Truman is a 1995 American biographical drama television film directed by Frank Pierson and written by Thomas Rickman, based on David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1992 book, Truman. Starring Gary Sinise as Harry S. Truman, the film centers on Truman's humble beginnings, his rise to the presidency, World War II, and his decision to use the first atomic bomb. The film aired on HBO on September 9, 1995.
Contents
Cast
Gary Sinise as Harry S. Truman
Diana Scarwid as Bess Truman
Richard Dysart as Henry L. Stimson
Colm Feore as Charlie Ross
James Gammon as Sam Rayburn
Tony Goldwyn as Clark Clifford
Pat Hingle as Boss Tom Pendergast
Harris Yulin as General George C. Marshall
Leo Burmester as Frank Vassar
Amelia Campbell as Margaret Truman
Virginia Capers as Elizabeth Moore
John Finn as Bob Hannegan
Željko Ivanek as Eddie Jacobson
David Lansbury as Lieutenant Jim Pendergast
Remak Ramsay as Dean Acheson
Marian Seldes as Eleanor Roosevelt
Lois Smith as Madge Wallace Gates
Richard Venture as J. Lester Perry
Daniel von Bargen as General Douglas MacArthur
Michael Murphy as Dinner Speaker (uncredited)
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 89% rating based on reviews from 9 critics. Steve Crum of the Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers rated it 5 out of 5, calling it a "Superb production with memorable Sinise performance in title role." TV Guide said, "Over-applauded by many critics, Truman is sturdy, standardized biographical moviemaking elevated by incontestably brilliant acting. Unfortunately, this cavalcade of facts and figures is conceived and executed impersonally like a docent delivering a speech in front of the waxworks at a Presidential museum. … [The audience lacks] a sense that Truman's travails have been shaped on screen by a filmmaker's passion. … Truman offers the satisfaction of textual thoroughness and seamless storytelling, but few flashes of inspiration or imagination."