SunnyHello Nice effects though.

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

tedg The gas has cooled on this balloon, and the (political) Earth shifted underneath. But that makes it a bit more enjoyable if you come to this for the structure.The story device is simple: cold war spy versus spy, only to learn that the (then monopoly) phone company trumps all. But the narrative structure is apart from that. It employs James Coburn, then well known for what we could later call folded acting: where his persona as Coburn is folded into his reactions as the character.That character is an analyst, who at least for the purposes of the film, has the ability to see below the surface and understand causal dynamics. He first is exposed to the president, standing as the surrogate for one nation's psyche (in relation to others). We meet the surrogates for those others as they mostly bicker, except for two opposing spies (both under therapy from our doctor).It is a brilliant choice, having our own in-story viewer being an analyst. This differs from the usual formula of detective/reporter/lawyer. Among other possibilities, it allows for three sequences internal to the mind. One is a marijuana-laced lovemaking session in a field; another an LSD trip. The third is a similar psychedelic torture method applied by the phone company. Perhaps these worked decades ago, but I think not. You need something less flippant to help us reference internal reflection.But they did do a good enough job of conflating the internal mind of the first two into the technologically induced visions of the phone company's headquarters. And that matters to us. Because the phone company here has little to do with phones. It is instead the sort of pervasive spy that sees us the same way we as viewers are seeing the film. Indeed, the end of the film pulls back and we see an audience of 'people' from the phone company. These are not people in fact, but robots which in this fabulation of analysis removes them from the scope of the on-screen analyst, so that the noir formula is preserved: we the audience by our viewing directly enter the film and manipulate an unknowing, hapless character.Of course no one would ever consider this an art film with serious pretension. That makes it more interesting to find these sorts of dynamics — perhaps intuitively designed — in a light mass entertainment.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

lewwarden Great satire of many of our social institutions of the mid-Vietnam era. But not so funny now; too much dirty water over the dam since then. Plainly what passed for Liberals in those days were pilloried, as well as tired old targets--some more deserving than others--such as J Edgar Hoover, FBI, and CIA who apparently had enough muscle in those days to persuade Hollywood to change their initials, although to what end God only knows. I noted that the "right wing extremists" label was used in the movie, which was old hat then and is still the battle cry of Democrat propagandists. The more things change, the more things remain the same, and propaganda slogans become eternal verities. But old Ma Bell, THE telephone company of those days, isn't with us to kick around any more. Our present crop of corporate and financial rulers are nothing like the benign despot portrayed in this picture. Our boys don't pretend to serve; they just brazenly exploit, and laugh all the way to the bank with their "bail out" billions. Anyhow, all and all The President's Analyst is a good evening's entertainment with some nice acting and even a slice of history. But who was the analyst's very obliging sweety working for?

blanche-2 James Coburn is "The President's Analyst" in this 1967 dark-humored film also starring Godfrey Cambridge, Severn Darden, Eduard Franz, Will Geer and Barry McGuire. Coburn is Sidney Schaefer, a New York psychiatrist chosen to be the analyst for the President of the United States. It's a great honor and all that, but the assignment turns out to be nothing but trouble. He becomes paranoid and when he starts to believe his girlfriend is a spy, he escapes his many watchers by joining a White House tour and attaching himself to a couple, Bing and Jeff Quantrill (Wiliam Daniels and Joan Darling). Claiming that he works for the President who wants to get a handle on what Americans are thinking, they agree to take him back to the New York suburbs with them. But Sidney can't escape - everyone seems to know where he is, even later on, when he runs away with a group of hippie musicians and dons a wig. One faction of the U.S. government wants him found and returned to Washington; another one, the FBR, wants him dead. All the other countries want him to find out what he knows, or they want him dead so no one else learns anything.There are lots of great things in this film, but the best is the segment with William Daniels and Joan Darling, who play two liberals who have more guns in their house than a gun store. "The people next door are Fascists," Bing says. "They ought to be gassed." With Sidney in Chinatown, government agents approach them to kidnap Sidney. Jeff attacks with karate while Bing shoots to kill - and Sidney takes off.Baby boomers will especially enjoy all the '60 elements. "The President's Analyst" walks a line between satire and the real feelings of the '60s (many of which are still held) about the government. And it succeeds beautifully. James Coburn was an underrated actor who always delivered unique characterizations, and he was never without some underlying humor. You can see the analyst deteriorate - he starts off with an ego as big as New York after getting his assignment, and bit by bit he descends into nervous breakdown-land. The other performances are excellent, from Godfrey Cambridge, Eduard Franz, Will Geer and the rest. But Daniels and Darling - priceless.Excellent film, highly recommended.

Bob O`Bob This just may be the best movie ever made about "The Phone Company", and now, in 2006, it is perhaps more important than ever. Back in 1967 it was a fantasy and a comedy, but today in the real news (and more importantly, in people's billing statements) it's more of a tragedy.Okay, fine - so that's really a topical 2006 joking interpretation, but I always felt this was a comedy classic, and I really do think it might do 2006 society a little good to have a laugh, and then give a thought about what, it seems, might be happening all over again. The prophetic view of everyone, everywhere, being connected wirelessly has now almost happened. Can we really be sure the evil parts aren't happening too?It's silly, it's imaginative to the point of fantastical (for 1967 anyway) and now it's practically topical all over again.