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Title details for Trumbo by Bruce Cook - Available

Trumbo

A Biography of the Oscar-winning Screenwriter Who Broke the Hollywood Blacklist

by Bruce Cook
Luke Daniels
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
An intimate, essential biography of the man who broke the Hollywood blacklist. A central figure in the Hollywood Ten and one of the most successful screenwriters in Hollywood history, two of Trumbo's screenplays earned Oscars (Roman Holiday and The Brave Ones) while he was blacklisted and unable to receive public credit for his work. Trumbo was also the author of Johnny Got His Gun, winner of the National Book Award and one of the most powerful anti-war novels ever published. He epitomized the spirit of American Capitalism, yet he went to jail refusing to talk about his membership in the communist party. As a result of his relentless fight for political freedom and the right to work for those blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee beginning in 1947, he ended the blacklist era in 1960 by earning proper screen credit for his work the blockbuster films Exodus Spartacus. An extraordinary complex character, he was, as author Bruce Cook states, an exemplar of a certain set of American virtues: toughness, independence and persistence.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 8, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781622319114
      • File size: 412107 KB
      • Duration: 14:18:33

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      With the current release of the film TRUMBO, Cook's biography, originally published in 1977, has been reintroduced. Dalton Trumbo, who briefly dabbled in Communist politics, was a key figure on the Hollywood Blacklist of the 1940s and '50s. Director Otto Preminger effectively broke the blacklist when he revealed that Trumbo was the screenwriter of the 1960 blockbuster EXODUS. While the story of the intrigue and politics is fascinating and intense, Luke Daniels's well-paced, warm narration cannot supplant the pompous, egotistical, and highly gaseous writing. Daniels bloviates in a style that suits the overly dramatic content. He's adept at multiple voices, though his female voices are a bit of stretch. Excessive day-to-day detail of Trumbo's life grows old quickly. Larger thematic considerations are, sadly, left to the listener to consider. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      December 1, 2015
      This work, first published in 1977, has been reissued with the making of the movie of the same name. Dalton Trumbo was a screenwriter who served jail time for refusing to discuss his membership in the Communist Party. His fight for personal freedom led to his being blacklisted from 1947 to 1960. Trumbo's screenplays for "Roman Holiday" and "The Brave One" earned Oscars during that period. His name finally came off of the blacklist, and he was given credit for the films "Exodus" and "Spartacus" in the early 1960s. Cook ("Brecht in Exile") had the full cooperation of Trumbo's family and friends in addition to having the opportunity to interview the screenwriter before his death in 1976. Adding another dimension to accounts of the blacklisting days in Hollywood, this book is filled with drama, intrigue, and passion. Luke Daniels's reading offers insights into what Trumbo experienced during what should have been the height of his career. VERDICT Recommended for listeners who are interested in the era, moviemaking, and creative freedom.--Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence

      Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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