THE FRONT [1976 / 2021] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] America’s Most Unlikely Hero!
What if there were a list?
A list that said: Our finest actors weren't allowed to act. Our best writers aren't allowed to write. Our funniest comedians aren't allowed to make us laugh.
What would it be like if there were such a list?
It would be like America in 1953.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1976 National Board of Review, USA: Win: NBR Award for Top Ten Films. 1977 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Walter Bernstein. 1977 Golden Globes Awards: Nominated: Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture for a Female for Andrea Marcovicci. 1977 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen for Walter Bernstein. 1978 BAFTA Awards: Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Zero Mostel.
FILM FACT No.2: Several people involved in the making of the film ‘THE FRONT’ — including screenwriter Walter Bernstein, director Martin Ritt, and actors Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi and Lloyd Gough had been blacklisted and Walter Bernstein was listed after being named in the Red Channels journal that identified alleged Communists and Communist sympathizers. Because of the blacklist, a number of artists, writers, directors, and others were rendered unemployable, having been accused of subversive political activities in support of Communism or of being Communists themselves. In 2008, a musical adaptation of “The Front” had a workshop in New York City. The musical, also titled “The Front” or, alternatively the “Lucky Break” had music and lyrics by Paul Gordon and Jay Gruska, with a book and additional lyrics by Seth Friedman, and its workshop was co-directed by John Caird and Nell Balaban, starring Brian d'Arcy James as Howard Prince, Richard Kind as Hecky Brown, and Jayne Paterson as Florence Barrett.
Cast: Woody Allen, Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Michael Murphy, Andrea Marcovicci, Remak Ramsay, Marvin Lichterman, Lloyd Gough, David Margulies, Joshua Shelley, Norman Rose, Charles Kimbrough, Josef Sommer, Danny Aiello, Georgann Johnson, Scott McKay, David Clarke, I.W. Klein, John Eric Bentley, Julie Garfield, Murray Moston, MacIntyre Dixon, Rudolph Willrich, Burt Britton, Albert Ottenheimer, William Bogert, Joey Faye, Marilyn Sokol, John J. Slater, Renee Paris, Gino Gennaro, Joan Porter, Andrew Bernstein, Jacob Bernstein, Matthew Tobin, Marilyn Persky, Sam McMurray, Joe Jamrog, Michael Miller, Lucy Lee Flippin, Jack Davidson, Donald Symington, Pat McNamara, Penny Duncan [Mrs. America 1952] (archive footage), Jean Kerr Minetti [Wedding to Joe McCarthy] (archive footage), Joseph Bergmann (uncredited), Bruce Detrick (uncredited), Joe DiMaggio [1952 Number Retirement] (archive footage) (uncredited), Dwight D. Eisenhower [1953 Inauguration Gala] (archive footage) (uncredited), Mamie Eisenhower [1953 Inauguration Gala] (archive footage) (uncredited), Carson Grant (uncredited), Stephen Hayes (uncredited), Douglas MacArthur [1951 Ticker Tape Parade] (archive footage) (uncredited), Rocky Marciano (archive footage) (uncredited), Joseph McCarthy [1953 Wedding] (archive footage) (uncredited), George Murphy [1953 Inauguration Gala] (archive footage) (uncredited), Billie Perkins (uncredited), Lily Pons [1953 Inauguration Gala] (archive footage) (uncredited), Harrison Ressler (uncredited), Ethel Rosenberg (archive footage) (uncredited), Julius Rosenberg (archive footage) (uncredited), Lauren Simon (uncredited), Harry S. Truman [Reviewing Landing Craft (archive footage) (uncredited) and Frankie Verroca (uncredited)
Director: Martin Ritt
Producers: Charles H. Joffe, Jack Rollins (uncredited), Martin Ritt and Robert Greenhut
Screenplay: Walter Bernstein
Composer: Dave Grusin
Costumes Design: Ruth Morley
Cinematography: Michael Crawford Chapman, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White and Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 / 1.85:1
Audio: English: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Film Score: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 94 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Columbia Pictures / Powerhouse Films
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: With the film ‘THE FRONT’ [1976] we find Howard Prince [Woody Allen] works as a cash register, running bets, losing money and in the words of his own brother, is a bum. Howard Prince’s friend Alfred Miller [Michael Murphy] is a television writer who has recently been blacklisted as being a communist sympathiser. Alfred approaches Howard Prince and offers him the opportunity to act as a front, which means that Alfred Miller will write scripts and Howard Prince will present them to the television network pretending to be the writer.
