The President's Analyst Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The President's Analyst Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 5, 2021

Ted Flicker's "The President's Analyst" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with critic Kim Newman; new audio commentary recorded by critic Tim Lucas; and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Deep, very deep undercover

Ted Flicker’s The President’s Analyst and Elia Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd have very different reputations, but their prophecies are equally impressive. A few decades ago, the fate of the former easily could have been linked to its flamboyant style, which does make it rather easy to place it away from the latter. But now it is crystal-clear that Flicker was a brilliant thinker and visionary who went even further into the future than Kazan did and figured out how America’s power structures would evolve. Indeed, the flamboyant style of The President’s Analyst is simply a witty protective facade that ensures its right to exist. The detailed disclaimer in the prologue, which is actually the film's Achilles’ heel because it confirms its true identity, is part of the facade as well.

The film opens up in New York where Dr. Sidney Schaefer (James Coburn) is visited by one of the government’s top spies, Don Masters (Godfrey Cambridge), and offered the opportunity to become the President’s personal shrink. Unable to hide his surprise and barely able to contain his excitement, Dr. Schaefer accepts on the spot and then quickly relocates to Washington D.C. to begin working for the most powerful man in the world. But the daily security procedures and very random nature of the sessions with his new client, as well as his rapidly deteriorating romantic relationship with his capricious girlfriend, Nan (Joan Delany), quickly frustrate Dr. Schaefer, and soon after he begins regretting his decision to abandon his private practice in New York. While struggling to avoid various international spies who have started monitoring his activities, hoping to somehow acquire valuable information from his secretive sessions with the President, Dr. Schaefer gets a perfect opportunity to exit his miserable business arrangement with the U.S. government. Then he makes a bold move -- he joins a band of stoned hippies, puts on a big wig, and becomes invisible. However, domestic and international spies quickly track him down again and promptly initiate various very complex secret operations to ‘retain’ him before their rivals do. Initially, it seems like Masters and his Soviet counterpart, Kropotkin (Severn Darden), are a few steps ahead of everyone else, but their winning strategies are compromised by an unusual new player.

A loose sense of humor permeates the film and creates the impression that Dr. Schaefer is trapped in a big psychedelic circus where very little and quite possibly nothing at all is what it seems. Bits of this humor are effectively used to mock various conventional targets as well. But if viewed only as a whacky piece of satire the film isn’t particularly impressive.

Flicker’s prophecies are what make the film fascinating to behold and deconstruct. Here are a few samples:

The two government agencies that take over Dr. Schaefer’s life, the C.E.A. and F.B.R., are run by delusional unelected bureaucrats with unchecked powers and the ability to ‘improvise’ on the spot in the name of national security. Also, in the higher echelons of these agencies, politically correct lingo is every bit as important as the success of the missions they undertake. The film even predicts the inevitable end of privacy in a completely wired world where Big Brother sees, hears, and documents everything. A massive Phone Company which has figured out how to bypass the entire government is Big Brother’s only competitor, but it seems like it is only a matter of time before the two begin working together and establish the ultimate power structure.

The one major error in Flicker’s prophecies emerges from the notion that an intelligent outsider can successfully challenge and prevent the inevitable formation of the ultimate power structure. In the film, Dr. Schaefer’s journey to the Phone Company is made possible thanks to a series of lucky breaks. In the future world that Flicker constructs, Dr. Schaefer would have been properly vetted and deactivated as soon as he reveals signs of disobedience.

Some of the visuals are astonishing and can easily make one nostalgic about the era they depict. The short sequence where Dr. Schaefer is seen at the top of the Statue of Liberty, for instance, is a perfect reminder that modern technology will never be able to replicate the skills or vision of a master cinematographer. The film was lensed by William A. Fracker (Bullitt, Rosemary's Baby).

The President's Analyst Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The President's Analyst arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. Despite some small but obvious limitations, I think that it is quite good. In fact, large portions of it actually look very good, boasting pleasing organic qualities. The main reason for this the lack of digital corrections of the kind that frequently appear on older masters that emerge from Universal's vaults. For example, there are different types of density fluctuations, but they are part of the original cinematography. Grain exposure can be uneven as well, but it isn't because someone had tried to rebalance the visuals with modern digital tools. The color balance is good too, though there is certainly room for some meaningful improvements. However, the technical presentation could have been better. Indeed, specific encoding optimizations should have been made to ensure that the visuals are as solid as they can be. In a couple of different areas I noticed artifacts that easily could have been avoided (see the upper left corner of screencapture #14). Elsewhere there are visuals that look soft, but it is not because the softness is part of the original cinematography. Still, this is a good organic presentation of The President's Analyst, but with a few encoding tweaks it could have been quite wonderful. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The President's Analyst Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The audio is clear and stable. There are no balance issues to report either. Lalo Schifrin's jazzy score easily crates some quite memorable contrasts, but the overall dynamic intensity I think is rather modest. Even the big shootout at the Phone Company at the end of the film easily reveals the limitations of the production. Can the audio sound better? I don't think so. If it is remixed, all improvements, if there are any at all, will almost certainly be cosmetic.

The President's Analyst Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage U.S. trailer for The President's Analyst. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• The President's Analyst: An Appreciation by Kim Newman - in this new program, critic Kim Newman discusses some of the unique qualities of The President's Analyst and explains why it deserves to be considered a cult film. I usually agree with Mr. Newman's commentaries on older genre films, but in this case his observations about the structure of the U.S. government, the manner in which its top agencies used to/still function, and politics ignore some key realities. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, critic Tim Lucas discusses in great detail the production of The President's Analyst, the various locations where major parts of the film were shot, the nature of its conflicts, the careers of some of the people that made it, etc.

The President's Analyst Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Don't be fooled by the colorful chaos that gives Ted Flicker's The President's Analyst its identity. It's a facade that hides some absolutely astonishing prophecies about the future of America's power structures and, believe it or not, all but one have been fulfilled. Naturally, I think that this film needs a very serious critical reevaluation. Via Vision Entertainment's release is sourced from an old but fine organic master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. It is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.