WASHINGTON —聽It’s the only non-profit film center in the nation’s capital.
This weekend, the聽Avalon Theatre hosts聽a special film series looking back at the 1950s聽聽period when “red聽scare”聽McCarthyism cost many progressive actors and filmmakers聽their jobs. It will also explore how this era of聽political paranoia and gutsy journalism relates to today.
The series kicks off at 5:15 p.m. Thursday with “The Way We Were” (1973). The film stars聽Barbra Streisand as a college liberal who clashes politically with her conservative boyfriend, Robert Redford. If you happen to miss it Thursday, you can check out an encore presentation Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
Also on Thursday night, be sure to聽check out “Good Night and Good Luck” (2004) at 8 p.m. The film chronicles the brave TV journalism of Edward R. Murrow in taking down Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
Saturday brings “Trumbo” (2015) at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.聽Bryan Cranston plays blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who used聽pseudonyms to pen “Roman Holiday” and “Spartacus.”
It all builds to the grand finale at 6:40 p.m. Sunday with the classic western “High Noon” (1952), written as an聽allegory for McCarthyism. Screenwriter Carl Foreman was placed on the Hollywood Blacklist after refusing to “name names” before聽the House Un-American Activities Committee.
After聽the “High Noon” screening, journalist聽Kathleen Matthews will host a special Q&A with聽Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist聽Glenn Frankel about聽his new book “High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic,” exploring the film’s classic moments and deeper political themes.
Click for more info on the Avalon film series. Listen to our聽full conversation with Glenn Frankel below:
