The Front [Blu-ray]

Senator Joe McCarthy was a fairly ignorant human being and a reckless demagogue who unfortunately was allowed by our government to prey upon the fears of the general public -- fears that were contrived by propaganda and that were connected with the cold war with the Soviet Union -- for political gain in the early 1950s. The fact that this nut had inspired national witch-hunts, including the Hollywood blacklisting depicted in this film, that destroyed the careers and ruined the lives of countless number of decent people -- who had no ambition to overthrow the political system -- only leads me to think that perhaps the political system needed to be overthrown. The attorney who was the mastermind behind these political campaigns of fear was no other than Roy Cohn -- the same man who years later turned out to be the central mentor in the life of our current President, Donald Trump. It appears we really haven't learned a whole lot from those days. We are still living in rather scary times, perhaps even more so, except that the national witch-hunts that are happening today are done very very quietly with the use of much more than one surveillance agent per person of interest. An entire undercover surveillance system comprised by hundreds of thousands of ground patrol, various spy aircraft, possibly the use of satellite, store monitors that now can be seen from a smart phone, and of course the surveillance of all tele-communication and online actvities both domestic and abroad are now in full operation that began just around the time that large defense contracts to support the war in the Middle East was ending. Imagine that.As for the movie, "The Front", I do not recall ever seeing or even hearing about this film in the past forty-four years -- which only makes me wonder to what extent the powers that be kept this film under the mainstream radar. It is hard for me to imagine that Woody Allen did not have a hand in the writing of the script; everything about the film feels like a Woody Allen film. Even though some of the jokes came off like a Henny Youngmanmonologue, the film effectively and skillfully used humor to highlight an important and ugly era in U.S. history. "The Front" is still relevant today because, at it's core, what the film really does -- in a light and intelligent way -- is to question the humanity of political force that is pressed down upon individual citizens by its own government through fear and manipulation, and we desperately need to learn from that.

I have usually enjoyed Woody Allen movies but this is new for me. He gives us a straight take on this role as an everyman with a twist. The era depicted is one that was held up to shame until just recently when suddenly communism returns as a dire threat against our consciousness and stability. People are once again hesitant to defend Putin or Xi as good moral leaders in the face of propaganda to the contrary. The reference to the Rosenbergs is especially telling. This an important movie. These networks that want war are newly awakened and dangerously afoot.It is interesting that one reviewer seems to think that Trump is behind the dictator drive in this country. Actually the constant references to socialism and communism come from both parties. The drive toward war with China is tainted with propaganda against a nation that has consistently challenged corruption in its government; China has consistently raised the standard of living for its population; China has had good effects on its allies in aiding development. It is Trump who wants peace and trade with Asia. His constant battles with intelligence agencies and his own staff indicate that he needs the support of Republicans at least through the election. He has avoided a new war several times even though he claims to be tough on communism. All the evidence indicates that surveillance has been used against him rather than by him.I wish that the lessons of this movie did not apply, but the drive toward nuclear war is stronger than ever before. We need a strong and sane dialogue with other nations. There are people who are attempting that through Trump's personal relations with Putin, Xi and Modi. We can hope.

An excellent script about an important time in our history that is still relevant today. My favorite Woody Allen performance. Allen, Mostel and the plot gives it entertaining elements at the same time the dramatic points are being made. There's added poignancy with the involvement of so many who really -were- blacklisted, writer Walter Bernstein, director Martin Ritt, actors Mostel, Lollyd Gough, and Herschell Bernardi. I wasn't expecting that ending, but it was a great choice. Let's hope we learned something from that period of our country. These people eventually were able to work again but many great talents weren't, their careers ended by an ideological hysteria that should have been repudiated from the beginning as a violation of our Constitution. A great film.

The 1950s were one our nation's most tragic periods if you were in the entertainment business. Many talented people's careers were ruined (and worse) by the House and Senate Un-American Activities Committees, but many found creative ways to fight back. This film doesn't gloss anything over, while finding a way to fight back with humor. Lots of it. Great cast all around.

What's not to like if you are a Woody Allen fan, most especially of the latter period of his rich career. This story concerns itself with the Soviet witch hunt of particularly the artistic conclave in the US. As usual Woody's character demonstrates a charming nievity when he agrees to certain requests from some contemporaries within his circle and gets embroiled in his own investigation.It's a familiar plot, but one that delights as it unfolds. Perhaps not everyones taste, but that's what enriches cinema

This film is brilliant. Funny and yet sad, it tells the story of a bookie who becomes a fence for writers blacklisted during the Macarthy era. The writing - Walter Bernstein - is excellent, as are the performances - great acting by Woody Allen and Zero Mostel. Life affirming and good for the heart.

A superb movie that is all the more poignant when you consider the fact that Zero Mostel was in fact blacklisted himself for many years.

This is a film about the heinous Macarthy period in the USA when people were blacklisted and prevented from working if there were suspicions of leanings towards communism. It gets the message across effectively and Woody Allen's humour naturally makes it more entertaining at the same time. Interesting to note that most of the film making crew were people who had been blacklisted in the 50s.

A WORTH WHILE PURCHASE, IT DOES,`T HAVE YOU ROLLING AROUND THE FLOOR IN HELPLESS LAUGHTERBUT IT DOES TELL AN EXCELLENT STORY IN A NOVEL WAY . TERRY