Award Central News

McCain speaks about films with the ease and enthusiasm of a lifelong moviegoer, recalling scenes and reciting his best recollections of long bits of dialogue -- replete with impersonations of the actors.

Between criticisms of casting and direction, McCain chuckles over production trivia. "I love the movies," he says. "(My wife) Cindy and I enjoy going to the movies together. We go quite often." And they take in much more than the usual G-rated pabulum that would go down well with any high-profile politico.

Among political films, the senator picks a controversial one. "I enjoyed both versions of 'The Manchurian Candidate,' but in the first version Angela Lansbury was just phenomenal," he says. "I bet most Americans today probably don't realize that there were 30-some American prisoners in Korea who decided they wanted to live in China and were not repatriated. By the way, every one of those came back eventually. America was just shocked that people would decide to live in a Communist country."

McCain found the premise of John Frankenheimer's 1962 thriller entirely credible: "It was very plausible at the time -- perhaps more than now. The phrase 'brainwashing' was coined because of the very extensive indoctrination the Chinese gave American prisoners in Korea, so it was very plausible that they could have brainwashed one, sent him back to the United States and given him the triggering mechanism. After Kennedy was assassinated, the film was taken off the screens. It's a testimony to how compelling that movie was.

"My other favorite political film is 'All the King's Men' (1949) because I think that Huey Long was a larger-than-life figure in American politics. He was one of the real populists in American political history. He was able to galvanize the masses of poor, underprivileged Americans in a way that very few politicians in history have. He had these slovenly ways, and he was a caricature of himself, but the fact is, he was one of the most effective and impactful politicians on the American scene. He scared the hell out of Franklin Delano Roosevelt."

But the senator's all-time favorite film? "It is a bit political in its own way: 'Viva Zapata!' I'm sure I've seen it four or five times, but I haven't seen it quite a few years. It was one of Elia Kazan's least appreciated films. I thought (Emiliano) Zapata was a genuine, authentic, uncorrupted leader who fought to improve the plight of his countrymen. He held true to his principles.

"There were many scenes in the movie, but a few stand out," recalls McCain, who quotes verbatim long stretches of dialogue that recall the perfs of Marlon Brando, Jean Peters and Anthony Quinn.

The senator says "Viva Zapata!" influenced him more than any other film "because I had never heard of him before I saw the movie. I became interested in Zapata and started reading about him. The book that affected me the most was 'For Whom the Bell Tolls,' but, unfortunately, the movie was badly miscast and so it didn't do justice to the book. Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman were the stars, but the movie didn't click."

As a child, McCain was like most kids and loved all the early Walt Disney movies. "I'll never forget the trauma when Bambi's mother was shot," McCain reveals. "I was always taken with John Wayne just because of who he was and the people he portrayed. For example, one of my favorites was 'Sands of Iwo Jima.' Most any movie that Jimmy Stewart was in I always enjoyed, too. I thought he was one of the really great actors. 'Destry Rides Again' was just a fun, great movie."

He vividly remembers meeting the Hollywood legend. "Jimmy Stewart was in a room in the Capitol. There was nobody around; I just walked up to him and I said,' I'm John McCain and I am honored to meet you.' And he said, 'I'm honored to meet you.' It was so touching. It was so much the man -- the humility of the guy. We always watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' every Christmas. Since they were about 3 years old, I force my kids to watch it." McCain's favorite scene: "When Jimmy Stewart's running down the street shouting 'Merry Christmas.' It's really just a lovely, lovely film."

The senator's favorite actor, however, remains his "Zapata" star: "Of course, Marlon Brando."

But for fave actress? "I gotta say Marilyn Monroe. She was one of the great actresses in history. If you ever saw 'Some Like It Hot,' she was a consummate actress. She has so many great scenes. The scene on the couch where Tony Curtis kisses her and his glasses get steamed up. Then there's the scene when they get together in the upper berth," McCain recalls with a laugh. "Jack Lemmon makes these double entendre remarks that are just really hilarious. You got to credit Curtis, too. Joe E. Brown, he was great. There's just one great scene after another."

Fortunately, McCain's repertoire extends beyond the usual TCM rotation. "I enjoyed 'Syriana,' although a lot of people didn't," says the senator, who also gives thumbs-up to "The Bourne Supremacy," "The Bourne Identity" and "Mission: Impossible." "I like those kinds of things, the car chases. Have you seen 'The Departed'?" he asks. "It's pretty rough, but I kind of liked it. Nicholson plays too much Nicholson."

And then there's his wish list: "I want to see 'Casino Royale.' Everybody says it's good fun. I'm looking forward to seeing 'The Good Shepherd.' It got good reviews. And another one I would like to see is 'Babel.'"

Yes, someone better alert the White House projectionist, just in case.

See top story and other related content