Political hilarity & an ode to Gene Hackman

A wide-ranging but hopefully interesting - & perhaps useful - bumper edition this week

Some truly face-palm-inducing excerpts from the memoir of former Conservative MP and Chief Whip, Simon Hart, appeared in the Times recently serving to remind us all that politics attracts some absolute weirdos. “Ungovernable” appealed to my nosey-parker, gossipy side and so off I popped to the bookshop the other day to get my grubby little mitts on it as soon as I could. It seemed an obvious jumping-off point to highlight the best places for a bit of political insight, gossip and the odd guffaw at the behaviour of these narcissistic nut jobs. & so below you will find some places to get some of the best political insights & giggles as well as learning the power of gossip in Westminster.

Rather than this being the sole focus, it is instead followed by my favourites from the oeuvre of the legend that was Gene Hackman. As a result, there’s a lot to get through, so buckle up…

TL;DR

Political

Read Ungovernable by Simon Hart, Haven’t You Heard? Gossip, Politics & Power by Marie le Conte & The Complete Yes Minister by Jonathan Lynn & Antony Jay; listen to Electoral Dysfunction & Strong Message Here; watch the original House of Cards.

Gene Hackman

Listen to Episode 95 The B-Side; watch Crimson Tide, Mississippi Burning, Runaway Jury, Heartbreakers, Postcards from the Edge, The Birdcage and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Politics

READ

I’m making my way through Ungovernable by Simon Hart but as it covers 2019-2024, it’s interesting to be reminded of quite what a hell of a lot happened in just five years.

I’m remaining hopeful that, whilst the Times will have undoubtedly printed the most stand-out excerpts from Hart’s time in power, some other interesting tidbits still lurk amongst the pages. I would imagine most will come from his time as Chief Whip as opposed to Secretary of State for Wales as keeping the entire parliamentary party in line is likely to be far more like herding cats than the latter - which I imagine involved a lot more talking about herding sheep…

There’s a bit of a gossipmonger in all of us no doubt and whilst it can often be dismissed as unhelpful, or a waste of time, or if you’re truly lazy in terms of gender stereotypes “a woman’s game” (remember: women make up just 32% of the House of Lords and the Commons, so the gossipy nature of SW1 ain’t down to chromosomal make-up), there can be no doubt that Westminster bloody runs on the stuff. If you don’t believe me, have a read of Haven’t You Heard? Gossip, Politics & Power by Marie le Conte.

Le Conte factors in the roles of not just MPs but the SpAds (special advisors) and civil servants who work with them to explain how the world of politics in the UK works. It’s a great deep dive into the world of ego, ambition and absolute lunacy that Westminster is.

I’ve previously recommended the glorious telly that is Yes Minister (& of course Yes Prime Minister) in which MP Jim Hacker is guided through the world of British bureaucracy, the civil service and generally how the United Kingdom functions by the inimitable, indefatigable Sir Humphrey Appleby.

Well, the writers of the show even managed to find the time to write a book…and not just a ‘how this show got made’ type account, instead they imagined Hacker’s diaries as he rose through the ranks to become PM in The Complete Yes Minister by Jonathan Lynn & Antony Jay. A fun light read if you want to shake your head at the misadventures of MPs but safe in the knowledge that none of what you’re reading actually happened…at least, we would like to think so.

LISTEN

There are plenty of political podcasts out there, like actual shedloads. And I love lots of them but a quick shout out for two in particular. Firstly: Electoral Dysfunction is the contribution from Sky News.

It features a presenting line-up of three women (shock, awe): Political Editor Beth Rigby, former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson and the most recent addition to the roster: Harriet Harman, or to give her her full title: Baroness Harman of Peckham, the former Labour MP for Camberwell & Peckham from 1982 to 2024 until she stood down at last summer’s general election. Harman replaced Jess Phillips MP following the election as the latter joined took up a ministerial role in the new Labour government. It’s always an interesting chat, I like that it’s three women (plus guests) as it does give it a bit of a different vibe at times and certainly a varied perspective on things, plus having Davidson involved works well to remind us London-centric media luvvies that there is life beyond SW1.

And secondly: Strong Message Here.

This isn’t your typical political podcast. Instead two of Britain’s greatest minds: Helen Lewis & Armando Ianucci talk about political messaging and the use / role of language in the political stories of the week. Not just confined to the UK, they talk about Trump too and it’s never a bad idea to spend time in the company of these two.

WATCH

Finally for this section, a reminder of the TV classic House of Cards.

Please note: not the Netflix version. The Michael Hobbs original starring Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart as Chief Whip of the Conservative Party set in 1990 at the end of the Thatcher government. (See what I did there?)

Richardson is deliciously evil, sleazy & Machiavellian. He inhabits every inch of the role of true villain with little effort and seeing the sights, sounds & style of London thirty five years ago only serves to add to the enjoyment of viewing.

Gene Hackman

Following the tragic news of Gene Hackman’s death (and his wife Betsy Arakawa & one of their dogs) this week, I couldn’t not write something about some of the incredible films in which he starred. His back catalogue is huge and so delightfully diverse.

I haven’t tried to reinvent the wheel here, what follows is simply a list of my favourite Gene Hackman movies. I’ll be honest it’s basically all of the movies of his that I’ve seen. I adore him - his gravelly voice, his presence and above all his rare combination of serious ac-tor with a sense of mischief & fun that is demonstrated by the fact that he appeared in movies as varied as The Birdcage and The Poseidon Adventure to Unforgiven and Superman.

