One of the travesties of US history
involved the House Un-American Committee (HUAC). Countless careers were ruined
as Wisconsin Senator Eugene McCarthy and his group, including attorney Roy Cohn
(before he was Trump’s attorney), began their purge of Americans from
government jobs, Hollywood, and elsewhere if at any point in their lives they
were associated with the Communist Party, or attended a meeting, or refused to
name those they even suspected of being a Communist Party member.
Dalton Trumbo was an award-winning
writer who believed in unions to protect the average worker and as such was an
active member of the Communist party in the US. He and nine other Hollywood
producers and screenwriters objected to the tactics of the HUAC and refused to
cooperate with the HUAC investigations denouncing the hearings as a violation
of their civil rights to belong to any political organization they chose. They
were found guilty of contempt of Congress and each served a year in federal
prison.
Hollywood, afraid of being
associated with any radical organizations, then blacklisted the Hollywood 10
from ever again working in the film industry.
As a result, Trumbo and other
screenwriters were forced to secretly write using aliases. Several even won
academy awards under those aliases. Eventually, rumors of this work-around
began to circle in Hollywood. Finally, in the early 1960’s Trumbo’s name
appeared on the movie credits for Kirk Douglas’ “Spartacus” and Otto
Preminger’s “Exodus.” This effectively broke the Blacklist.
Based on the book Dalton Trumbo by Bruce Cook (available as both a book and
downloadable ebook from the libraries), this is the fascinating, fast-paced,
emotional story following Trumbo from the trial to his finally being recognized
for his writing under his actual name, and how the group struggled to provide
for their families. Bryan Cranston deserved his Oscar nomination for his
portrayal of Dalton Trumbo, and Helen Mirren was deliciously nasty as Hollywood
gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.
For those who know old Hollywood
and know the story of the Hollywood 10, this is a satisfying story especially
when Trumbo’s work is finally acknowledged. It was fun to try to figure out who
of the old-time Hollywood stars were being portrayed. The actor who portrayed
Kirk Douglas not only looked like him, but had his mannerisms down pat. A very
enjoyable 2-hours and 5 minutes. Be sure to watch the special features.
[
Internet Movie
Database entry for this film ] | [ official Trumbo
web site ]
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