Thomas Ormsby Reviews
trumbo
An accomplished screenwriter, who was punished because he was not then, nor had ever been, a member of the columnist's party.

As both a writer and a critic, this movie rang true for me . . far more than if I had opted to see . . . let's say, Spectre, or The Peanuts Movie or any of the other fare now showing. I'll see them in due time, but I have been waiting for Trumbo because I wanted to spend my money on real value, especially after I learned that Pan had bombed so badly.

Dalton Trumbo was an American screenwriter and novelist, who was branded as one of the Hollywood Ten, who, along with nine other colleagues, refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 during the committee's investigation of Communist influences in the motion picture industry. The committee was well-named, since it was the most un-American activity then at work. Trumbo was interrogated by the committee chairman, repeatedly asking Trumbo if he was a member of the Communist Party, something which was perfectly legal, especially during World War II, when America was allied with Communist Russia to defeat Hitler. Trumbo, fully aware of his rights and the law, refused to answer. This committee was as self-righteous as those we saw as recently as this year -- committees assigned to investigate the attack upon our embassy in Benghazi, Libya. The main intent, as has now been publically revealed, is not to get at the facts -- their main intent is to destroy someone's reputation and prevent them from further advancement, and we know who that is.

Trumbo was ultimately imprisoned for eleven months for contempt of Congress, the only way that the committee could punish him for a crime he didn't commit. Upon release, he produced numerous screen plays under various pseudonyms, several of which were awarded Oscars for Best Screenplay, movies such as Roman Holiday and The Brave One. This drew the attention of Hollywood gossip maven, Hedda Hopper, who thrived on tidbits, rumors and tips, and whose pen could be dipped in venom as well as ink. This role went to Helen Mirren, who, not only dons the stylish hats for which Hopper was known, but also plays her with the restraint of the coiled viper she could be, a woman so vicious that Spencer Tracy once kicked her in the ass. Incidentally, you can see the real Hedda Hopper in her cameo during the closing scenes of Sunset Boulevard.

We get to see portrayals of other Hollywood luminaries -- John Wayne, Edward G. Robinson, Louis B. Mayer, and a rather credible take on Kirk Douglas. The public encounter between Trumbo and John Wayne is long overdue and quite gratifying, and Trumbo's remarks before the Congressional committee are as good as those that Howard Hughes let rip when HE was being interrogated by a corrupt Congressman of a different sort, as we saw in The Aviator.

Blacklisting effectively ended in 1960, when Kirk Douglas ignored the threats of studio bosses -- and Congress, and publicly announced that Trumbo was the screenwriter of Spartacus. President John F. Kennedy crossed American Legion picket lines to see Spartacus, a gesture that ended the career of staunch Republican Hedda Hopper and the tight grip she had on celebrity reputation and public opinion. Otto Preminger also decided to publicize the fact that Trumbo wrote the screenplay for Exodus.

Trumbo won two Academy Awards while blacklisted; one was originally given to a front writer, and one was awarded to "Robert Rich", another of Trumbo's pen names. On December 19, 2011, the Writers Guild of America announced that Trumbo was given full credit for his work on the screenplay of the 1953 romantic comedy Roman Holiday, almost sixty years after the fact. I am glad that Kirk Douglas has lived long enough to see this film. My renewed appreciation for him has shown that he really is Spartacus.

Given the nature of this story, I cannot imagine this movie will not win an Oscar for John McNamara for Best Screenplay. But there is more here than just a riveting story of the darker side of Hollywood history. There are some great performances as well -- the ever-watchable Diane Lane as the long-suffering wife, Cleo -- Helen Mirren as the catty Hopper and Bryan Cranston as Dalton Trumbo. I would think Best Costumes is another sure win . . . and given the entire line-up of 2015 movies about to be evaluated for awards, Best Picture and Best Director (Jay Roach) may be within reach.

--Thomas Ormsby