Trumbo

Dalton Trumbo is portrayed here as a man who didn't have an enemy in the world, except for the United States government. Communism is one of those things that looks good on the chalk board but doesn't cut it on the playing field, and Trumbo was great in the locker room. He was also a fan of the good life and enjoyed many of those things that came along with being a successful capitalist. His choices became limited though when his industry caught the attention of Senator Joseph McCarthy. From the ashes of the ensuing confrontations arose a paranoiac witch hunt for others who may have had sentiments similar to the ten who had been indicted.

Trumbo is featured over others primarily because he was the first of the group to be exonerated after having been blackballed. After Trumbo was accepted back by the film industry the political backgrounds of the other nine, along with other artists who had been blackballed by Hollywood, were slowly welcomed back. Excluding those of course who had fled the country or committed suicide.

So many recognizable personalities were portrayed in this film it seems like it had been created just to drop well-known names. The names it dropped though were of people Trumbo knew and had worked with. They were legitimate. Newsreels of the era (The 1950's) were also shown and we saw some of Trumbo's less supportive Hollywood companions testifying against the 'Hollywood Ten'.

The newsreels, a fine sound track and dialogue from the mouths of a number of Hollywood dignitaries gave the film a feeling of surrealism. It was almost like we were in a Hollywood living room. The dialogue may have been fabricated, but so many events referred to in this film have been recorded it is difficult to believe that the actors weren't portraying the reality of that time.

Bryan Cranston did a fine job of portraying Trumbo and fittingly was the focal point of this film. The producers here did their best to find look-alike actors for the roles of the many former on-screen luminaries, but with only minor success. Quality actress Helen Mirren played gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, and Hopper appeared to be such a bitch that she may be worthy of her own biopic. I know that Hopper had minor roles in a few films, so perhaps her acting abilities contributed to the success she achieved. John Goodman provided some humour in his excellent portrayal of 'B' movie producer Frank King. I know nothing about Frank King, but I know the type well.

Michael Stahlburg deserves accolades for his performance as Edward G. Robinson. However his characterization was what may have destroyed this film. I kept looking at him and thinking "Is that supposed to be Edward G. Robinson? " For those of us who saw Eddie G. on screen, as well as John Wayne and others, this whole look-alike thing was a distracting farce. I don't know what Dalton Trumbo looked like so they could have used Andy Serkis if they chose to. But an Edward G Robinson pseudo-double? The actual screenplay (Jay Roach) gave us the key events but never got me emotionally involved and that is a shame because the treatment of these individuals by the government, press and public was truly heartbreaking. Fear and paranoia were the order of the day.

The film, to me, didn't do justice to those who begged to differ, nor did it portray the evil individuals in their fullest diabolical form. Many of those supporting the Blackballing of the Hollywood Ten would just as soon have lined up Trumbo and his peer group against a wall and shot them BEFORE any trial.

As a slice of history, the film is worthwhile. As a film, not so much.