The Front
by Martin Ritt
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andrea Marcovicci, Herschel Bernardi, Michael Murphy, Woody Allen, Zero MostelDirector: Martin Ritt
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); Georgian (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Extra tracks, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-02-17
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of The Front
Movie Review: 2.5 stars out of 4
Summary: 3 Stars
The Bottom Line:
I'm sure there's quite a movie out there waiting to be made about blacklisting, and I hope that when this movie is made it does more honor to the victims of the blacklist than this film, which relies on Woody Allen's schtick and Zero Mostel's mugging to little dramatic effect; The Front has good intentions but little success.
Summary of The Front
Woody Allen's dark comic send-up of Hollywood McCarthyism! Allen stars as a cashier posing as a writer who sells a script as his own, when it was actually written by a blacklisted pal. Stars Woody Allen, Zero Mostel, Danny Aiello and more. Nominated for an Oscar? - Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Walter Bernstein, 1977).The Front is both a comic delight and perhaps the most graceful act of show business revenge in cinema history. Written by, directed by, and starring various talents blacklisted during the McCarthy-era witch hunts of the 1950s entertainment industry, the film stars Woody Allen as Howard, a cashier and bookie approached by blacklisted television-writer Alfred (Michael Murphy) to act as a "front," i.e., the alleged author of Alfred's works. The scam proves hugely successful. Soon Howard is fronting for several other banned writers, taking a cut from every sale to the networks, and basking in praise (and romantic attentions) for his prolific talent. It all unravels when congressional investigators dig into Howard's past for Communist ties and squeeze him to name others with supposed links to the Red Menace. The Front is charming, tragic, heroic, and briskly intelligent, featuring a heartbreaking performance by Zero Mostel and directed by Martin Ritt (Hud). --Tom Keogh
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