Wilson (1944 film)

Wilson
Film poster
Directed byHenry King
Written byLamar Trotti
Produced byDarryl F. Zanuck
Starring
CinematographyLeon Shamroy
Edited byBarbara McLean
Music byAlfred Newman
Color processTechnicolor
Distributed by20th Century-Fox
Release date
  • August 1, 1944 (1944-08-01)
Running time
154 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5.2 million[1]
Box office$3.103 million (U.S. and Canada rentals)[2]
Alexander Knox and Ruth Nelson

Wilson is a 1944 biographical film about Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States. Shot in Technicolor and directed by Henry King, the film stars Alexander Knox, Charles Coburn, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell, Ruth Nelson, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, William Eythe and Mary Anderson.

Darryl F. Zanuck, head of 20th Century-Fox was an ardent admirer of Wilson and personally oversaw production. Character actor Alexander Knox was cast in a rare leading role as Wilson.

Wilson received critical acclaim, earning ten nominations at the 17th Academy Awards and winning five, including Best Writing, Original Screenplay. However, it was a box office bomb due to its unusually high budget.[3] This upset Zanuck to the point that for years, he forbade employees from mentioning the film in his presence.[4]

  1. ^ Solomon, Aubrey (1989). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, p. 242, ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
  2. ^ "All-time Film Rental Champs". Variety. October 15, 1990.
  3. ^ "Wilson". AFI Catalog. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTHErickson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).