More of a historical curiosity than a great film, but it overall leaves a good and entertaining impression. First and foremost, Bette Davis is great in the lead role with her slight British accent and firm, matronly demeanor. Some of the other supporting actors do fine in their parts, but the child actors especially are stilted and unprepared. The story, famously the first in Hollywood to explicitly attack anti-Communist sentiment, is simple in its recontextualizing the HUAC hearings, but it doesn't have the impact it reaches for. Sure, we feel sympathy for Davis as she fights for free speech and liberty, but she also explicitly doesn't want to fight her firing, so there's not much tension or drama in the film until its final few scenes. Even there, the speed with which these townspeople change their minds about perceived Communist influence is messy. This definitely feels like a film that prioritized its "bravery" in addressing McCarthyism over a fully engrossing story. It's not great but there are enough moments I enjoyed and even got a kick out of (the father fucking hates books for some reason) that I was entertained by it.
More of a historical curiosity than a great film, but it overall leaves a good and entertaining impression. First and foremost, Bette Davis is great in the lead role with her slight British accent and firm, matronly demeanor. Some of the other supporting actors do fine in their parts, but the child actors especially are stilted and unprepared. The story, famously the first in Hollywood to explicitly attack anti-Communist sentiment, is simple in its recontextualizing the HUAC hearings, but it doesn't have the impact it reaches for. Sure, we feel sympathy for Davis as she fights for free speech and liberty, but she also explicitly doesn't want to fight her firing, so there's not much tension or drama in the film until its final few scenes. Even there, the speed with which these townspeople change their minds about perceived Communist influence is messy. This definitely feels like a film that prioritized its "bravery" in addressing McCarthyism over a fully engrossing story. It's not great but there are enough moments I enjoyed and even got a kick out of (the father fucking hates books for some reason) that I was entertained by it.
