Movie · 1976 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 35m · PG · English
Curator score: 5.7/10 (17.5K ratings)
America's most unlikely hero.
Overview
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.7/10
IMDb: 7.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.59/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Martin Ritt
Production
Devon/Persky-Bright, Persky-Bright Productions, Columbia Pictures, Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions
Cast
Woody Allen, Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Michael Murphy, Andrea Marcovicci, Remak Ramsay, Marvin Lichterman, Lloyd Gough, David Margulies, Joshua Shelley, Norman Rose, Charles Kimbrough, Josef Sommer, Danny Aiello, Georgann Johnson, Scott McKay, David Clarke, I.W. Klein, John Bentley, Julie Garfield
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, personal blacklisting satire that balances comedy with real moral anger. It’s especially rewarding for viewers interested in Hollywood history, political persecution, and character-driven 1970s dramas.
Best for
viewers interested in McCarthyism and Hollywood blacklist history
fans of political satire with a serious backbone
people who like 1970s studio dramas with strong performances
audiences drawn to films with an ethical, anti-establishment edge
Skip if
you want a fast-paced or highly polished comedy
you prefer subtle, low-key historical dramas
you’re looking for a deeply expansive treatment of the blacklist era
you dislike tonal shifts between farce and earnest drama
Overview
The Front turns a shameful chapter of American cultural history into something pointed, funny, and quietly furious. Its premise is elegantly simple, but the film keeps finding new ways to expose the cowardice, opportunism, and fear that sustained the blacklist system.
Worth noting
What gives it weight is the sense that it was made by people who understood the damage firsthand. That personal stake keeps the satire from becoming glib, and the final stretch lands with real force because the film has spent so much time showing how compromise becomes complicity.
Bottom line
It’s not a flawless film, and some supporting threads feel thinner than the central idea deserves. But the performances, the period detail, and the moral clarity make it an unusually satisfying blend of entertainment and testimony.
Top Letterboxd reviews
𝙿𝚊𝚘𝚕𝚘 𝙼𝚊𝚌𝙶𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚗 | 🇮🇹 (4★) · 106 likes
Released a year after the abolition of the House Un-American Activities Committee, The Front is the first Hollywood film to tackle the trauma of McCarthyism head-on, breaking a long collective silence. More than just a historical reconstruction, the film is a civil testimony, deeply rooted in the past of its authors. Martin Ritt and screenwriter Walter Bernstein were both victims of Senator McCarthy's ideological persecution, and this direct experience gives the film a rare authenticity that emerges in its portrayal… more Released a year after the abolition of the House Un-American Activities Committee, The Front is the first Hollywood film to tackle the trauma of McCarthyism head-on, breaking a long collective silence. More than just a historical reconstruction, the film is a civil testimony, deeply rooted in the past of its authors. Martin Ritt and screenwriter Walter Bernstein were both victims of Senator McCarthy's ideological persecution, and this direct experience gives the film a rare authenticity that emerges in its portrayal… more
Slig001 (4★) · 93 likes
The Front is set during the 'McCarthy era' and ensuing Hollywood blacklist, which was a secretive list of names banned from working in the industry due to suspected links to the Communist Party. Sort of like the low tech version of being shadowbanned on Twitter. The film focuses on Woody Allen's cashier who gets a break when offered the chance to "front" for his blacklisted writer friend. The Front takes a serious subject and constructs a fun and entertaining drama… more The Front is set during the 'McCarthy era' and ensuing Hollywood blacklist, which was a secretive list of names banned from working in the industry due to suspected links to the Communist Party. Sort of like the low tech version of being shadowbanned on Twitter. The film focuses on Woody Allen's cashier who gets a break when offered the chance to "front" for his blacklisted writer friend. The Front takes a serious subject and constructs a fun and entertaining drama… more
rocconanut01 (4★) · 88 likes
All I could think about while watching the film Is the Orson Welles' interview where he calls Kazan a traitor
Pottlekid (3★) · 82 likes
Howard reminded me of a roommate I had in college who became a bookie but somehow kept losing money. Liked the scene with the writers in the hospital and the stuff with Hecky, wish his arc was flushed out more. Some threads didn’t go anywhere, like Howard getting the books to read and the stuff with his brother. This really should be a longer movie, but still a decent look at blacklisted writers from the ‘50s and well meaning.
Chris (3★) · 76 likes
Good film. Extremely personal to the people who made it. Nothing technical really wowed me though. I did think Zero Mostel gave an incredible performance, turning Hecky Brown into an insanely lovable character. I also enjoyed the build up to a grand “fuck you” to the HUAC at the end.