At first things work well for Howard Prince and he gains prominence and fame as the television shows become more and more popular. Seduced by the promise of more fortune and glory he suggests that they get more blacklisted writers on board to write more scripts. As you can imagine, it’s not long before Howard receives unwarranted attention from the authorities and the net begins to tighten around him and his collaborators.
Set in 1953, during the hysteria of the communist witch hunts, The Front tells the story of just how far people had to go to earn a living in America and particularly, how it affected Hollywood and the entertainment industry.
There are many great things about ‘THE FRONT’ but one of the best has to be the general air of authenticity as it features people who lived through that horrible time. Director Martin Ritt, writer Walter Bernstein, actors Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Lloyd Gough and Joshua Shelley were all blacklisted in the 1950’s.
Zero Mostel plays a particularly tragic character who was a very successful actor was finding himself blacklisted and struggling to get work. Zero Mostel’s performance is brilliant displaying real pathos, which is even more poignant knowing that this was his last feature film performance before his death.
The acting in general is excellent and Woody Allen is fantastic playing his character with a sense of naivety that doesn’t realise the situation he’s getting himself into. Woody Allen’s quite happy with the fame and fortune but, when he starts to realise how being blacklisted is affecting people you see how it changes him. It’s also worth noting that his final line the film is wonderfully delivered and made me want to punch the air.
‘THE FRONT’ story still rings true today. In an era of Wikileaks, government phone taps and Edward Snowden, the general patriotic paranoia and creating an enemy is all too now. The film makes a great point that this all could have been stopped, if only a few men had been braver. Many of the stories here were based on true events. It’s a credit to the film that the bad guys don’t come across as cackling villains – there’s a controlled honesty here that is refreshing.
‘THE FRONT’ was a total joy to watch featuring superb performances, and a razor sharp script and a gripping compelling story. If you have any interest in one of America’s darkest times in history then I would highly recommend you check this film out.
‘THE FRONT’ apparently the film received mixed reviews because it dealt with the subject light-heartedly. We now see this trick used all the time, and the mix of drama and comedy feels very modern. If anything, the fact that Woody Allen’s character could not laugh this one off, and pays the ultimate price, makes it even sadder. It certainly doesn’t feel light-hearted, watching it now. Perhaps the blacklist was still too recent in 1976, and people wanted blood.
As we get to the end credits, we get to view homage to the people who worked on the film ‘THE FRONT’ the following list of names:
Martin Ritt [Blacklisted 1951]
Walter Bernstein [Blacklisted 1950]
Zero Mostel [Blacklisted 1950]
Herschel Bernardi [Blacklisted 1953]
Lloyd Gough [Blacklisted 1952]
Joshua Shelley [Blacklisted 1952]
THE FRONT MUSIC TRACK LIST
YOUNG AT HEART (Music by Johnny Richards) (Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh) (Arranged and Conducted by Nelson Riddle) (uncredited) [Sung by Frank Sinatra]
ANYTHING FOR A LAUGH (Music by Cary Hoffman) (Lyrics by Ira Gasman) [Performed by Zero Mostel]
COME ON DAISY (Music by Cary Hoffman) (Lyrics by Ira Gasman) [Performed by Zero Mostel]
DAISY BELL (Written by Harry Dacre) (uncredited) [played during Old Gold commercial]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Columbia Pictures and Powerhouse Films presents us the film ‘THE FRONT’ with an excellent 1080p image and is sourced from a Sony 4K restoration from the original negative, and also has a really excellent 1.85:1 aspect ratio is a lovely thing to behold. Everything is spot on, from the crispness of the picture detail to a warmly naturalistic and pleasantly pastel-leaning colour palette and the perfectly pitched contrast. This is aided by the brilliant cinematographer Michael Crawford Chapman's decision to light the film in the manner of a 1950’s TV show, which strips the film of pockets of tricky-to-transfer gloom and renders even more naturalistically lit interiors clearly. Daylight exteriors look absolutely terrific throughout, and there are no traces of damage or dirt or distracting DNR [Digital Noise Reduction]. So well done Columbia Pictures and Powerhouse Films in giving us something really special.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Columbia Pictures and Powerhouse Films brings us the film ‘THE FRONT’ with just one standard 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio experience and is really also in excellent shape, boasting a very solid dynamic range for a non-DTS track and the bass notes of Dave Grusin's film music score have a surprising amount of punch and very clear rendition of dialogue and effects. The film has a stylish score by jazz legend Dave Grusin, but its original sound design is fairly modest. Indeed, there are only a couple of segments where the music does make its presence felt; the long exchanges between the various characters are a lot more important for the type of atmosphere that director Martin Ritt desired for the film. There are no pops, distracting background hiss, cracks, or other age-related or digital imperfections. Columbia Pictures and Powerhouse Films for giving us a top notch audio experience.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
