NOSTALGIA
Justice through the movies
V. GANGADHAR
|
It was an epic film in more ways than one. “Spartacus”, released 48 years ago this week, saw actor Kirk Douglas stand up against the Communist witch-hunt then on in the U.S.
|
Photo: AP
Success against odds: Kirk Douglas at a recent fundraiser.
On October 22, 91-year old superstar, Kirk Douglas, was honoured at the Ambassadors for Humanity Gala Dinner in Los Angeles for his role in promoting humanity and justice through movies.
In more than 40 years of superstardom, Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch Demsky, the son of an illiterate immigrant Jewish ragman) played the ‘heavy’ hero early in his career and then graduated to more sensitive roles.
“Spartacus”, released 48 years ago, was very special to the star. A home production, it was the story of a Roman slave who dreamt of the death of slavery. Coincidentally making of the movie turned out to be a similar struggle for liberation.
Anti-communist hysteria
When “Spartacus” was being made in the late 1950s, Hollywood, along with the rest of the U.S., was in the grip of an anti-communist hysteria led by the House of Un-American Activities headed by the notorious Senator Joseph McCarthy. Hundreds of poets, dramatists, actors and screenplay writers were blacklisted by studios.
The period also saw the success of epic period films like “Quo Vadis”, “Samson and Delilah”, “The Ten Commandments” and “The Robe”. MGM was planning to make “Ben Hur” directed by William Wyler. Kirk Douglas was keen to play the lead but Wyler had already offered it to Charlton Heston.
Douglas had then read Howard Fast’s Spartacus. Fast had spent seven months in jail, a victim of the McCarthy witch-hunt. Douglas, deeply impressed by the story, approached United Artists. But they had already announced “Gladiators” with Yul Brynner.
Determined to make the movie, Douglas asked Fast to work on the screenplay but he could not translate a good novel into an equally good screenplay.
Someone mentioned Dalton Trumbo, a brilliant screenplay writer, who was under a cloud because of his communist leanings. A scared movie industry passed the Waldorf Amendment banning recruitment of Red suspects.
In his memoirs The Ragman’s Son, Kirk Douglas lamented, “We became too concerned with the possibility of pockets of Communism in Central America or Vietnam and lost track of what democracy was all about.”
Mounting problems
Unable to write under his own name, Trumbo used a number of aliases including his wife’s name and had to be content with reduced payments. Yet so good was his work that Douglas’ 1956 movie, “The Brave One” won the best screenplay Oscar for “Robert Rich”, Trumbo’s alias.
However, problems mounted for Douglas. With spies lurking, one worked looking over one’s shoulder. Paying Trumbo was another problem. Bryana, Douglas’ production company, paid filmmaker Eddie Lewis, a Douglas ally who in turn paid “Sam Jackson” another alias.
Yet Trumbo, working at breakneck speed with a parrot perched on his shoulder (a gift from Douglas), was the right choice.
Meanwhile “Spartacus” had to race against time to beat the release of “Gladiators”. Since United Artists was not available, Douglas persuaded Universal Studios to take over.
After hard negotiations, Douglas hired Sir Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton to play leading roles and often soothed their star tantrums. Tony Curtis, who was a hit in “The Vikings”, was keen to be in “Spartacus” and a role was created for him.
Anthony Mann directed some scenes and then Stanley Kubrick, only 30, took over and offended everyone with his arrogance. The shooting schedule went haywire and its budget ballooned to nearly $12m leading to jokes that even a spot boy in “Spartacus” could make enough money to buy a villa in French Rivera! Some of the scenes had to be shot again but finally it was all over.
With the Red bogey, the question arose: who should get the on-screen credit for screenplay? With the release date drawing near, Douglas decided to give the credit to the real writer. The long masquerade was over.
Trumbo was signed by producer Otto Preminger to write the screenplay for “Exodus”. “Spartacus”, became a huge hit besides winning critical acclaim. More important, Douglas fought injustice in the industry and helped rehabilitate many of the victims. This was more than acquiring Oscars.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Magazine
