Customer Reviews

Guilty By Suspicion [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This movie is a saddening look at one of America's darkest times. It has received lots of negative reviews, but don't listen to them. It is the best movie I have seen about the times and it captures the essence of Hollywood during the 1950s when McCarthy and the House Un-American Committee were at the peak of power. Robert De Niro is excellent, as always, as David Merrill, a director with success, fans, and he is living his dream. Then he goes on a vacation, and when he returns, the town is different. The movie opens up with a typical Committee meeting in which David's friend Larry is spooked by the committee. Before long he is burning his books and disowning his wife as a communist. Red Fever has hit town, and David is next in line. Somebody has named him as a Communist sympathyzer, and he refuses to testify to the Committee because he is angry and doesn't want to hurt his friends. Before long he finds he cannot get a job, not directing, producing, or even working in a film repair shop. His life is turned upside down, and he decides finally to testify to the Committee. The acting is what makes this movie, De Niro, but also Annette Bening, George Wendt, Martin Scorsese is great in a cameo. My favorite part is when one cast member is called a commie by the producer for siding with David. "I turned in commies without the government even asking. If you want to call me a commie, you got to back it up." David replies, "If he wants to call you a commie, he doesn't need to back it up." Some people say it is contrived or unbelievable, but the transformation in David, from materialistic director to a man seeing the need to defy the McCarthyists is done well. If you like history, or if you like De Niro, you will enjoy this film.

I've reviewed the other reviews of this movie and they are basically what I would expect. I think many of the negative reviews are from people unacquainted with the era of McCarthy and his cohorts. I had to live through it. My family and I were affected by the Unamerican Subcommittee procedings and their effects. The ridiculousness lasted past the 50's. As a senior in college I was threatened by an FBI plant who was passing as a dumb college senior. He blew his cover and failed to show up at graduation. When he approached me I refused to believe good old J. Edgar wpoui;s be stupid enough to employ anyone as stupid as this kid. How could anyone who had first hand contact with the minions of that great institution have dfoubted the idiocy of Hoover? This kid proved me wrong, when I questioned the legitimacy of his badge he pulled an automatic pistol from his pocket and removed the clip, then handed tit to me saying, "They don't give this to fakes." I have never liked being threatened. When another FBI genius showed up at my dorm to question me about my cousin, I complained to him. The junior g-man was pulled from school and sent back to the Washington funny farm I assume.

My complaint about this film is it plays up the problems the ineffective right wing idiots like McCarthy did to other lesser humans who had nothing to do with Hollywood. My father had a sensitive job as an elementary scvhool teacher in a backwater town in Florida. The FBI came to his school to question him. When he informed them he did not know anything, the brilliant G-man told him if he wanted to keep his hight profile job pushing a broom, he would cooperate like any good citizxen would or never work anywhere again. Dad knew the power of the idiots and made some vague remarks of some intelligence. He told the FBI he knew communists by name only and named the leading politicians of the defunct American Communist Party.

There are great Americans running aound this country still who realize they can influence a great many people through fear and loud talking. They have changed their names from the John

Birch Society to Fox News, but they are just as dangerous. If you want to see at least some of the harm done by blowhard politicians see this movie. It doesn't tell the whole story, but if you didn't live through this time, you owe it to yourself to see it.

Tells the story of a dark age in which some Hollywood filmers become prey to a witchhunt. 'If you are suspicious, then you are guilty.' As a non-US person, I was astonished to see the final session (US Senate hearing?), where the judge, jury and the prosecution were all the same; what's more, the manner those judges (?) passed judgement knocked me off. What a fair trial! And it is a true story that happened in the USA!!

The brief reign of terror of HUAC and Senator Joe McCarthy is something that American politicians and the American media would like to bury and forget. This candid little film, blessed by some distinguished cast members and driven by de Niro's usual dynamic performance, brings the skeleton out of the closet with deep feeling, thoughtfulness, and realism.

For viewers who don't know about this shameful chapter in US politics, GbS is a real eye-opener. For viewers who are familiar with the era and its events, GbS brings that history to life vividly, with startling immediacy.

Production values are solid throughout, with excellent period detail and atmosphere. Dialogue is credible and intelligent, and I found the realism of the film quite compelling, engaging and holding my attention and sympathy throughout.

In an era when feel-good jingoism and fantasy dominate big-ticket US filmmaking, GbS seems almost "like a European film" -- it's a sober, subtle and pensive construction upon historical fact. I recommend it very highly to anyone interested in US history or in films for grown-ups. Viewers who enjoyed Breaking the Code, That Summer of White Roses, The Official Story, The Last Butterfly -- or even Schindler's List, Ghandi, and Inherit the Wind -- ought to give this their attention for an evening. It is a quiet but rewarding experience.

I am a huge fan of this movie; I first saw it in history class and when I saw how cheap it was, I had to buy it. DeNiro is superb, showing off his chops (why is it that all the DeNiro movies where he plays against type are unpopular?). The story is compelling, and the movie is excellent fodder for students of modern US history.

The bad part is that the DVD IS cheap. You really get what you pay for in this case: it isn't widescreen; there are no special features or audio options; to access subtitles (English only) you have to use your remote instead of a menu; and the transfer to DVD is low quality. I wouldn't have so much of a problem with this if there were another edition where these problems were corrected; after all, bargain basement editions usually don't have too many frills. But this is the only DVD of the film available at present, which means that we're all sort of stuck with it.

So know what you're buying; a cheap DVD. Don't pay more than you have to for it. But buy it anyway, and show it to your kids (well, your older kids anyway). In our current situation, both as a nation and as members of a global community, it has a very powerful and important message to tell, and it illustrates just how expensive true patriotism can be.

