Trumbo (2008)
Through a focus on the life of Dalton Trumbo (1905-1976), this film examines the effects on individuals and families of a congressional pursuit of Hollywood Communists after World War II. Trumbo was one of several writers, directors, and actors who invoked the First Amendment in refusing to answer questions under oath. They were blacklisted and imprisoned. We follow Trumbo to prison, to exile in Mexico with his family, to poverty, to the public shunning of his children, to his writing under others' names, and to an eventual but incomplete vindication. Actors read his letters; his children and friends remember and comment. Archive photos, newsreels and interviews add texture. Written by
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For those of us not quite old enough to remember first-hand the evils of that horrid period in American history known as McCarthyism and the rampant loss of freedom and justice during its barbaric witch-hunts, this is a profoundly important film to watch.At a time when terms like "patriot" are increasingly misused, abused and bastardized, the story of writer, Dalton Trumbo, and others like him who suffered grave injustices in the hands of their own fellow countrymen, needs to be heard far and wide and especially by the youth in this country. I wished they would add this film and others like it to every high-school history-class curriculum, as they are just as relevant today.An immensely moving and heartbreaking story and an absolute must-see (be sure to read the closing credits.)
The one about the famous poet who constantly wrote his friends asking for money.Dalton Trumbo was one of the people who ended up on the Hollywood Blacklist for backing the wrong horse in the Cold War. Even though his Russian counterpart would have been shot and buried in a shallow grave, this guy whined because no one wanted to hire him.Hollywood is a business, and having "Screenplay by a dirty, stinkin' communist" wasn't going to sell your movie. Sorry, it just wasn't.So the movies is a bunch of spoiled Hollywood actors reading lines of Trumbo's whining letters about how life was so unfair to him as opposed to the 19 year old kid who got killed and buried in Korea somewhere. Or something. Oh, yeah, and he needed money. All the time.It's one of those documentaries where you kind of sympathize with the subject going in and end up hating him going out, and you don't really think that was the film maker's intent.
...far more exposure on this site, and way more reviews. It's a sad commentary that so few IMDbers have seen this film. The example of his life and the sort of things that Dalton "Spartacus" Trumbo had to say "back in the day" (beautifully voiced in this doc by any number of top actors) are as timely and relevant right now as they were then, and IMDbers are all the poorer for ignoring them (or even simply being unaware of them)."Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo,""Rocketship X-M,""The Brave One,""Cowboy,""Spartacus,""Exodus,""Hawaii,""Papillon,""Always;" all bear the Trumbo imprint, as do dozens more, including perhaps his most enduring masterwork, "Johnny Got His Gun," based on his own novel and arguably the most blisteringly effective anti-war tale of the 20th century, even more than "All Quiet on the Western Front." Trumbo was a master screenwriter, and a fine writer besides; this eponymous doc was adapted by Trumbo's son, Christopher,from his own play, and was directed by Peter "I'm in with the Hedwig crowd" Askin, edited by longtime Michael "I'm big" Moore associate, Kurt "At the Edge of the World" Engfehr, shot by Frank "Night of the Living Dead (1990)" Prinzi, and scored by Robert "Teeth" Miller. They all did a magnificent job, with (to reiterate) no small thanks to C. Trumbo's well-crafted script and, as I've already mentioned and will mention again, the superb readings of D. Trumbo's letters by several handfuls of accomplished actors."Trumbo" is as perceptive and trenchant a look at personal integrity as one might ask, and an interesting little history lesson to boot. It's also a reminder that there is exactly one thing that creates the foundation for a top-quality movie: the screenplay.
Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was arguably the most famous of the "Unfriendly Ten" who were blacklisted in 1947 in the first flash of America's witch-hunts. But that's pretty much all that the casual observer knew about him before his son, Christopher, presented his letters in the two-hander "Trumbo." Now Peter Askin's documentary, which includes dramatized readings from Trumbo fils' epistolary drama, fills in the historical gaps with newsreels, interviews, and a minimum of film clips ($). The importance of this documentary is that it shows how unquiet Trumbo was, how his insistent visibility helped break the Blacklist, and how the forces that tried to make the Blacklistees toe the line are still running things. For any doctrinaire Right-wingers reading this summary, "Trumbo" isn't about Communism, it's about thought control -- something both Left and Right seem to be fixated on imposing. The power of this film comes from its varied, non-manipulative portrayal of an indomitable creative spirit.