Communism In Film

During the Cold War Era (1947-1991), the content of the film industry was severely influenced by the threat of a nuclear war the spread of Communism into the United States. Various film panels such as the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals (MPA) were created in order to regulate the content of the film industry by censoring anti-American substance. Because the growth and evolution of the McCarthyism, or the practice of making unfair allegations against citizens suspected of being communists, many writers, actors, and directors were imprisoned under charges of Communism. Manipulated by powerful film panels as well as governmental organizations, filmmakers were constricted into releasing pro-America propaganda while communist sympathizers were left without work until the late 1980s through the use of several Blacklists or through prison sentences. The state of the film industry during the Cold War was undeniably affected by the rampant spread of McCarthyism, as shown through the censorship of anti-American sentiment through means such as the Hollywood blacklist. [TRANSITION SENTENCE] …show more content…
For example, president Harry Truman was quoted saying, “In a free country, we punish men for the crimes they commit, but never for the opinions they have,” after he vetoed the McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950, which planned to censor un-American and subversive activities. Truman’s resistance to the spread of McCarthyism demonstrated the extent to which the US’s opinions were polarized on the topic. A member of the democratic party, President Truman Moreover, groups such as the Committee for the First Amendment retaliated to the treatment of the Hollywood Ten by enacting their civil liberties as well as representing them in