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Hollywood on Trial

  • 19761976
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
224
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Hollywood on Trial (1976)
  • Documentary
The documentary analyzes a dark period in Hollywood's history due to the Red Scare of the 1940's and 1950's, when actors, writers and directors were persecuted and investigated by the House ... Read allThe documentary analyzes a dark period in Hollywood's history due to the Red Scare of the 1940's and 1950's, when actors, writers and directors were persecuted and investigated by the House of Un-American Activities Committee after being considered suspects of committing Anti-Ame... Read allThe documentary analyzes a dark period in Hollywood's history due to the Red Scare of the 1940's and 1950's, when actors, writers and directors were persecuted and investigated by the House of Un-American Activities Committee after being considered suspects of committing Anti-American acts by preaching the Communism in their films and television shows.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
224
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • David Helpern
  • Writer
    • Arnie Reisman
  • Stars
    • Walter Bernstein
    • Alvah Bessie
    • Lester Cole
Top credits
  • Director
    • David Helpern
  • Writer
    • Arnie Reisman
  • Stars
    • Walter Bernstein
    • Alvah Bessie
    • Lester Cole
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Photos

    Hollywood on Trial (1976)
    Hollywood on Trial (1976)
    Hollywood on Trial (1976)
    Dalton Trumbo in Hollywood on Trial (1976)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Walter Bernstein
    Walter Bernstein
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Alvah Bessie
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Lester Cole
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Howard Da Silva
    Howard Da Silva
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Edward Dmytryk
    Edward Dmytryk
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Millard Lampell
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Ring Lardner Jr.
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Albert Maltz
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Ben Margolis
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Zero Mostel
    Zero Mostel
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Otto Preminger
    Otto Preminger
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Ronald Reagan
    Ronald Reagan
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Martin Ritt
    Martin Ritt
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Gale Sondergaard
    Gale Sondergaard
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Leo Townsend
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    Dalton Trumbo
    Dalton Trumbo
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    William Wheeler
    • Self - Intervieweeas Self - Interviewee
    John Huston
    John Huston
    • Self - Narratoras Self - Narrator
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • David Helpern
    • Writer
      • Arnie Reisman
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    The documentary analyzes a dark period in Hollywood's history due to the Red Scare of the 1940's and 1950's, when actors, writers and directors were persecuted and investigated by the House of Un-American Activities Committee after being considered suspects of committing Anti-American acts by preaching the Communism in their films and television shows. —Rodrigo Amaro
    • communism
    • house un american activities committee
    • mccarthyism
    • blacklisting
    • independent film
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genre
      • Documentary
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was abolished in 1975. This documentary was made and first released in 1976, as was The Front (1976), a dramatic picture made about the McCarthy-era black-listing.
    • Connections
      Featured in Trumbo (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Shanghai Lil
      (uncredited)

      Music by Harry Warren

      Played during the opening credits

    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    Good Documentary
    Hollywood on Trial (1976)

    *** (out of 4)

    In 1975 The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was basically closed and it ended a very dark period for both the government and Hollywood. The following year Hollywood would somewhat fight back or show their side with the release of this documentary as well as the Woody Allen film THE FRONT.

    Of the two, there's no question that THE FRONT is the better of the two but this documentary serves an important purpose because it does feature some terrific footage from the actual trials as well as some current interviews that are rather priceless and especially since so many of those people are no longer with us. We get interviews from the likes of Edward Dmytryk, Otto Preminger, Martin Ritt, Ronald Reagan and various others.

    John Huston serves as the narrator and he's got a terrific voice so listening to him is a major plus. For the most part Hollywood ON TRIAL is a film that will appeal to history and film buffs but at the same time there have been better documents out there. This one here is a bit too dry for its own good but one must remember that it was the first to tackle the subject.
    helpful•4
    1
    • Michael_Elliott
    • Nov 13, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 1976 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hollywood przed sądem
    • Production company
      • Cinema Associates (III)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

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    May 15ScreenDaily
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    May 15ScreenDaily

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