Fellow Traveller (1989)
In the Golden Age of Hollywood, two men had it all; one was a top screenwriter, the other a film idol. But when the witch hunts of McCarthyism swept into Tinseltown, it drove one out of the country and the other to suicide.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Reviews
Simply A Masterpiece
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
Seeing adult reactions through the eyes of a child left many unexplained mysteries of the McCarthy era. Friends who grew up in the shadow of the Hollywood blacklist in Los Angeles say that in spite of its flaws, FELLOW TRAVELER provided a perspective they themselves couldn't see at that time.The movie's only weaknesses were its awkward transitions between time periods and the uneven sound track (sometimes too loud, sometimes too soft) which distracted from the narrative flow. The story itself was told in an honest and well-balanced manner giving both the position of those passionate left-wing activists along with the approaches of the people whose direction they followed.As a made-for TV movie, FELLOW TRAVELER was probably not widely viewed. I'd strongly recommend it be sought out as a video rental or in bargain bins for anyone seeking a good dramatic portrayal of that tragic but intense period.