One reason I like Hollywood movies – especially the recent ones – is that many of them are based on real life events that have been depicted on screen remarkably well, be it Bobby Fischer’s biopic Pawn Sacrifice, heart wrenching story of a slave in 12 Years A Slave or history of Gangster Rap in Straight Outta Compton.
One such movie is Trumbo, based on novelist and Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Trumbo was the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood during the thirties and forties. Post WWII however, the obsession with communism started in the McCarthy era and Trumbo, along with several other screen writers was black listed. He even served a sentence of eleven months in prison. Finding work was very hard but Trumbo did not give up. He started writing under pseudo names. One of his movies, The Brave One, won the Academy Award for screen writing that was given to Robert Rich, the pseudo name under which he wrote the movie. In 1975, The Academy presented Trumbo the award with his name on it.
The number of talented actors to hit the big screen in last 10-15 years is quite astounding. And I am excluding famous Hollywood stars like Leonardo DiCaprio or Kevin Spacey. I am in awe of Daniel Day-Lewis. Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood, Lincoln – he keeps on giving impeccable performances. Watching him, you get some idea of what viewers in the seventies must have felt while watching Robert Di Nero in Taxi Driver. Michael Fassbender is another great actor. His versatility from 12 Years A Slave to Steve Jobs is remarkable. And I will not forgive myself if I don’t mention Benedict Cumberbatch.
The reason I mention these actors is that they always steal the show. And they deserve to. They are the De Niros and Pacinos of this era. But while they do that, actors who do not get such prominent lead roles receive much less attention. There are many examples of talented actors shining through. For instance, Jason Robards playing a cowboy in Once Upon A Time In The West and then playing Ben Bradlee in All The Presidents Men.
Dalton Trumbo is played by Brayan Cranston who played Walter White in Breaking Bad. I remember him as Tim Whatley in Seinfeld. To say he does justice to the role would be an understatement. He has created a perfect image of the character. When I say Gandhi, Ben Kigsley comes to mind. I cannot think of Abraham Lincoln and not think of the character Daniel Day-Lewis played. And to me, Dalton Trumbo means the character played by Brayan Cranston.
It’s a good thing that Trumbo is based on a true story. Usually, fictional stories of overcoming obstacles are considered to be of lesser quality than the bleak, sad stories that are considered milestones. I have never understood the reason behind this. Why, Mr. Tolstoy, can a happy family not have an interesting story? Dalton Trumbo is a fighter. He finds innovative ways to survive during the anti-communist era. There are two scenes in the movie that are particularly poignant. Trumbo’s two movies – Roman Holiday and The Brave One – received Academy Awards but he could not claim them. He had to sit in his living room and watch on the TV someone else take the credit for it. What’s more painful for a writer than not to be able to claim his success?
Trumbo is a story of an artist who refuses to give up his rights – right to think the way he wants, right to pen the movies he wants and right to live the way he wants.
