**This course will be taught on Zoom. Films should be watched in advance of the class. For this particular class, virtually all the films are available via FREE Internet Archive links, which will provided by the instructor. Most are also available via the usual streaming links like Prime, Netflix, etc.
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In the aftermath of WWII, the general fear that Communism had become a serious internal threat to the nation’s security resulted in the creation of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) to ferret out subversive figures at every level of American life. The blistering left-wing faction of Hollywood, influential in so many ways, became a prime target.
Genre films, particularly crime stories and westerns, became the fertile soil that provided filmmakers with a platform for their personal agendas. Many low-budget films carried subversive political and social subtexts that often went unnoticed by censors and government watchdogs, enabling a stream of highly charged films to invade the public consciousness. Ultimately these artists would pay a price for the right to freely express their ideas and concerns, leaving behind a battle-scarred Hollywood landscape that would take decades to heal.
This six-week course will feature films focusing on those most affected by this shameful scourge, watched at home then discussed together via Zoom each week.
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Week One: The films under discussion will be CROSSFIRE (1947) a film noir drama about antisemitism in the military that results in murder! The second film will be BRUTE FORCE (1947), an unflinching drama about the inequities of prison life. Numerous personalities connected to each film suffered from being blacklisted
Week Two: Our films this week feature. The work of actor John Garfield, who was hounded viciously by the government until he finally died of a heart attack in 1952 at the age of 39. The films will be BODY AND SOUL (1947) and FORCE OF EVIL (1948).
Week Three: A pair of controversial films this week: Elia Kazan’s ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) and Jules Dassin’s THIEVES’ HIGHWAY (1949).
Week Four: A pair of westerns this week with strong thematic resonance to the Blacklist: HIGH HOON (1952) and TERROR IN A TEXAS TOWN (1958).
Week Five: Two from blacklisted director Joseph Losey: THE PROWLER (1951) and THE LAWLESS (1950).
Week Six: Two powerful dramas from blacklisted directors: TRY AND GET ME (1950) and M (1951).
