We close the film cycle dedicated to the Witch Hunt with the film that is credited with having blown up the blacklist. Spartacus tells the story of a failed slave revolt in Roman times. In the leading roles we find Kirk Douglas (also a producer of the film), Tony Curtis, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov. It was one of Stanley Kubrick's greatest hits and, along with Exodus, marked the return through the front door of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, after more than a decade writing anonymously. Despite censorship efforts by the National League for Decency, the premiere was an event, with John and Jacqueline Kennedy in attendance, and the film was a critical and box office success.
It was not the first production that challenged said blacklist, nor would it mean the end of the difficulties of many, but it marked a before and after in the history of Hollywood. This monumental film shot in Cinemascope is based on the novel that Howard Fast wrote in prison while serving time for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Unlike other peplums, it has enjoyed continued favor with the public, perhaps because of its unscrupulous portrayal of the relationship between masters and slaves, as well as the legendary stars that make up the cast and Kubrick's masterful direction.
Projection in original version (English) with subtitles in Spanish.
This film series aims to explore one of the most complex and convulsive times in the history of cinema: the witch hunt in Hollywood. In the late 40s and 50s, film producers, directors, screenwriters, actors, musicians, and critics became the targets of spectacular persecution by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). The process, and the media circus that it entailed, profoundly affected the film industry and for years dictated how and who could work in Hollywood.
This selection of masterpieces, released between 1940 and 1960, offers us the opportunity to see in detail the evolution of the cinema of the great Hollywood studios, as well as delve into the turbulent sociopolitical climate in which they were shot and released.
1October 5: La Loba (The Little Foxes, 1941, William Wyler)
October 22: Casablanca (1942, Michael Curtiz)
October 29: Laura (1944, Otto Preminger)
November 5: One Day in New York (On the Town, 1949, Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly)
November 12: The asphalt jungle (The Asphalt Jungle, 1950, John Huston)
November 19: Alone in the face of danger (High Noon, 1952, Fred Zinnemann)
November 26: Roman Holiday (1953, William Wyler)
December 3: The law of silence (On the Waterfront, 1954, Elia Kazan)
December 10: Fugitives (The Defiant Ones, 1958, Stanley Kramer)
December 17: Spartacus (Spartacus, 1960, Stanley Kubrick)
Cycle curator: Sibley Labandeira