Wow, James Coburn was SO good.
He’s stars as Sydney Schaefer, the title character in The President’s Analyst, a wild 1967 pastiche of comedy, drama, thriller and spy film… a movie that is as absurd as it is entertaining.
A fantastic scene early in the film sets up the premise. We see a black secret agent named Don Masters – one of Sydney Schaefer’s patients – tell a story of his childhood, when he found out what the n-word means… it is a great moment from actor Godfrey Cambridge (though it feels like it should be in a different movie). Shortly after this Masters reveals that the President needs someone to talk to, and Masters has chosen Sydney as the man for the job. Once Sydney accepts, he is “on call” at all hours… and has a lot to talk about. And as the world’s espionage agencies find out about him, his life becomes… interesting.
There’s lots to like here. The score, by Lalo Schifrin, is fantastic… Not a surprise, seeing as he created fantastic scores his entire career (he’s best known for his work on Mission: Impossible, and there’s more than a hint of that work here). The pacing and directing is first rate, with some fantastic location shots that highlight late-sixties New York and Washington. One scene, where rival spy agents kill each other in rapid succession, is a wry bit of filmmaking that is very dark and very funny.
This movie is a great example of eccentric studio films that came out in the late 1960s, when the studios were desperately trying to be “hip.” More often than not these attempts at appealing to young audiences failed completely (look at any Bob Hope or Jerry Lewis film made back then, or the infamous debacle Skidoo). Unlike those films, The President’s Analyst delivers…. and, yes, of course, there’s hippies in the movie.
Looking back at this film, made 45 years ago (!), I can’t help but smile at some of the dated details in it… but I’m impressed that whole thing works as well as it does. The key is, of course, Coburn. He grounds the film and is completely charming throughout. I remember talking to an acting coach many years ago, who told me there are two types of people you see on the big screen: Actors, and Movie Stars. James Coburn was a Movie Star, through and through, and is just fantastic here. It’s worth watching just for his performance and his star power, which is on full display here.
Finally, Star Trek fans should pay attention to the sound effects used in several scenes, and fans of classic TV will enjoy seeing Arte Johnson, Pat Harrington and William Daniels in major roles. Arte Johnson plays an “FBE” assassin, Daniels plays a gun-toting liberal and Harrington plays… well, that would spoil things if I told you.
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