Executive Suite

After the death of their charismatic president, a company’s board must choose a successor.

Executive Suite is better than it has any right to be. Just look at that synopsis. A movie about a board choosing their company’s next president? How can that possibly be good?

Well, you start with an amazing cast.

Fredric March is outstanding as a penny-pinching accountant who boils everything down to numbers and graphs. While his character isn’t very likable, March keeps him from feeling one-dimensional.

Opposite March, William Holden is solid as an earnest everyman that dreams beyond the bottom line. His big speech in the film’s finale could easily come across as corny, but Holden’s delivery is passionate and rousing.

Also worth noting are Barbara Stanwyck and Nina Foch. Stanwyck brings her considerable star power to force and elevates what could have been little more than a cameo into a powerful role. Foch, in an Oscar nominated performance, simply exudes charisma and easily holds her own amidst the all-star cast.

The sharp black-and-white cinematography suits the subject matter perfectly, as does director Robert Wise’s bold decision to omit a musical score, both of which also help the film age very well.

Tying it all together is a razor sharp script by Ernest Lehman. The themes and arguments it raises are just as relevant today as they were fifty years ago.