Synopsis
Through a focus on the life of Dalton Trumbo (1905-1976), this film examines the effects on individuals and families of a congressional pursuit of Hollywood Communists after World War II. Trumbo was one of several writers, directors, and actors who invoked the First Amendment in refusing to answer questions under oath. They were blacklisted and imprisoned. We follow Trumbo to prison, to exile in Mexico with his family, to poverty, to the public shunning of his children, to his writing under others' names, and to an eventual but incomplete vindication. Actors read his letters; his children and friends remember and comment. Archive photos, newsreels and interviews add texture. Written by
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Cast
- Dalton TrumboSelf (archive footage)
- Joan AllenSelf
- Michael DouglasSelf
- Liam NeesonSelf
- Paul GiamattiSelf
- Josh LucasSelf
- Nathan LaneSelf
- Brian DennehySelf
- David StrathairnSelf
- Donald SutherlandSelf
Recommandations
- 91
The A.V. Club
Trumbo sexes up Trumbo's already dramatic story with a massive infusion of star power. - 88
TV Guide Magazine
Peter Askin's powerful documentary serves as an important reminder of our First Amendment rights, and a tribute to one man who fought to preserve them in the face of Congressional intimidation. - 83
Christian Science Monitor
Family home movies and photos and archival clips round out the film, which holds its hero-worshiping to fairly tolerable levels. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
An invigorating, funny, and moving portrait of a Hollywood hero. - 80
Salon
Trumbo is a terrific picture, a blend of interviews and archival footage and readings of Trumbo's letters and speeches. - 80
The New York Times
Today few would dispute Trumbo's assessment of that very dark period: "The blacklist was a time of evil, and no one who survived it on either side came through untouched by evil." - 70
Variety
It will serve as a fine entry point for younger auds interested in learning about the price paid by moviemakers and their families swept up in the 1950s anti-Communist net. - 70
Village Voice
The actors--most unshaven, wrinkled, so goddamned serious--steal the writer's movie, as they wring from his epistles every last drop of blood and sweat spilled by a man punished for believing his country was better than its behavior.
