The Cold War Examined :: essays research papers

     The Cold War had an unbelievably profound effect on the United States. It effected the country politically, economically, as well as culturally. Use juicy Noon as an fiction of the 1950s to examine issues of conformity, individualism, community, and political commitment in the background of congressional investigations such as that of HUAC into the activities of the Hollywood 10. In this scenario, Marshal Will Kane redes individuals who were automatic to confront the political investigations of HUAC, while the townspeople who deserted him may represent liberals who were afraid of being blacklisted or censured.Use On the Waterfront as an legend of why some testifyes deemed it proper to name call before congressional committees. Director Elia Kazan did appear as a cooperative witness before HUAC, and the pick out may be interpreted as a justification for his actions. Thus, Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) decides he must inform on his occasion friends in a baffle waterfront union led by freedom fighter companionable (Lee J. Cobb, who may represent the Communist party and the policies of Joseph Stalin.)In the context of the pressure put on Hollywood by HUAC to "name names" and implicate associates who may have been involved in left offstage causes, films began to explore the theme of informing. One such example, On the Waterfront (1954), was directed by Elia Kazan, who had earlier decided to cooperate with HUAC. The decision by dockworker Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) to expose the fraudulent activities of the union, led by put-onny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), may be perceived as justification for Kazans denouncing of a corrupt Stalinist Communist party. On the other hand, Carl Foremans script for High Noon, which John Wayne called un-American, can be read as a condemnation of Hollywoods misery to take a stand against political censorship. In this allegory, the Miller pack represents HUAC, while Marshal Will Kane stands fo r the Hollywood Ten deserted by the townspeople and the liberals respectively. Foremans success with High Noon earned Oscar nominations for the film, but the film writer was placed on the blacklist. In the end, this western reveals little about the floor of the frontier, but a great deal regarding the ideological and political side effect from the Cold War.While the allegorical devices used in On the Waterfront and High Noon were obvious to the Hollywood community, they were often lost on film audiences for whom the insecurities of the Cold War were better addressed in science-fiction films.