Trumbo (2015)
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A talented Hollywood screenwriter faces the consequences of his political beliefs during the height of the Hollywood Blacklist.
The story
Dalton Trumbo is an elite Hollywood screenwriter whose membership in the Communist Party of the USA draws intense contempt from anti-Soviet industry figures. When subpoenaed to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) regarding Communist propaganda, Trumbo and several other writers refuse to answer questions. While his friend Edward G. Robinson attempts to raise money for their legal defense, the unexpected deaths of key justices ruin Trumbo's plans to appeal. Consequently, Trumbo is sentenced to serve time in a federal correctional institution, marking the beginning of a period of intense professional and personal hardship.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Dalton Trumbo is an elite Hollywood screenwriter whose membership in the Communist Party of the USA draws contempt from anti-Soviet figures like Hedda Hopper and John Wayne. When subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), Trumbo and others refuse to testify, leading to their conviction for contempt of Congress. Despite efforts by friend Edward G. Robinson to fund their defense, the deaths of Justices Wiley Rutledge and Frank Murphy derail their appeal, resulting in Trumbo serving 11 months in prison in 1950. Upon release, Trumbo finds himself blacklisted, facing strained finances and a fractured family life. He begins working under a pseudonym for King Brothers Productions, farming out screenplays and facing domestic conflict as his family serves as his support staff. Despite his success with films like 'The Brave One' and 'Spartacus'—where Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger publicly credit him—Trumbo remains a pariah. By 1961, the Blacklist begins to break as President John F. Kennedy endorses 'Spartacus,' allowing Trumbo to rebuild his career. Ten years later, Trumbo reflects on how the Blacklist victimized those who stood by their principles and those who compromised them.
- First release year
- 2015
- Runtime (minutes)
- 124
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jay Roach
- Writers
- John McNamara · writer; John McNamara · writer
- Cast and characters
- Bryan Cranston · Dalton Trumbo; Diane Lane · Hedda Hopper; Helen Mirren · Hedda Hopper; Louis C.K. · Arlen Hird; Elle Fanning; John Goodman; Michael Stuhlbarg · Edward G. Robinson; Dean O'Gorman · Kirk Douglas; David James Elliott · John Wayne
- Genres
- biographical drama
- Themes
- Political persecution; Integrity vs. Compromise; The Hollywood Blacklist; Civil liberties
- Tone and mood
- Honorable; Breezy; Pithy; Didactic
- Premise and plot tags
- Biographical; Historical Drama; Hollywood History; Blacklist
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1977 biography Dalton Trumbo by Bruce Alexander Cook.
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews, with Bryan Cranston earning wide recognition for his performance. However, some critics criticized it for being historically misleading or ideologically manipulative.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Actor · Nomination; BAFTA Award · Best Actor · Nomination; Screen Actors Guild Award · Best Actor · Nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Actor · Nomination; Critics' Choice Movie Award · Best Actor · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film depicts Edward G. Robinson betraying Dalton Trumbo by naming him as a communist, which Robinson later stated he was a dupe of communist front organizations.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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