The Locarno film festival is currently presenting an extensive retrospective examining Hollywood’s blacklist period of the 1940s and 1950s, a historical moment when hundreds of entertainment industry workers faced accusations of communist sympathies and were effectively barred from their professions. Curated by filmmaker and critic Ehsan Khosbakht, the programme includes feature films, shorts, archival newsreels, and recent documentaries that document this turbulent chapter in cinema history.
The retrospective arrives amid renewed concerns about creative freedom, following recent events in which Disney and ABC initially suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show after controversial remarks, before reversing the decision within a week. Journalist Gabriel Sherman drew explicit comparisons between Kimmel’s temporary cancellation and the historical blacklist, arguing that studios had made choices to capitulate to pressure rather than facing necessity. The exhibition demonstrates how the blacklist fractured Hollywood’s artistic left, turning politically aligned peers into adversaries.
Many films in the retrospective serve as artistic responses to the era’s persecution and fear. Notable examples include John Garfield’s final film, the noir thriller He Ran All the Way, written by blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, which functions as an allegory for political hunted individuals. Other significant works explore related themes of persecution, entrapment, and working-class struggle, including Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon and the pro-labor film Salt of the Earth. These productions showcase the Hollywood left as both a political and artistic movement with distinctive visual and storytelling approaches.
Many blacklisted workers fled to exile, with Britain emerging as a primary creative refuge. Director Joseph Losey, who would later contribute essential works to British cinema, described initial panic upon arrival in London. His 1956 film The Intimate Stranger, co-written by blacklisted screenwriter Howard E Koch, reflects this anxiety through its portrayal of a filmmaker banished from his home country. Charlie Chaplin, whose re-entry permit to the United States was revoked, created A King in New York at British studios, offering a more optimistic conclusion despite his personal ordeal.
The retrospective, running through August 15, includes controversial figures such as directors Elia Kazan and Edward Dmytryk, who informed on peers before Congress, complicating the historical narrative beyond simple victim-versus-perpetrator framing. The exhibition serves as both historical documentation and contemporary commentary on artistic resistance and institutional pressures facing creative communities.
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