While my class is enjoying "High
Noon" by blacklisted author Carl
Foreman, it is impossible to teach the screenplay unless students understand
the times in which it was written, and the subtext hidden deep within a
film that looks like "a western."
Foreman alluded bitterly to the Blacklist in this
film, a study of a man forced to stand up against evil, a man alone, rejected
by cowardly friends and neighbors. John Wayne, a staunch supporter
of the Hollywood Blacklist, was infuriated by this film, so he made "Rio
Bravo," a film antithesis to "High Noon," in which the hero does not want
the help of unprofessionals. Wayne liked this idea so much,
it made virtually the same film two more times, "El Dorado," and "Rio Lobo."
Among other screenplays by Carl Foreman is "The Bridge
on the River Kwai," one of the greatest anti-war films ever made.
Screen credit for the script of this masterpiece went to the author of
the original novel, Pierre Boulle, a man who did not write in English.
Authors such as Carl Foreman and Dalton Trumbo were Blacklisted by the
House Unamerican Activities Committee.
Led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, and his associates,
Roy Cohn and Richard Nixon, HUAC, declared certain people Communists and
Fellow Travelers, and insisted that they were enemies of the United States.
This was far more complicated that one might imagine.
If one supported the cause of our Russian allies during World War II, one
could be considered a Communist Sympathizer during the Cold War.
This was especially true of Americans such as Charlie Chaplin who supported
programs to help the oppressed Russian Jews.
A second problem was the loyalty oath. For
many jobs, including teaching, people had to sign a loyalty oath which
said they "were not now and never have been members of the Communist Party."
During the depression, when the government had failed its people,
many, especially students, looked idealistically to alternate forms of
government. Although these students were quickly disillusioned, anyone
who had signed a loyalty oath had committed perjury. The innocent
were suspected when they were forced to take the Fifth Amendment.
There are many good sites on the internet with far
more detailed information than I could ever supply. Please visit
them to learn more:
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