Any biography is nothing more than about, who is he? How did he go through?
Dalton Trumbo, of course, is a writer. However, in terms of serious literary genre, what kind of writer should Dalton Trumbo fall into? This is a difficult problem. Compared with the novelist ("Johnny Goes to Battle") and the playwright ("Little Town Thieves"), the screenwriting is undoubtedly where his great achievements lie. Not only does he have the longest career as an American screenwriter, but he has also contributed a number of classics: Roman Holiday, Exodus, Spartacus, Johnny Goes to Battle, Papillon, and Loneliness is Brave" and "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" and other classic works... However, his achievements are not only that. In some ways, his most appealing thing is not his work, at least to me, he is more of a spiritual example - tenacity, independence, perseverance, sharpness and generosity, justice and wisdom. If we talk about the heroes of the times of peace, in my mind, Trumbo is one of them.
Trumbo came from a poor family in the United States and worked as a baker and a bootlegger. Trumbo's ideal at first was to be a novelist, but due to the deteriorating economy during the Great Depression, he entered the ranks of Hollywood screenwriters with his creative talents in the 1930s. In the late 1940s, he was jailed for persecution by the Un-American Activities Council (HUAC). After his release, he was blacklisted by the government, and an industry ban prevented him from working. Since then, for more than ten years, Trumbo borrowed other people's names to write scripts, and won two screenwriters with "Roman Holiday" and "Brave", but his name was not signed on the trophies. It wasn't until 1960 that Trumbo's name was brought back to light on the big screen of the year's most sensational film, "Exodus." The film focuses on the legendary life course of his use of wisdom, talent, and perseverance to declare war on the blacklist, to achieve a monument to his screenwriting career, and to rectify the names of his peers on the blacklist.
Speaking of background, it is the McCarthyism that prevailed in the United States in the 1950s. In short, a group of anti-communist and far-right people in the United States headed by Joseph McCarthy used unfair assertions and investigation methods to attack and slander suspected Communists, especially dissidents and critics. Its influence has spread to all aspects of American political, diplomatic and social life, including the entertainment industry of course. People in the entertainment industry may be included if they are considered to be Communists or have expressed approbation or sympathy for communism, participated in liberal or humanitarian political activities with a socialist background, or refused to assist in the investigation of Communist activities blacklist. And Trumbo was one of ten people on the first batch of blacklists.
Just as the life of a screenwriter was not planned by Trump, so is a life in politics. Although his youthful poverty made him a radical, he came out of Colorado in the 1920s as a vaguely minded populist. After entering the film industry, Trumbo's personal fortunes improved, and he did not reject wealth and pleasure, but he never forgot who he was and what kind of experience he had. Living in a villa with a swimming pool, he could still see the producers Poverty at the factory gate. A longtime champion of workers' power, Trumbo became a party member in 1943, but he became a communist after the Cold War cast doubt on the U.S. Democratic Party.
Naturally, many other communists would question the political purity of this stylish, active, sociable, aristocratic man, and his determination to fight against the Un-American Commission of Inquiry. As Nicky in the film doesn't understand Trumbo, "The day I knew you, you were a radical radical, but you lived a rich life, and I don't think you would be willing to sacrifice all of that. .” And Trumbo replied, “I despise martyrs, and I don’t fight for what is doomed. I don’t want to lose it all, but I’m willing to risk it all. This is the perfect combination of radical and rich. ."
In fact, there is a whole generation of writers, directors, actors and even a few producers in Hollywood who, like Trumbo, followed their beliefs and went to the left. They were all rich people, and people called them swimming pool communists. Later, hundreds of them were blacklisted. What the African-American Commission of Inquiry wants is just a few names and a gesture of friendly cooperation. However, the vast majority of them would rather give up the "swimming pool" than inform others, just to preserve their dignity and morality. There are only a handful of people who work with them, like Eddie, the actor in the film, and to be fair, they're not all out to save their fortunes, just to get a little bit of life out of the hands of insidious enemies.
Trump's political purity was attested in his dealings with the African-American Commission of Inquiry — he was the man who stood his ground as an activist to the point of going to jail, and he was the man who saw responsibility as an essentially moral mission. And his fighting skills are by no means pure self-sacrifice and self-indulgence. "The radical fights with the purity of Jesus, and the rich fight with the cunning of Satan." Trumbo did just that. Because the blacklist prevented him from getting a job, he wrote the script under someone else's name or a pseudonym, regardless of the subject matter or genre, thinking that he would cater to the film company, the entertainment market, and earn money. During that period, he made a huge number of plays, and he called himself a craftsman. He also gave his work to screenwriters who fought the black market like he did.
Breaking the blacklist has become an obsession for Trump. The fact that so many of the scripts were written by blacklisted writers under pseudonyms, given names, Trumbo decided, would make the blacklist itself a joke anyway. Things did develop that way. "You can never tell who wrote a movie in the 1950s." The reason why Trumbo broke the blacklist was not just because his name first appeared on the screen, but because he led this battle. In the language best understood by producers and directors of director companies—money—he demonstrated forcefully and convincingly that it was no longer in their interest to continue the blacklist. And Trumbo's normal love and good at making money is also a magic weapon to ensure that he can beat the blacklist.
The tenacious struggle and enterprising spirit at work not only helped Trumbo overcome the difficulties after being released from prison, but even after winning the screenwriter award, he still maintained a positive attitude. "I've never had a time in my life when I'm not working." Soaking in the bathtub, pinching a cigarette with one hand, and knocking on a computer with the other, has become a classic image of Trumbo. The film shows the tension between Trumbo and his wife and daughter because of excessive work, and love makes them understand each other and reconnect. Trumbo, who is still concerned about his work during chemotherapy for lung cancer, told reporters, "If the operation is unsuccessful, then my life will be quite limited. So if someone comes to me, give me a lot of money, let me Write the script, I will continue, because I can leave more money for my wife, because that is my share." Just ask if you are moved.
Pulling back the film, the ending shows Trumbo awarding him the Laureate Award on March 13, 1970 by the Writers Guild of Cinematography (for "an association that has advanced the literary character of film over the years and has made outstanding contributions to the screenwriting profession"). members"), speaking on the blacklist and its impact. A person, who finally passed the blacklist, still stayed in Hollywood during the McCarthy era, and relied on the movie black market to live a shadow-like life. Looking back on the past, how would he feel, whether he would explain anything, chase after him? Begging for something, accusing something... No, he didn't. "There are only victims in the dark years," he said. This time, he offered forgiveness like a priest.
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