CHAPPAQUIDDICK (Rated PG-13)

Partisans of Richard Nixon favored the bumper-sticker slogan “Nobody Died at Watergate,” referring to the death of a female staffer when Sen. Ted Kennedy plunged a vehicle in which they were traveling into a shallow pond on Chappaquiddick Island.

But President Nixon’s political career came to an end, while the senator served another 40 years in the upper chamber of Congress, even though his presidential aspirations disintegrated that fateful night, a point made abundantly clear in the new movie “Chappaquiddick.”

To capture the look of the Massachusetts solon, it falls to Australia native Jason Clarke to portray Ted Kennedy and Kate Mara takes the role of former Bobby Kennedy staffer Mary Jo Kopechne, the fatal victim on a July night in 1969.

“Chappaquiddick” recounts the night of a party that was a gathering of Robert F. Kennedy campaign workers, including the women who were affectionately known as “The Boiler Room Girls,” of which Kopechne was a devoted member.

Screenwriters Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan assembled the script to tell the story by going back to the 1970 Edgartown’s court inquest, after which the senator was given a two-month suspended jail sentence.

Controversy followed the incident at Chappaquiddick, which was overshadowed in the news at the time by the moon landing, to the extent that there was no end to conspiracy theories or even insinuations of an affair between Ted and Mary Jo.

The writers have said that they “pulled from objective facts to lay the groundwork – no insinuation, no innuendo, but the real truth.”

While the film is unflattering to Kennedy, it doesn’t allege that the senator was driving drunk or that sexual advances were made.

But there is plenty of things happening here that cast a very bad light for the last remaining Kennedy brother.

For one, he swam back to Edgartown for the night without reporting the accident to police until nearly 10 hours later.

“Chappaquiddick” also reveals a lot of political maneuvering with old JFK operatives like Ted Sorensen and former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (Clancy Brown) on hand at the Hyannis Port compound plotting strategy to salvage a career.

Kennedy didn’t help his case by making bone-headed moves, such as disregarding the wise counsel of his cousin Joe Gargan (Ed Helms) and even wearing an unnecessary neck brace to Mary Jo’s funeral in a bid to gain sympathy.

As a historical drama, “Chappaquiddick,” avoiding tabloid scandal fodder, nonetheless results in a gripping, suspenseful tale that is disturbing as well as thought-provoking about what might have been for the future of the Kennedy dynasty.

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL PREVIEW

This column has touted the desirable experience of the annual TCM Classic Film Festival for many years, and once again cinema fans from around the world have the chance to descend on Hollywood for screenings over the four-day period of April 26th through April 29.

The TCM theme this year is “Powerful Words: The Page Onscreen,” celebrating the representation of the written word on the silver screen, from original screenplays to unique adaptations to portrayals of writers real and imagined.

Indeed, the foundation of great film is the written word. This concept may be underscored by the opening night presentation of Mel Brooks’ “The Producers,” for which he was both writer and director and won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

The Festival will generate plenty of interest for the appearance of Mel Brooks for his discussion of “The Producers,” a film that achieved an exalted cult status and eventually spawned the hit titular Broadway musical that went on to win a record number of Tony Awards.

“The Producers” is not the only film celebrating its fiftieth anniversary at the TCM Classic Film Festival. Director Franco Zeffirelli’s vision of “Romeo & Juliet,” which cast actual teenagers (Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting) as the star-crossed lovers, gets major billing.

A film that holds up really well 50 years later is the Steve McQueen thriller “Bullitt,” which inarguably has one of the most famous chase scenes in film history. The good news is that co-star Jacqueline Bisset will be on hand for a discussion at the screening of this taut police tale.

For great laughs, “The Odd Couple,” also celebrating its golden anniversary, can’t be missed as it explains why one refers to a sloppy friend as Oscar and a neat freak as Felix, thanks to the classic comedy delivered by Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon in their respective roles.

Celebrating its twentieth anniversary is another cult favorite, “The Big Lebowski,” which has developed a devoted following at midnight screenings. At TCM, you won’t have to stay up late to find out why the Dude abides.

The “Best Picture” Oscar went to “The Shape of Water,” and now TCM offers the chance to watch the original inspiration with the 3D presentation of the 1954 “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” a truly classic film.

Going to the TCM Classic Film Festival allows for a fan’s experience at classic venues like the fabled Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian.

Check out the TCM Festival Web site for greater details.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.