Executive Suite [DVD]

Love William Holden and Barbara Stanwick together

Forget about "Wall Street," "Boiler Room," or "Other People's Money." Forget "The Hudsucker Proxy" and the other seriously over the top spoofs of business. "Executive Suite" is the real thing.Fifty years old, scenes ring true. William Holden's closing, impassioned speech, about the need to invest in the future instead of dividend maximization, is a classic treatment, useful for a business school class. What is perhaps most remarkable is the timeless nature of his points, about customers, quality, pride, and growth. Sure, the technology is dated. Telegrams. Dial phones. The board room looks like the reception area to Fred Munster's house. People step on and off planes without security, parking problems, or laptops in hand. But that only makes the story all the more credible. The important things haven't changed. And it shows that some things we think are new problems in business -- insider trading, board manipulation, sexual harrassment -- are at least as old as this fine film, certainly older.Here's the basic story line: The president of Treadway furniture firm dies in the street en route to a train and a meeting in Philadelphia. An opportunistic Treadway executive of sees the crowd in the street and -- shades of today -- shorts the company's stock. The president's death is not immediately known to all, leaving some intrigue and lots of ambiguity. And, oh yes, there's the top salesman having an affair with a nubile Shelley Winters, and a frozen-appearing Barbara Stanwyck -- a Treadway -- also apparently on the verge of suicide from the cold shoulder she has received from the overworked, now-dead president.Counting votes, twisting arms, and playing politics, Holden and Pidgeon contrive a plan to move the election of the president in their direction. The last twelve minutes of the film, including an apology from Holden's jealous-of-how-the-work-consumes-her-husband wife -- a glowing June Allyson -- allows hopes and schemes to unravel and others to gel.If it is still out of stock, don't be shy about perusing the used VHS offerings. It's worth it.

Just be aware, this product is not a pressed copy of the movie, it's a burned copy - a DVD-r, and that was not stated anywhere. DVD-r's aren't permanent like the pressed copies. The dyes used fade over time and the disk becomes unreadable/useless. They last for anywhere from 5 - 12 years before that happens. The pressed copies last indefinitely. I did pay only like $11.00 for this movie so I'm not all that upset, though I would have gladly paid $20-25 for a pressed copy.Having said that, the quality of the transfer of the content (the movie) is excellent! It's very clear and crisp, almost Blu Ray quality!I would have rated this a five star purchase if it were a pressed copy. I would have rated it a 4 star and possibly a 5 star purchase if they would have at least said up front that it's a DVD-r. But since they advertise it as a straight DVD, and it's not, I give the the purchase 3 stars. If the transfer wasn't of such high quality I would have returned the product to get my money back.

Excellent film. Fredric March and Nina Foch were the best ones in it. It was made during the transition from standard screen ratio of 1.37:1 to 1.85:1. MGM recommended 1.75:1 at the time, but non anamorphic widescreen eventually settled at 1.85:1. By the summer of 1953, when "Executive Suite" was filmed, cinematographers were leaving extra space at the top and bottom of the frame, knowing that this portion would be cropped, and the image enlarged, to produce a wider picture. It was then known as "35mm widescreen," or more popularly, "the poor man's CinemaScope." If you adjust the image to fill the 1.79 aspect ratio of your TV, you should be able to watch the film as intended.

This well crafted piece of moviemaking somehow avoids the soapy melodrama typical of 50s movies, to include not having one note of background music dictating how you're supposed to feel as you watch - even the opening credits run without any theme music. Well okay, maybe one exception to the no-melodrama thing might be Barbara Stanwyck, who chews the scenery a bit in her relatively small role, but most of the other characters are skillfully underplayed. This being an ensemble piece with interesting lifelike characters, it holds the viewer's interest throughout as it explores the politics and the absence of ethics in corporate level business. This movie has aged quite well, and you might even say, it was ahead of its time.

This is mainly William Holden's film and very well he does, too. The other actors come and go and there are no weak links in this movie.

Great movie

Quality!

The acting is sharp as well as subtle and the dialogue is even sharper!! What makes this film worth watching over and over again, is the commentary by director, Oliver Stone. So much info is shared regarding the direction of the film as well about each character of the story. Fascinating stuff!!!

When the top executive of a large corporation drops dead on the street, the struggle begins in the boardroom to fill his shoes. M-G-M brought out some of its top stars in this compelling story of the quest for power in the world of big business. Walter Pidgeon, Frederic March, Dean Jagger, Paul Douglas, Louis Calhern, Nina Foch, June Allyson and the gorgeous Shelley Winters all give great performances but it is William Holden who catches our attention from the very start. He is the idealistic young designer who wants the corporation to create exciting new products for the public rather than just show a yearly profit. Frederic March is very good as the underhanded manipulator who has his eyes set on occupying the president's office. The manner in which he constantly wipes his sweaty palms makes us loathe him instantly! What is interesting about this film is that there is absolutely no action...no fistfights, no high-speed car chases and no gunfire. It is just a totally absorbing story about life on the top floor a large corporation and about those who want to be on the top rung of the ladder of success. If you enjoy a well written story with a plot that draws you in and holds your attention, I highly recommend this film.