The setting is familiar. A Senate subcommittee meets to confirm the President's controversial nominee for Secretary of State. A TV camera rolls. And the wolf is at the door

Three years after Anatomy of a Murder, Otto Preminger examined the body politic in Advise & Consent. The story is one of power and procedure: deals become extortion, closets reveal skeletons, careers are crushed. History buffs may think they recall real-life counterparts to the characters depicted. Movie fans can revel in a rare starpower array: Henry Fonda, Walter Pidgeon, Don Murray, Gene Tierney, Peter Lawford, Franchot Tone and Charles Laughton in his final role. The gavel has sounded. Let the proceedings - and backstage maneuverings - begin.