Joe Biden embodies those characteristics, but there are others in office, local, state and national, who are good, honest people.

Harry Truman showed that it is possible in politics to be honest and do the right thing, as you see it.

Note: HBO's Warm Springs, about FDR's battle with polio, was much better done. But then it covered a much narrower time frame.

This movie is riddled with historical inaccuracies

[kwbench · 1/10 · 27 June 2017]

One after another historical inaccuracies riddled this movie. These inaccuracies throw a shadow over some very solid acting performances. Marshall and Stimson's opinions and written testimonies are perhaps the most egregious of these inaccuracies. This movie should come with footnotes.

BRILLIANTLY TOUCHING PIECE OF FILM

[FRANK_BARTHOLOMEW · 28 November 2002]

Harry Swinowish Truman was a rare breed of statesman: an honest, thinking man of the people. The TV Movie Truman does not inflate his character, but consolidates Truman's humility.

Gary Sinise is brilliantly cast as Harry S. Truman, and brings out the honest politician to a tee. All in all, a brilliant movie- worth watching!

A Nutshell Review: (DVD) Truman (1995)

[DICK STEEL · 6/10 · 2 February 2006]

There are many films made about the President of the United States, ranging from the fictional stuff like Air Force One, to biographies like Nixon, or event movies like Thirteen Days which recount how he goes about making decisions that would result in certain impact for the world.

As history buffs would already know, Harry Truman is the president who succeeded Theodore Roosevelt in the last days of World War II. He was the one who had the unenviable task of authorizing the use of the Atomic Bomb on Japan, and other exploits like having a hand in the creation of the UN, fighting for civil rights, etc.

However, this movie doesn't have an iota of exciting moments, as it chronicles the life of an extraordinary man in an extremely flat paced made for TV movie. As the movie puts it, everything in life came late for him, and we follow his life in his 30s as he seeks to enlist himself for WWI. Events come and go, like the discovery of the Manhattan project, and it feels as if it's made up of pieces of events joint together, with nary a little effort at gluing the pieces seamlessly.

Gary Sinise puts on a find performance as Truman, but otherwise, this movie is too straightforward. Perhaps having put focus on certain events, and having an in-depth look at them, will make this movie more compelling.

This Code 1 DVD is bare-bones, which is quite a pity, given the tons of material that could possibly be included.

most integrity of any 20th century American president

[widescreenguy · 9/10 · 14 May 2006]

the thing I remember most in any of the bios and books about Truman was that he was a man of his word.

which became evident to stalin for instance during his adventurisms. he didn't think America under Truman would react to the invasion of south Korea that he agitated. in fact Truman responded immediately and decisively just as he said he would.

there is an anecdote about the use of stamps at the white house, where Truman insisted the stamps for his personal correspondence were paid for by him and kept separate from those for official letters.

Truman wasn't the back room deal maker type like so many before and all since, he was straightforward and honest. and tough as they come when he needed to be. I personally have for a very long time decided he was right to order the use of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and a few days later Nagasaki. I call Hiroshima the wake up call and Nagasaki the message. these weapons allowed the Japanese civilian authority a window in which to seize control from the militarists under toejam tojo just long enough to sue for peace and surrender in tokyo bay. thereby saving somewhere between 1/2 million and 10 million Japanese civilians and American soldier's lives.

Truman's popularity was very low at the time of the end of his 2nd term. but gradually increased over time as the American people realized his great qualities. he was certainly a quick study and didn't make very many serious mistakes. Harry Truman, Mr 'The Buck Stops Here'.

the film was a real delight, well acted with the necessary physical resemblances that add to the understanding and dramatic value.

one compares the buffoons that have somehow lucked into the oval office like the present day frat boy squawking parrot for big oil and you realize just why America has so many enemies in the world now.

Our 33rd President

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 24 October 2015]

Based on David McCullough's acclaimed book on the subject, Truman tells the story of our 33rd president Harry S. Truman from his days as a young adult courting Bess Wallace to the end of his presidency settling down to retirement in Independence, Missouri. Gary Sinise and Diana Scarwid play Harry and Bess Truman in this HBO film.

The personality of Harry S. Truman is pretty well indelibly set in the American consciousness and Sinise is faithful to the feisty image we have of Truman. Historians even now debate the impact his presidency had for good or bad. But the decisions he made while there no doubt shaped the post World War II we now live in.

Bess Truman has been an elusive figure though, probably the least public of the First Ladies of the 20th Century. From some of what we are shown in this film I would suggest that Margaret Truman's biography of her Mom was the source. An integral part of their life was Bess's mother Madge Wallace played here by Lois Smith. She was a warped woman who came undone at the suicide of her husband David Wallace, Bess's father. The home that is now a US landmark was Madge Wallace's though she lived in the White House with Harry&Bess. She died in 1952 and only after buying out Bess's brothers did the Trumans own that house.

Truman if nothing else prized loyalty. He was a product of the Pendergast machine and while he was Vice President for that brief time, he was criticized for attending Boss Tom's funeral. Pat Hingle fits my conception of what Pendergast was like. Unfortunately for Truman he put a lot of Pendergast wardheelers in jobs and they embarrassed him no end with a series of scandals in his elected term.