LISTEN

There aren’t really any podcasts featuring Mr Hackman or about his life, but The B-Side team did dedicate an episode to several of his movies.

As the hosts describe the show, they talk not about the movies that made stars famous nor ‘kept them famous’ but about the ones in between. At 2hr30 long, it’s a commitment, but a fun insight nonetheless.

What follows isn’t laid out chronologically; consider it more a vibes-based categorisation.

WATCH

Starring not just Hackman but Denzel Washington as well, Crimson Tide is perfect for when you’re hungover of a Sunday and want a bit of a thriller to accompany your restorative curry.

Set on a nuclear sub in a post-Soviet world, Hackman’s the big boss man, Washington his new sidekick. They disagree and so we have a movie. It’s loosely based on real events around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis too. There isn’t a single woman in the cast from what I remember so don’t go into this expecting anything other than one guy intent on blowing shit up vs another who is trying to convince him otherwise. It is great fun though.

Hackman was nominated for an Oscar for Mississippi Burning - but like I said, this is a list of his movies that I love, as opposed to any kind of guide to his lesser-known work.

This is another story loosely based on real events, this time set in the 1960s. Three civil rights workers go missing in Mississippi when out working on voter registration amongst the African American community. Hackman plays an FBI agent called in to investigate alongside his younger, more nuanced partner (seeing a pattern here..?) played by Willem Defoe. Despite being white men themselves, the pair face all sorts of struggles in their attempt to uncover the truth, though eventually they do. A brutal examination of life in Jim Crow era America, the movie still faced backlash from the families of the real men on whom it was based as well as the wider African American community.

Hackman did a nice line in movie versions of John Grisham books. He was in The Chamber with Chris O’Donnell (oh be still my mid-90s beating heart) and The Firm with Tom Cruise, but by far my favourite is Runaway Jury.

Now I guess you could argue that my love for John Cusack coloured this decision & dear reader, you would not be wrong. But not only are Cusack & Hackman in it, Dustin Hoffman is in it. And he’s great. And Rachel Weisz is also in it. And she is also great.

Hackman is at his sartorial best in this his second last feature film. He plays Rankin Fitch (what a great name for a heartless asshole), an expert at selecting who should, and more importantly, who should not sit on a jury in particular court cases. I don’t want to give anything away here: so just watch it. Only maybe not with a lawyer as they’ll be yelling at the TV, “that would never happen” and no one needs that in their life when they’re just trying to be entertained.

There concludes the serious portion of today’s Ode to Gene Hackman.

Hackman starred in just shy of eighty films throughout his career and whilst there are plenty of dark storylines (as evidenced above), there was also lots of light and humour.

This movie kind of feels like the lower-budget goofier version of Something’s Gotta Give (another absolute classic). Heartbreakers is much-maligned but I adore it for the fact that the two biggest names in the cast are mostly known for their serious work and not really poking fun at themselves.

Sigourney Weaver plays Max Connors, con artist extraordinaire and mother to Page (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who follows in her footsteps. Our buddy Gene is an unwitting mark for Weaver, tobacco tycoon William B. Tansy. Yet another 90s heartthrob Jason Lee is in there too as are cinematic legends Ray Liotta and Anne actual Bancroft. It’s a fun caper movie with a bit of an edge because the quality cast elevates it all.

In what is very much a vehicle for two of the grandest grande dames in Hollywood, Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine, Postcards from the Edge, is a true confluence of acting royalty.

Carrie Fisher wrote the script which many thought was based on her life with actor mother Debbie Reynolds. (Though Fisher said otherwise). Mike Nichols directs, Simon Callow, Rob Reiner, Annette Bening and Dennis Quaid all star along with Gene Hackman. It’s a glorious 80s tale with Hackman playing a kind-hearted director looking out for a woman in Hollywood, one of the more unbelievable roles in his career?

Now it’s about to get real. Ladies, gentlemen, boys & girls & everyone else, I give you: The Birdcage.

Hackman is in a suit (perhaps he kept it for Runaway Jury?) to play conservative senator Kevin Keeley, married to Louise (Dianne Wiest - oh, how we love her) and father to Barbara (Calista Flockhart). Barbara is engaged to Val (let’s be honest, both sets of parents seriously failed their offspring in the naming department) and their parents are going to meet for the first time.

So far, so standard. Except Val’s parents are Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert Goldman (Nathan Lane) - not only are they a pair of gay men **clutches pearls**, they are Jewish **just falls down & passes out cold**. And as previously mentioned, the senator ain’t no progressive. And this is 1996. In Florida. A plan is hatched: Goldman becomes Coleman and Nathan Lane dons a Chanel skirt suit and a lot of make up.

If this paragraph hasn’t sold it to you, don’t bother. It’s not for you.

And finally, one of my favourite films of all time: The Royal Tenenbaums.

Hackman plays the eponymous father figure in this wacky, wonderful ensemble story from the marvellous brain of Wes Anderson. In 2001, Hackman starred in no fewer than five feature films and this one stands out as definitely the most unusual. The early aughts really became a golden time for indie-style films and quirkiness. It was before a time where predominantly IP-led stories and franchises get green lit, a time when audiences were considered to be able to handle the unexpected.

Royal Tenenbaum is father to three child prodigies and husband to Angelica Houston (I mean, come on) who buggers off and returns once his kids have grown and feigns illness to get back into their good graces. I’m sure the world & his grandmother has seen this so I won’t go on, but if you haven’t seen it, for the love of God, what are you waiting for?