The stage curtains open ...
The 1950's in Hollywood wasn't quite so glamorous. Many were under the scrutinizing and accusing eye of the FBI. It was a restless time in American history, the time of the Hollywood Blacklist, the time of McCarthyism, the time when a communist could have been your very next door neighbor. It was also a time of resolve and of being true to oneself and your conscience.
Hollywood Director, David Merrill (Robert De Niro), fell under the FBI gaze because of a couple of meetings he once attended 12 years prior. He is prompted to go visit a lawyer before he can continue working on a movie. Unless David will turn against his friends and associates, naming them as communists, he must appear in court and face possible imprisonment as a communist himself. He refuses and suddenly, his life and the lives of everyone around him is thrown into chaos. He can't find work, his closest friends turn on him, and even his own son wonders if his Dad is a "red".
This was a very good depiction and comprehensive story of what it must have been like back in those days. De Niro, as usual, turned in a wonderful performance as a man who was willing to lose everything before he lost his dignity and integrity. He would rather stand up for what he believed to be right, than sell out his friends for something they didn't do.
I recommend this film. It is a bit dated, but it still holds up pretty well and is just as viable today as when it was first released 30 years ago. It isn't a tense film, not a thriller, but a steadily paced drama showcasing the human dilemma. As such, it does move rather slow in parts, but the final scene will have you riveted. This is a solid 7 stars out of 10.
The 1950's in Hollywood wasn't quite so glamorous. Many were under the scrutinizing and accusing eye of the FBI. It was a restless time in American history, the time of the Hollywood Blacklist, the time of McCarthyism, the time when a communist could have been your very next door neighbor. It was also a time of resolve and of being true to oneself and your conscience.
Hollywood Director, David Merrill (Robert De Niro), fell under the FBI gaze because of a couple of meetings he once attended 12 years prior. He is prompted to go visit a lawyer before he can continue working on a movie. Unless David will turn against his friends and associates, naming them as communists, he must appear in court and face possible imprisonment as a communist himself. He refuses and suddenly, his life and the lives of everyone around him is thrown into chaos. He can't find work, his closest friends turn on him, and even his own son wonders if his Dad is a "red".
This was a very good depiction and comprehensive story of what it must have been like back in those days. De Niro, as usual, turned in a wonderful performance as a man who was willing to lose everything before he lost his dignity and integrity. He would rather stand up for what he believed to be right, than sell out his friends for something they didn't do.
I recommend this film. It is a bit dated, but it still holds up pretty well and is just as viable today as when it was first released 30 years ago. It isn't a tense film, not a thriller, but a steadily paced drama showcasing the human dilemma. As such, it does move rather slow in parts, but the final scene will have you riveted. This is a solid 7 stars out of 10.