Hollywood, Cold War Paranoia and The Blacklist

Fall 2022 marks 60 years since the Cuban Missile Crisis and the release of the Cold War psychological thriller The Manchurian Candidate. Fueled by the frenzy of the McCarthy era that resulted in the Hollywood Blacklist, the studios pandered to the ‘Red Scare’ by releasing anti-Communist propaganda films, while screenwriters and directors – some of them blacklisted and creating under assumed names – produced films as allegory, vehicles for hidden political and societal commentary. This five-part series explores this volatile and fractured time in film history. Presented in partnership with the Toronto Film Society and the Toronto Jewish Film Society.

Guest speaker: film critic Adam Nayman  

November 21  Hollywood Goes to War: how American movies reflected overseas combat, and dramatized both the optimism of the postwar moment, and the physical and psychic scars emerging as soldiers returned from the front.

November 28 A Deep Freeze: the Cold War becomes the driving engine of American foreign policy, domestic propaganda, and in certain circles, Hollywood representation.

December 5 The Blacklist: an account of the search for Communists – real and imagined – in the ranks of Hollywood screenwriters, and the wider impact on the culture

December 12 The Manchurian Candidate Close Up: a close look at a movie that crystallizes the themes and tensions of the period

December 19 Contemporary Perspectives: how Hollywood has looked back on the blacklist, in movies like The Front, Barton Fink, Trumbo, etc.

To ensure everyone’s comfort and health safety, we strongly recommend that patrons attending in person Adult Daytime programs wear a mask that covers the nose, mouth and chin during their visit to the JCC. All Adult Daytime staff will be masked.

Adam Nayman is a well-respected film critic, author and lecturer. He has been a member of the Toronto Film Critics Association since 2002, and he has programmed and hosted films for the Toronto International Film Festival’s Reel Talk series. Adam regularly writes about film for publications such as The Globe and Mail, The Ringer, Sight and Sound and Reverse Shot, and his reviews have been published in The Walrus, The Village Voice, Film Comment and in spring 2022, Adam was published in The New Yorker! Adam is a contributing editor for Cinema Scope and POV, has reviewed books for Quill and Quire, and was a staff writer for season one of The Vice Guide to Film. He has also written three books: It Doesn’t Suck: Showgirls; Confusion and Carnage: Ben Wheatley; and The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together. Adam regularly lectures about film at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University. At the Miles Nadal JCC, Adam has programmed and hosted films for the Toronto Jewish Film Society, and has taught the very popular series In Nayman’s Terms, That’s Entertainment! The Evolution of the Hollywood Musical, The New Hollywood of the 60s & 70s: Geniuses in the System, and the virtual series Films Shot and Set in Toronto, Revenge of the Studios: Hollywood Strikes Back and last winter’s The Greatest Movie Remakes and The Reboots that Nobody Asked For. We are thrilled to welcome Adam back to the Miles Nadal JCC for this in-person series!

Notes: Co-presented by MNjcc’s Adult Daytime Culture and Education and the Toronto Jewish Film Society. Presented in partnership with the Toronto Film Society.

Toronto Jewish Film Society (TJFS) is a movie series operated by the Miles Nadal JCC that offers an outstanding variety of Jewish film events every year. Films are discussed before and/or after the screenings by noted guests who are critics, teachers, filmmakers, writers, or performers. For more information, visit https://www.mnjcc.org/film

Toronto Film Society is Canada’s second oldest film appreciation group. Formed in 1948 to serve the need for Canadian and international forgotten, banned, independent, and fringe sound and silent films, and to support film restoration and preservation, TFS remains a volunteer-run, membership-driven, non-profit organization dedicated to the artistic, historic, educational, and social significance of cinema. Expertly-curated films (circa 1910-80) are enjoyed as they were meant to be seen: on the big screen with an audience. Some are rare, archival prints not easily obtained by the general public. Our exceptional film series, festivals, and special events engage diverse cinephiles from the GTA and beyond. Join us; you’ll be glad you did! For more information, visit http://torontofilmsociety.com/