Jules Dassin and the Hollywood Blacklist

The Hollywood blacklist destroyed the lives and careers of many actors, writers and fimmakers during the McCarthy 'Red Scare' era in America.

Having just watched Rififi again - a gripping film noir heist movie from 1955, I got thinking about Jules Dassin, the director. Dassin. He was brought in front of House Comittee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) after a fellow director, Edward Dmytryk - denounced Dassin. Dmytrk himself became known as one of the Hollywood Ten, when he and nine other film industry professionals were put in prison for a year for alleged un-american activities. The number ten is misleading as there were more.

Dassin was no longer able to work as a film maker for five years. However, the story of the last film he made before this exile is an interesting one. Dassin's friend and producer, Darryl F. Zanuck had assigned Dassin the film Night and the City. Aware of Dassin's impending interview with HUAC, Zanuck urged Dassin to start shooting - and start with the expensive scenes, so that the studio would be more likely to let him complete the film - having already shelled out the bulk of the production money. The gambit worked. However, with the heat on from HUAC, Dassin moved to France and was trying to work there. European film producers were informed by HUAC that any films in which Dassin worked on would not be allowed to be released in America.

It was the film Rififi that Dassin made after this enforced hiatus. Apparently, Dassin was a little reluctant to take on the film, but did so needing the work. The original book by Auguste le Breton was adapted to include the cinematically and stylistically famous safe breaking scene. In the book, the actual crime is fairly brief, but in the movie it is a tense half hour with no dialogue and no background music. The scene caused a stir with the gendarmes in France, where it was temporarily banned - fearing copycat safe breaks. The film enjoyed box office success as well as now being seen as an excellent example of Film Noir.