"Spartacus," "Exodus," "Papillion," and "Lonely Are The Brave" are among the most inspiring movies about courage and the indomitable human spirit even made in Hollywood. Ironically, they were written by a war veteran who had been stripped of his livelihood and even jailed for refusing to turn in his friends and coworkers to government officials.
The documentary film "Trumbo" looks at the experience of Dalton Trumbo, a respected, successful Hollywood screenwriter blacklisted in the McCarthy era and even jailed for failing to name names before the powerful House Committee on Un-American Activities. He was a man who adamantly persisted in standing by his principles in the face of crushing odds.
"Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Democratic Party?" That variation on a chillingly familiar question during the 1950s McCarthy "Red Hunt" era was what screenwriter Dalton Trumbo feared would be the next step. Raised by parents who felt that even being asked their political party affiliation was a form of government intrusion. This concern was one reason Trumbo cited the First Amendment when called before Senator Joe McCarthy's House Committee on Un-American Activities.
It remains one of the darkest moments in a country based on freedom. Joe McCarthy's search for hidden Communist agents devolved into a witch-hunt that struck at the heart of democratic freedoms, and turned neighbor against neighbor in a chilling wave of paranoia.
"What they failed to recognize was that many joined the Communist Party because it was the only one opposing the Nazis," said Trumbo, a WWII veteran, speaking about observers of the rise of Nazi power in the 1930s in archival footage presented in the film.
"Trumbo" is not about Communism but about the excesses of government power and the courage of one individual. The writer was jailed not for being a spy or for traitorous actions but for standing by his principles to not betray his colleagues.
The documentary covers the facts of the McCarthy era but focuses mostly on Trumbo's experience, using interviews with historians, surviving family and friends, and actors who worked with him such as Kirk Douglas and Dustin Hoffman. Archival footage of Trumbo, home movies and other materials explore both his experiences under the blacklist and afterwards, his devotion to his wife and children, his unsinkable personality and joy of life.
The most remarkable and moving parts of the documentary film are dramatic readings of his many letters, read by such gifted actors as Donald Sutherland, Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn, Liam Neeson, Nathan Lane, Danny Glover and Michael Douglas. Besides being a scriptwriter and novelist, Dalton Trumbo was also an avid letter writer. The letters are often personal but knock us out with their verbal cleverness, biting wit and often, pure humor. One friend remarked how he would be howling with laughter while reaching for the dictionary.
Despite being blacklisted, Dalton Trumbo continued to work under a series of false names, turning out a remarkable series of scripts such as the Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck film "Roman Holiday" and "The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell," a fact-based drama starring Gary Cooper about a general court-martialed for complaining publicly about the military command's neglect of servicemen.
Trumbo even won an Oscar under one of those false names, for "The Brave One," an award that helped finally break the blacklist.
Rugged individualism and courage in the face of adversity were common themes in Trumbo films such as "Spartacus," "Exodus" and "Papillion."
Like the individualistic characters in his scripts, Trumbo was often too outspoken for his own good, speaking out against tyranny when a wiser man might have kept his mouth shut.
"Trumbo" was written by Dalton Trumbo's son Christopher, adapted from his play about his father. Until the younger Trumbo's play, few people were familiar with the details of the writer's experience under blacklisting or had heard the words of his remarkable letters.
His feisty and often funny letters make clear that Dalton Trumbo considered himself a prisoner of war and the victim of an assault on freedom, something he approached like a character from a WWII movie.
Trumbo was one of several returning World war II veterans, part of the "Greatest Generation" who fought "to make the world safe for democracy," who returned only to find that support for an ally in war, and membership in a political party that was acceptable a few months earlier and still legal, now made them suspects at home.
"Trumbo" is an inspiring tale of a creative individual, a person who would not be crushed, much like the heroes of his films.
The film is an all-American story of individualism, a fight for freedom and what is right, no matter what the personal cost.
It is a profile in courage, much like a classic Hollywood movie. Simply put, it is a must-see documentary film.
"Trumbo" is showing at the Tivoli Theater, through Thursday, September 11, at a minimum.
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