Dalton Trumbo, Hollywood Rebel: A Critical Survey and Filmography [Hardcover]

Peter Hanson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786408723 | ISBN-13: 978-0786408726 | Publication Date: February 2001

As a screenwriter, novelist, and political activist, Dalton Trumbo stands among the key American literary figures of the 20th century-he wrote the classic antiwar novel Johnny Got His Gun, and his credits for Spartacus and Exodus broke the anticommunist blacklist that infected the movie industry for more than a decade. By defining connections between Trumbo's most highly acclaimed films (including Kitty Foyle, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, and Roman Holiday) and his important but lesser-known movies (The Remarkable Andrew, He Ran All the Way, and The Boss), the author identifies how for nearly four decades Trumbo used the archetype of the rebel hero to inject social consciousness into mainstream films. This new critical survey-the first book-length work on Trumbo's screenwriting career-examines the scores of films on which Trumbo worked and explores the techniques that made him, at the time he was blacklisted in 1947, Hollywood's highest-paid writer. Hanson reveals how Trumbo dealt with major themes including rebellion, radical politics, and individualism-while also detailing lesser-known areas of Trumbo's screenwriting, such as his troubling portrayal of women, the dichotomy between his proletarian attitude and bourgeois lifestyle, and the almost surreptitious manner in which he included antiestablishment rhetoric in seemingly innocuous scripts. An extensive filmography is included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Extensive research." --Choice

"Intelligently written...useful." --Classic Images

"Wonderfully documented...Trumbo stood head and shoulders above his peers...clearly details every facet of [his] career with warmth, praise, and intelligence...refreshing...marvelous." --Film & History --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Peter Hanson is a filmmaker, critic, and editor living in Albany, New York. He has lectured on screenwriting and journalism and has worked in numerous phases of independent film production.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786408723
• ISBN-13: 978-0786408726
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,308,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michigan native Peter Hanson studied film at New York University and journalism at the University at Albany, then spent ten years as a writer/editor for various publications before expanding into books and movie projects. He is the author of "Tales from the Script: 50 Hollywood Screenwriters Share Their Stories," "Dalton Trumbo, Hollywood Rebel" (a finalist for the Theatre Library Association Award) and "The Cinema of Generation X." In addition to directing the acclaimed feature-length documentary version of "Tales from the Script," he directed the feature-length documentary "Every Pixel Tells a Story" and the award-winning short "Stagehand," and he co-wrote the narrative feature "The Last Round." His horror screenplay "Savage" recently sold to production company Picture Road, and Hanson is preparing to direct the dramatic feature "The Eulogist," based on his own original script. Hanson writes the "Beyond the Page" column for "Script" magazine and the blog "Every '70s Movie." His website, which features extensive original content, is GrandRiverFilms.com. He lives in Beverly Hills, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting tribute to a master of the screen trade, April 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dalton Trumbo, Hollywood Rebel: A Critical Survey and Filmography (Hardcover)

Peter Hanson has done a marvelous job of giving Dalton Trumbo - one Hollywood's greatest and gutsiest screenwriters - the credit he is due. This couldn't have been an easy task for Hanson, since Trumbo was astonishingly prolific and many of his screenplays - including the masterworks ROMAN HOLIDAY, SPARTACUS, and LONELY ARE THE BRAVE - have for decades been credited to other writers. Hanson sets the record straight and gives us a fascinating portrait of man who not only defied the House Committee on Un-American Activities, but survived the ensuing blacklist years through courage, perseverance and talent. Hanson provides a keen, in-depth exploration of Trumbo's vast, eclectic body of work, and shows how Trumbo's struggles forged the powerful themes that pervade his films.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Trumbo biography out there, November 20, 2007

By 

Laurena Davis (Grand Junction, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dalton Trumbo, Hollywood Rebel: A Critical Survey and Filmography (Paperback)

Peter Hanson has both set the record straight about much of the misinformation about Dalton Trumbo and provided a comprehensive, yet engaging, look at Trumbo's body of work. I have used this book for a college course I teach in Trumbo's hometown of Grand Junction, CO. But it does not read like a textbook. Anyone who is curious about Trumbo's rich contribution to film and literature will have an even deeper appreciation for the work he was able to create against incredible odds.