If there is one item from the 50's in American history that still intrigues to this day it is the whole anti-communist, McCarthy-era dealings that were well introduced in Good Night. And, Good Luck. Following in the footsteps of this discussion is a doc film that played out at the recent Toronto film festival – Trumbo might not be a familair name to younger cinephiles but some of the screenplays he wrote sure ring a bell. Today, IndieWIRE reports that Samuel Goldwyn Films has picked up the theatrical rights to the pic and have paired up with Red Envelope (for the DVD release) – and plan for a Spring 2008 release.
Below I've copied TIFF's film description – (the timeline shows when the ban occured and when it was thankfully lifted – perhaps I'll read more into Spartacus the next time I watch it).
In 1947, the highly accomplished writer of Kitty Foyle and A Bill of Divorcement was called to testify before the notorious HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee), which sought to flush out Communist Party members from American society. Trumbo was an unfriendly witness. He and nine other uncooperative writers and directors were soon dubbed “The Hollywood Ten,” blacklisted and subsequently imprisoned. Upon his release from jail in 1950, Trumbo moved with his family to Mexico, where he continued to write screenplays (Roman Holiday, The Brave One) under various pseudonyms. Finally in 1960, Hollywood renegades Otto Preminger and Kirk Douglas hired Trumbo to write Exodus and Spartacus, respectively, with full public credit, thereby ending the blacklist.
