Dorset Event

Racism, anti-Semitism, and corruption are not just problems that plagued our nation in the 1950s—they are issues that Hollywood addressed in some of its best work of the era. These political films, coming in the relatively comfortable period following World War II, had the luxury of once again taking on domestic social problems after the industry spent years focusing on the more immediate threats abroad. But filmmakers with controversial political viewpoints needed to tread lightly in this time of HUAC, Joseph McCarthy, and the emerging Soviet threat. Join us to discuss and see clips from such films as Crossfire (1947) and On the Waterfront (1954) and learn about the factors surrounding the translation of individual social consciousness into mainstream entertainment.

Sponsored by Cathy and John Rano

Guest Speaker:
Andrew J. Douglas, Ph.D., is the deputy director at Bryn Mawr Film Institute (BMFI), a non-profit film center on the Main Line. Previously, he was BMFI’s founding director of education, having joined the organization in July 2005, four months after its opening. The programs he started, educate roughly 5000 students of all ages about film each year. Dr. Douglas has given talks at Yale University and Johns Hopkins University and has written for Film International and the Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, among other publications. He has been used as an excuse for his grandmother to meet Robert Redford and was dressed down by Harrison Ford, whom Dr. Douglas still thinks is America’s greatest living leading man.

This talk will take place on Tuesday, February 11 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm online via Zoom.