For those who accept the popular image of Harry S. Truman, Truman the film will suit you perfectly. After a while after looking and hearing Gary Sinise you'll think you are watching a newsreel of the 33rd President.

A better knowledge about U.S. history would definitely enhance the enjoyment of this movie

[eddax · 9/10 · 20 June 2003]

Harry S. Truman was much maligned in his time. Succeeding the U.S. presidency via the death of the legendary Franklin Delano Roosevelt did him no favors. Truman covers the life of the 33rd president of the United States from his humble beginnings as a farmer and haberdasher up till the point he steps down from the post of the most powerful man in the world amidst communist controversies and low popularity ratings. It would not be until historians started working on his biography that his numerous positive contributions to the American public were revealed. David McCullough, a noted historian whose recent biography of John Adams made the best-seller list, wrote the book this movie is adapted from.

Although Truman is undoubtedly a truncated version of McCullough's novel, Truman gives enough basic information about the president to appreciate his actions, but some general knowledge about U.S. history would definitely enhance the enjoyment of the movie. Throughout the movie questions about the man and his administration arose, questions that will probably never be answered unfortunately, not without plenty of time to do research and the will to do it anyway.

Terrific Film

[RJBENNETT · 10/10 · 15 April 2001]

I was not particularly interested in seeing this film, but some German friends of mine had rented the videocassette, so I watched it with them. I don't know what the film is like in English, but even in the dubbed German version that we saw, it is tremendously moving. Gary Sinise's performance is masterful, and the film gave me a sense of why many people consider Truman a great American president. What is more, as I watched the film here in Europe with a group of Europeans, the film also made me - and I'm not a particularly patriotic person - extremely proud to be an American citizen.

Bad history class

[guyb-2 · 1/10 · 8 November 2001]

Too bad for the excellent class and the great book. The screenplay sunk this one. It was like a really bad high school history class. "Just memorize the dates and events and you get an 'A'" I really have wanted to "know" Truman and this wasn't the movie to do it with.

So underrated!

[wlipman-2 · 12 January 2000]

Gary Sinise is tremendous in this. It has become a favorite of my 12 year old son, which is a fine thing to see! The acting, and the painstaking accuracy make this a worthy portrayal of David McCullough's masterpiece of a book.

Good biopic of Harry S. Truman

[PWNYCNY · 9/10 · 20 May 2011]

This is a good, competent biopic of one of the more colorful U. S. Presidents. The story of Harry S. Truman, from his humble beginnings, to how he became president, the decision to drop the atomic bomb, his election victory in 1948, and the firing of General MacArthur is legendary and the movie does justice to each one of these events. Perhaps the most compelling part of the movie deals with Mr. Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb, one of the most momentous and far reaching acts in history. What is amazing is how this awesome decision would up being made by one person, acting alone, taking complete responsibility. One must wonder why Congress was not more involved involved in this monumental decision to use a virtually untested weapon of unprecedented destructive power. Another interesting part of the movie involves Mr. Truman's 1948 campaign for President. The movie effectively shows how Mr. Truman dramatically won the election and laughed his way back to the White House. Gary Sinese gives a wonderful performance in the title role and Diana Scarwid gives a strong performance as Mr. Truman's wife, Bess. If one s interested in the career of Harry S. Truman, then watch this movie.

A President with No Pension & Only Army Pay ! !

[whpratt1 · 8/10 · 7 June 2009]

Until viewing this film, I never realized that a President like Harry S. Truman could leave office and go back home to Missouri without any pension for being President and just his Army Pay for being in the service.

Harry S. Truman had a very hard job trying to follow in FDR"s footsteps and at the same time served too many terms as President to begin with and was considered the King of America. Truman had to make some very serious decisions about using the A Bomb which cost millions of lives.

Gary Sinise gave an outstanding performance of this former President and captivated almost every scene in the picture along with local bands and local towns in Missouri.

This picture is rather long, but full of History, enjoy.

Superb

[patbiggam · 9/10 · 12 May 2020]

I recently read the tome "O Jerusalem!" by historical writers Larry Collins and Dominique LaPierre in which they also present the very important part Harry S Truman played in the recognition of the state of Israel in 1948. I was therefore interested to view the movie "Truman" to see if it would accurately portray the relationship between Truman and his very good friend and Jewish business partner Eddie Jacobsen. Although this was not a movie about Truman's position on the Jewish State, it's what got me interested in viewing it including the fact that I respect Gary Sinise as a very fine actor and wanted to see how he would portray Truman. He did not disappoint. He did a superb job in this role, honestly depicting a President who played a pivotal role in American history--a role thrust upon him but which he very ably filled. Diana Scarwid as Bess Truman was also superb. I loved her line to the female press who interviewed her when she first came to Washington. These eager reporters were expecting the access to Bess Truman that they had enjoyed with Eleanor Roosevelt. Bess, who hated the limelight, was clearly uncomfortable during her interview and when pointedly asked if this interview would be the first of many, Bess Truman set them straight that this would be the first, and the last! Brilliant movie, excellent acting and a very accurate portrayal of the historical characters and the era in which they lived and exercised profound influence.