MovieChat Forums > The Robe (1953) Discussion > An Allegory about McCarthyism?

An Allegory about McCarthyism?

posted 18 years ago by fredo70
13 replies | jump to latest

I watched this movie the other day and started to think why Hollywood made so many movies about persecuted Christians in the 50’s. Just like High Noon and Invasion of the Body Snatchers this movie is full of anti McCarthy allusions. The unofficial writer of this film Albert Maltz, was a communist blacklisted writer and the official writer Phillip Dunne formed the Committee for the First Amendment to protest the procedures of the House Un-American Activities Committee. So when watching this movie just change the name of Jesus to Marx and the word Christian to Communist then you have an idea what this movie is about. At the end of the film when Caligula (McCarthy) snarls “They're going to a better place! They're going to a better place!!” the writer doesn’t mean heaven but Russia!

Any more lines that can be interpreted this way?

[–] cheval_52 18 years ago

Persecuted Communists??? LOLOLOL

Tell that to the poor Ukrainian people who were deliberately starved to death during the purges of Stalin in the early 1920's. Josef Stalin made no secrets about his loathing of the people of the Ukraine whom he murdered in the millions thru forced famines to eventually confiscate their lands.

You on the left worry about supposed purges of known Communists in the West but turn your backs on those victims of Communism around the world. Is it any wonder that the Communists, like the Nazis were eventually driven out of Eastern Europe by millions of freedom loving people who had been shackled for years by both parties. To address the issue of Communists being persecuted by the West would be the equivalent to telling the Doctor that he cannot proceed in trying to cure Cancer.

If anything, "The Robe" accurately reflects what is going on to this day what with the purging of Christians & God fearing people by Politicians & Ultra Leftwing Radicals. The same people who believe that it is okay to perform Late Term Abortion & remove Christian symbols from our parks & Memorials. The only way in which the Left would ever erect any kind of a cross would be to either hang a Christian or worship a slut like Madonna.

When it comes to persecuting Christians in the 21st Century, the old Roman moniker of "SPQR" has been replaced by the American "ACLU"

Cheval52

[–] fredo70 18 years ago

Also in this movie Caligula made remarks about Christians following a dead Jew(obvously Marx)and using a book, in the movie the Bible (in the script writers mind Das Capital).

[–] cheval_52 18 years ago

Are you talking about Karl or Groucho???

If anything, it was the Communists who perfected the fine art of Persecution by putting down the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 and the
extermination of millions of Chinese during China's so called Cultural Revolution in the early 60's.

Compared to that, the supposed persecution of Communist in the West looks like a simple day at the beach. How many American
Communists were tortured & killed compared to the millions of victims in Eastern Europe & China???

In a true twist of irony the old Roman moniker of "SPQR" stood for "the Senate and the People of Rome". Compare that to todays
American Senate which has recently shifted to the Left headed by people who sponsor mostly anti-Christian and anti-Israeli rhetoric.

You "Politically Correct" morons who worship such propagandist films like "Good Night & Good Luck" which portray the Communists
in a sympathetic way should get your facts straight when it comes to the origins of the "Cold War" and the Communist Party. Too bad
that idiots like George Clooney didn't show the actual persecutions that were going on in Eastern Europe during the time of the
McCarthy Hearings and the building of the Berlin Wall. If true Communism was so great than why did it fail in Eastern Europe and the
former Soviet Union???

Cheval 52

[–] krp-7 18 years ago

Dude,
This is Hollywook liberals we are talking about here. If they had any sense, they wouldn't be Hollywood liberals.

Don't waste your time on reason. It would make any difference with them

[–] krp-7 18 years ago

Dude,

He's talking about Hollywood liberals here not real people. To the Hollywood and Washington and New York liberals, Russia is a better place. Dementia to be sure, but that is who they are.

[–] gaelicguy 18 years ago

This is a very faithful adaptation of the novel, which was written in the 1940s. I find these ideas about this film as an allegory for McCarthyism specious and quite stupid. Eh, three thousand pieces of gold, for what they're worth!

If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

[–] MrPie7 17 years ago

PLEASE no more McCarthy! A few Hollywood liberals and former communists were blacklisted and had to work under pseudonym for a while. But NOBODY DIED! The way Hollywood rants on and on and ON, you would think it was the Reign
of Terror re-visited! The Hollywood Left has made it THEIR Holocaust! It was an unfortunate incident that happened during a very trying time in American history. Get over it!

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] cwente2 17 years ago

"Spartacus was."

Was it? If it was, I didn't see it. True, "Spartacus" (movie and book) is the product of leftists. Nevertheless, aside from the scenes between Laughton and Olivier re Crassus' list, any apparent indictment of Joseph McCarthy is pretty well absent. And, remember, there have been plenty of anti-McCarthy organizations, individuals, and movements that have been very busy compiling lists of their own, including, and perhaps especially, McCarthy's principal enemy -- the communists. Watching a film about broad-based themes like freedom can conjur impressions sympathetic to a wide variety of predispositions in a viewer.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] cwente2 17 years ago

The line with "Republican corruption" was delivered by the "populist" (for lack of a better term) played by Laughton, was said in a positive context, and had absolutely nothing to do with the innuendos you're implying.

"High Noon" was, as you say, "political" to an extent -- because its creators said it was. It was more philosophical in my opinion from an audience point of view, and, like "Spartacus", not very overt or forceful in that particular regard. Great drama, though.

[–] cwente2 17 years ago

I agree. But . . .

"It was an unfortunate incident that happened during a very trying time in American history."

I'm not so sure it was all that unfortunate. I would recommend "Blacklisted by History" by M. Stanton Evans, if you haven't already read it. It's fairly new and the product of 6 years of research.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (6545) 2 years ago

High Noon is said to have some similar connections to McCarthyism.