Trumbo

4 Stars (out of four)

This is a biopic of Dalton Trumbo.  For those of you who don't know, Dalton Trumbo (played by Bryan Cranston) was one of the infamous "Hollywood Ten," a group of mostly screenwriters and directors who were victims of the prosecution of the Congressional House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and Joe McCarthy during the Red Scare of the 50's.  All of the ten were former or current members of the Communist Party USA during the Great Depression in the 30's and the 40's when Russia was an ally.  They were at the top of the infamous blacklist and were not able to work under their names for close to 20 years.  Trumbo was one of the best writer among them, writing two (!) Oscar-winning screenplays (Roman Holiday and The Brave One under pseudonyms).  The blacklist was ruthlessly enforced by Hollywood tabloid writer Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) and the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, originally formed by Walt Disney, but at this time, was headed by John Wayne.  Trumbo was cited for contempt of Congress when he refused to testify before HUAC, served prison time and then couldn't work under his name for close to 20 years.  He was finally vindicated when Otto Preminger hired him for Exodus, and Kirk Douglas publicly announced him as the screenwriter for Spartacus.

There have been other prominent movies made about the blacklist including, Guilty By Suspicion in 1989, starring Robert DeNiro.  But Trumbo is probably the best at demonstrating the fear and paranoia that made America lose its way for some time.  To be fair, history and recent revelations from Soviet KGB archives have shown that there was a very active attempt by the Soviets to infiltrate all prominent institutions in America from the press, to labor unions, to government agencies to the entertainment industry.  McCarthy and HUAC, while their methods were despicable, were not the paranoid kooks they tend to be portrayed in movies like these.

That said, for a congressional committee that had the phrase Un-American in the title, they certainly used unamerican methods to prosecute people without probable cause, based primarily on flimsy allegations rooted in fear.  In the rush to protect America, they trampled the rights of many Americans who didn't deserve the treatment they received; losing their jobs, freedoms and sometimes their lives to root out communism in America.  This movie raises a real warning about the pernicious influence of fear and how it turns us against ourselves by painting groups of people with the same broad brush.  I don't know if it was the filmmaker's intent, but there are real reverberations in today's charged climate, specifically with Muslims.  People today are more and more assuming every Muslim is dangerous and suspicious, and the rhetoric is getting more blunt and accusatory, filled with self-righteousness and fear.  Whenever we as a nation feel threatened, if we can't strike at an outside foe, we turn inward on each other.  Trumbo tries to show the consequences of that kind of behavior through the microcosm of Trumbo's own life.

The movie is superbly written and acted. It is very scary in its implications.  But it is often punctuated with incredible wit and humor that makes it palatable and not preachy.  It is thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking. I would recommend every adult in America see it and reflect on what it is saying.  It will probably not change many people's minds as many have made their mind up based on fear of the different.  But hopefully, it can persuade some people to reach for their better angels.