Trumbo (2015)
Another look at McCarthyism.
There are many movies about Communism and the hearings that Joseph McCarthy held where he forced suspected Communists to appear before Congress. There are serious films, such as Good Night and Good Luck and comedies such as Hail Ceasar! that highlight this same period of time, each with a different focus. But Trumbo takes a unique approach, focusing on the effect of these House Un-American Activities Committee hearings on Hollywood, art, and one man’s family. I’m surprised by how many films have been made about this subject matter, yet I haven’t found two that were exactly alike. Though created about the same time period and the same event in history, all of them were still engaging and entertaining.
While watching, I was struck by how fascinated we are by this part of our nation’s history. I wonder why this is. And, a possibly more important question is: what can we learn from this moment in time that really wasn’t all that long ago? We live in a time that is politically polarized and people are scared… especially during a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and protests in the street. While watching, I couldn’t help but wonder if we could find ourselves in a similar situation of naming names and people being unjustly imprisoned, blacklisted from their jobs, and worse. I would like to think that films like Trumbo can serve as a warning for us of the…
