The Front (1976)

In 1976, Woody Allen stepped in front of the cameras for director Martin Ritt as the main star in his film, The Front. A good, if slightly overlong exploration of the infamous Hollywood communist black-listing, the film focuses on Allen's character, a non-writer who "fronts" for black-listed film writers. It was a practice that actually occurred during the McCarthy Era in the United States; whenever blacklisted screenwriters wanted to continue working in the industry they would hire a "front", or assume a psudeonym.

Woody plays a very familiar characterization of himself - essentially a slightly less manic version of his early 1970's cinematic persona - but unlike the films he'd made and starred in up to this point, there was a fair amount of drama to be found in The Front, something no doubt enhanced by the fact that this "story" is heavily based in actual truth.

Allen begins fronting for a friend of his, rather innocently enough, but soon he is fronting for a few different black-listed writers, and begins to become famous as a Hollywood writer. Studios are amazed at his prolific, talented output, despite the fact that he's not actually writing a single word. However, soon enough it all begins to fall down around him, people start to smell something is up, and he too becomes the target of investigation. The ending of the film is brilliant, and marks the first time in Allen's career that he said "the f-word" on screen (and indeed the only time it is used in the entire film, so that it carries much weight when it is finally heard).

In a fitting tribute by writer/director Ritt, many of the people that worked on the production of The Front were themselves blacklisted at one time or another, adding an additional element of truth and poignancy to the film. While the film may not be the best film Allen has starred in without directing (I'd have go with Play It Again, Sam), it is still enjoyable and recommended viewing for Allen fans and film history buffs alike.

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