Best Film to explain McCarthyism?

kittex

I'm a Secondary teacher, and I'm teaching a few 'political' texts this year, 'Animal Farm' and 'The Crucible' for example.

Can anyone recommend a good movie to explain and show the story of McCarthyism?
'Good night and Good Luck' is excellent but I think my class need something less subtle, more focussed on the trials.
They are really enjoying the texts and it's heartening how interested they are becoming in political issues, I want to bring that time to life a bit for them.
The rating would need to be 15's.

Thanks

mike65

For such an important subject in Post-War US politics the number of films about the subject is tiny.

The House on Caroll Street, Fellow Traveller and Advise and Consent are three you might look up, not sure if they explain the phenomenon though.

Mike.

is_that_so

You might consider The Front which is a little heavy but seeing as it shows how McCarthyism had an impact on Hollywood it might be easier to get into. IIRC some of the people involved with the film were blacklisted themselves in the fifties.

purple'n'gold

here you go, all you need to know will be here.
http://www.imdb.com/keyword/mccarthyism/

jam_mac_jam

Citizen Cohn is excellent, I think it would explain it quite well and there is a focus on the trials in the film. I dont know the rating though.

gbh

well two i can think of are both sort of comedies i think...One was by Woody Allen, I cant think of the name, the other was with Jim Carey called The Majestic I think. I know the Woody Allen one was definately about McCarthism. I think The Majestic was as well. Both do much do reveal the absurdity of McCarthism and how it ran counter to everything the US Consitition stood for. Good night and Good luck is a another one comes to mind. There are certainly plenty to choose from out there.

donaghs

Point of Order is actually a famous documentary of the Army hearings, real footage. Haven't seen it myself yet though and might be a bit boring for todays school kids...

cavedave

'The Crucible' is about MaCartheism isn't it?
For something more general about the dangers of scapegoating "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" is ideal but you might not be allowed show it. There is a Simpsons episode where illegal immigrants are scapegoated but that is not quite the same thing either.
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/3F20.html

LostinBlanch

How about Goodnight and Good Luck?

Thought that was supposed to deal with that area as well. Like Cavedave I thought that Miller wrote The Crucible as a riposte to McCarthyism.

Of course there's also I Keano, I know it hasn't been made into a film yet, but sure you could play the CD. Oh wait . . . . that's a different kind of McCarthyism.

kittex

'Point of order' was one I had looked into a few weeks ago. it looks perfect but it seems to be nigh on impossible to get for some reason.
I'll keep looking for that one and 'Citizen Cohn' based on the recommendation made here - thanks

I'm looking for something about MCarthyism, not something which uses it as a background (Majestic) or is an allegory for it, which 'The Crucible' is (as is the mentioned Simpsons episode). 'The Crucible' is based on the Salem witch trials but at the time was written to draw a parallel with the communist 'witch' hunts. It's in the intention, but not in the subject matter.

As mentioned in my original post, 'Goodnight and good Luck' was my first thought as it is an excellent film. However, it doesn't explain the situation to the viewer. From the beginning it assumes a certain amount of knowledge about the era. Might show it to them anyway if I can't find the others mentioned.

Thanks to those who gave a proper reply - a big help.

gbh

Well good luck finding one...To be honest you'd be better looking for something on the history channel or discovery. Generally there is no dramatic value in telling a story straight like McCarthyism. Hollywood doesn't work that way. You couldn't obviously criticise McCarthy at the time or you'd risk being branded a communist or be blacklisted. After the period it was no longer that interesting.

Plus a lot of people were victims of it...if you tell a broad story then people will say its not focused. If you focus on one victim then people will say there is no background..

But anyways good luck with the search.

donaghs

Does Citizen Cohn go into detail about his closet homosexuality? Worth checking out whats in the film before screening it to the class.

Despite this, from what I've read he was publicly opposed to gay rights.

cavedave

I am fascinated with MCarthyism and witch hunts in general. But I think it is worth noting that in the MCarthy witch hunts a few people lost their jobs and the American ideals of freedom and privacy were damaged (this is not an insignificant thing).

Compare this to the 180 million people governments have murdered in the 20th century and it is just an interesting historical footnote. Granted one that shows that even relatively just societies can stray towards barbarism.

I am not saying MCarthy should be ignored but i would study before it the books
If this is a man
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families
or if you want films
The killing fields
Hotel Rwanda
Schindlers list
A short film about killing
Come and see

My point is that one alcoholic senator whose very nasty actions whipped people up into a brief frenzy is related to but pales in comparison to the mass murder committed by governments in the 20th century.

donaghs

In some right-wing circles in America there's a move underway to re-habilitate McCarthy, trying to say he was right all along. See "ongoing debate" in his Wikipedia entry.

Certainly there were some communists in the State Dept, and with new documents coming to light the level of Communist spying was far greater than scholars had imagined.

But does that make McCarthy right? I don't think so. He was way off with most of his accusations. And did persecute and ruin people. Maybe the big question is, did he really know any secrets, and who was providing him with his info?

RuailleBuaille

On the Waterfront? Elia Kazan was brought up in front of the commission so he had a vested interest?