Der Strohmann (1976)
68KDer Strohmann: Directed by Martin Ritt. With Woody Allen, Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Michael Murphy. In 1953, a cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.
“Itu0026#39;s the 1950u0026#39;s, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has whipped America and especially Hollywood into an anti-communitst frenzy. Anyone who ever had ties to the left wing is persecuted and denied employment. Which means a big opportunity for Woody Allen (acting only, he didnu0026#39;t write or direct) to make a few bucks selling scripts written by blacklisted writers, being the u0026quot;Frontu0026quot; of the title. Little does he know what heu0026#39;s getting into. Woodyu0026#39;s masquerade starts as a favor to a pal in trouble and a chance for easy money, but it quickly snowballs into serious involvement with some very ugly things.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGreat script and excellent performances by Allen and Andrea Marcovicci, but the film is lifted to terrifying heights by the magnificent Zero Mostel as a blacklisted comic. Every indignity and loss he faces is reflected in his wonderful face with a terrible sweet-natured dignity, you can see the weariness and hopelessness growing in his eyes scene by scene. His tragedy changes the lives of all the other characters, and makes the film the fine thing that it is.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThereu0026#39;s a lot of wit and black humor in this film, but overall itu0026#39;s a very affecting tragedy, one with a fine, strong, yet hopeful ending.”