I have to disagree with old mr maltin completely on this one. I thought this was a great movie. Extremely interesting and De Niro is of course great. A movie everyone should see. A real reminder of what our rights really mean, and should mean in this country. not perfect but four and a half stars is not an option so I'll give it five

In 1947 the House Un-American Committee (HUAC) held hearings on the Communist influence in Hollywood. Those who refused to "cooperate" were sent to prison for contempt. No one could work unless they cooperated by naming their friends as known Communists. In 1951 one man refused to cooperate, Larry doesn't want to be an informer. How did they get his name? Guilty by association? Then David Merrill returns from France. There is a surprise party. Outside somebody writes down the license plate numbers. [Its best to park on the next block to avoid a parking problem.] Redheaded Dorothy says goodbye. Larry burns his books. David meets his sone and ex-wife Ruth. David will make a picture for Darryl Zanuck. "Now this." David must see a lawyer to clear his name from guilty by association. He is told what he must do to "be reasonable".

Can someone be called to testify if they didn't do anything? [Is he naive?] They want the $50,000 advanced to David back. Is Dorothy temperamental? She has a family problem. Jerry will leave the country to avoid testifying. Bunny Baxter is scared. David is now banned from the film factory. Nobody wants him now. David has some personality flaws [pride?[. David visits New York to see old friends. Who is following David? They're after him. He returns to Los Angeles. Dorothy has dreams for her future. Is she OK? David has a job offer at Monogram Studios to direct a low-budget Western. [Does it remind you of "High Noon"?] Television is winning the hearts and minds of America, movies have a declining box office. David is under stress!

David sees an old friend, the lawyer Felix Graff. He advises David to answer questions, else he is guilty by suspicion. "Is it worth all this?" Bunny tells what happened to him after he cooperated. Will he turn on David? Darryl Zanuck offers him another chance is he cooperates. David goes to Washington to star in this drama. He will not name the people he visited! David does not cooperate with the committee. It is a dramatic scene. Bunny refuses to name names. The last words say the people on the Hollywood blacklist were "vindicated" in 1970, but they don't say what happened. Did they tack on a happy ending?

Hollywood movies are a money-making machine for the investors who put up the funds. The producer is responsible for running the operation, the director for producing the story. They use paid workers like actors, writers, etc. Their personal lives are seldom a concern unless it costs money. The audience for movies declined before the war ended. Hollywood had excess employees on their payrolls. The new television entertainment industry needed talent that would work for less. Those who couldn't find work in Hollywood often went into television.

The hidden agenda behind these investigations was an attack on democratic rights to make people afraid of signing a petition or organizing for political purposes (First Amendment rights). There was also an economic campaign to attack small businesses to favor corporate chains. In the 1940s most people walked to shop at local small businesses. That soon changed in just a few decades so shopping meant driving to a mall. Corporate chains sucked the profits from localities so they ended up poorer overall. You can compare your small town from the 1940s to today.

*** 1/2 stars rating for "Guilty By Suspicion". The movie is set in the times when the sole mention of the term "communist" was seen as synonymous of "evil". The film is a critique to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), when it created a Hollywood blacklist, which included Hollywood celebrities considered as communists, banning their works and denying them the opportunity of getting new jobs, until they provided names of more people that "attempted against the American Way Of Life".

Despite the fact that a lot of people mistakenly relates the communism with the word "criminal", actually the communism is another way of life of some countries, mostly Europeans. "Guilty By Suspicion" criticizes the paranoia that a lot of people suffered when they heard the word "communism". The thing is that there were (and there are) some criminal communists, as well as there were (and there are) some criminal German, Americans, Mexicans, English, Asians, etc., in all the world there are criminals. But is ridiculous to judge a whole culture with a different way of life based on a few bad people.

Perhaps "Guilty By Suspicion" is not the best political drama movie, but its message is clear, and also features good performances (the fantastic Robert De Niro and the attractive Annette Bening), interesting situations, and a Martin Scorsese cameo. At the end of the day, "Guilty By Suspicion" is an interesting political drama.

Plain and simple, this movie is "own worthy." For about the same price as on-demand rental, you can buy yourself a copy, and you'll be glad you did. While it wasn't moviemaking genius, this dramatization (over-dramatization, to be honest) really lent itself well to the story being told. We're not watching real characters or even good efforts to portray real characters -- we're watching archetypes: bullying, fear-mongering, cowardice, denial, disbelief, disgust, shame, remorse, resistance, rage...

Everything is just a little too much, but it works really well for this subject matter. When the fear of communism can grow and manifest itself as a surreal force to be wielded by politicians, then a movie that addresses it in terms of archetypes might just be the most honest portrayal there is.

Onto the media itself. Warner Brothers didn't want to spend more than 27 cents producing/distributing this DVD, and they came in well under budget. This is just the "full screen" (pan-and-scan that chops of the sides of the movie) edition. You cannot flip this disc over and watch the widescreen version, so you have two choices on your widescreen television: endure the annoying windowboxes on the sides of your tv, or stretch out the display and watch everybody look like their 30% heavier (not a good idea for a movie with George Went). The disc has no special features, trailers, commentaries, filmographies, etc., and the case had more effort invested in the annoying anti-theft tape and wrapping than in the flimsy cardboard cover.

Be warned: you're buying the bare-bones "full screen" movie and nothing more. Still worth owning, though.

A compelling motion picture and an important reminder of what's possible if we are not vigilant citizens.