Film No. 11 (2016) Trumbo February 13th.

Film No. 11 (2016) February 13th.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"If you're going to talk about World War II as if you personally won it, let's be clear where you were stationed - on a film set, shooting blanks, wearing make-up, and if you're going to hit me I'd like to take my glasses off" (Dalton Trumbo challenges John Wayne in the foyer of a Los Angeles cinema).

 

 

The term solid is often used to describe a film which is good, worth its ticket price and is entertaining from start to finish. Trumbo is the classic example of a solid film. The story of how one of Hollywood's most talented writers was blacklisted, jailed then continually harassed before rising to finally become a legend of his craft, is a story worth telling. 


Goodbye and Good Luck remains one of my favourite films depicting the injustices of McCarthyism through the late 40's and 50's. Trumbo makes for the perfect partner for a Democrats double feature fund-raising event in the lead up to the 2016 presidential race. The murmurings of Donald Trump about his aim to eliminate Muslims from his, yes I repeat, his country makes one wonder what the human race has learned from its past mistakes. After Trumbo, like Goodbye you're likely to ask the same question.


Dalton Trumbo, exquisitely played by Brian (Breaking Bad) Cranston, is the highest paid writer in Hollywood in 1947. Trumbo was a man of impeccable morals and wrote short stories and novels through the 30's and 40's depicting the plight of the human spirit, hence his affiliation with The Communist Party before WWII. He adapted his popular writing to screen during and after the war but was targeted by right wing columnists during the McCarthey years and this is where the film takes up his intriguing story.


A film that takes on the depiction of legends of the screen using unsung actors is a risky business. Trumbo does it so well we become emotionally attached to the bravery of Kirk Douglas (Dean O'Gorman) and his use of Trumbo on the Spartacus script. John Wayne (David Elliot) lovers may not want to see what's on offer here and Edward G Robinson (Michael Stuhlbarg), the least look alike of all, does it tough. Trumbo asks more questions than it answers, but he was a man of substance; don't miss the real Dalton Trumbo talk from the heart half way through the end titles. It's a key moment, played out to those die hard viewers who always stay on. 9GUMS.