4K restoration from the original negative
Audio commentary with film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman and actress Andrea Marcovicci: Nick Redman plays host to a really excellent audio commentary track featuring fellow film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman and actress Andrea Marcovicci, who plays Florence Barrett in what was her first feature role. Here Nick Redman, informs us that he is a Documentary Filmmaker and Record Producer and welcomes us to this special audio commentary, and Nick Redman says he has the greatest of pleasure is to sit here today with two wonderful lovely ladies, Julie Kirgo, who is a film historian and actress Andrea Marcovicci who is the star of ‘THE FRONT’ and also a Golden Globe nominee for the film ‘THE FRONT’ and one of the greatest cabaret singer. So packed is this audio commentary with anecdotes about the filming and in-depth background information on the characters, the actors, the filmmakers and the blacklist itself, that it's difficult to give even a flavour of the content without short-changing all three contributions give detailed information provided by Nick Redman and the energetic Julie Kirgo, and especially Andrea Marcovicci's recollections of the shoot, had me captivated throughout the audio commentary. Nick Redman says after the film credits ends, talks about the black-and-white 1950’s film montage with the famous American faces, and Nick Redman asks Julie Kirgo to try and put a name to the said people we get to view and says she will try. As the black-and-white film starts, Julie Kirgo comments first up is Joseph McCarthy arriving at church to get married, then mentions the American bombers dropping bombs on Korea, then mentions the ticker tape parade in New York for General Douglas MacArthur, then mentions 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman watching tank manoeuvres, then mentions the American baseball player Joe DiMaggio, who of course married Marilyn Monroe who we see in a parade waving to the crowds, then mentions the real M.A.S.H. unit in Korea, then mentions the 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the Mrs. America 1952 contest, then mentions the American public welcoming the troops home from the Korean War and some not so lucky who were very badly injured, then finally mentions the newsreel of Americans supporting Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg, who were arrested, tried, convicted and executed for spying on behalf of the Soviet Union and on top of all that, both Marcovicci and comments on the song YOUNG AT HEART that was sung by Frank Sinatra which they thought was so appropriate, especially if you listening to the poignant words. Andrea Marcovicci talks about the scene in the restaurant with Woody Allen and says the dress she was wearing was made of 100% silk and with the hot lights made her perspire profusely and they complained about the perspiration staining the dress, so in-between takes they would make her sit at the table and they used a hair drier and had to sit there being blow dried and found the experience totally embarrassing, especially having all the extras behind her sitting at their tables watching the situation. They say that Woody Allen stuck to the script most of the time 100%, but now again when the cameras stopped rolling, would leave the set with the screenwriters and come back with script changes. Andrea Marcovicci admits to being a little bit in love with Woody Allen at the time and claims that he was terrific and also a great kisser and especially with the scene in New York with the Brooklyn Bridge behind them and says that Woody Allen whispered in her ear and said, “don’t worry I am only going to give you one lip, and if I had given you both lips, you will never live through it,” and they both laugh out loud. Andrea Marcovicci also recalls attending a Catholic school in which a “Better Dead Than Red” poster was prominently displayed, and also has nothing but wonderful things to say about the actor Zero Mostel, who was always entertaining the cast and crew on set, but the flipside was that Woody Allen was much more reclusive. I was amused to learn that Woody Allen's uncomfortable response to being hugged by Zero Mostel when their characters first meet was actually a genuine response from someone who dislikes being touched. Andrea Marcovicci relates to a number of entertaining anecdotes that provided critical insights into the personalities of Woody Allen and Zero Mostel, while also giving us a good feel for the on-set atmosphere. Andrea Marcovicci also recalls her whirlwind audition for the part and Woody Allen's impersonal reaction to her during the process where he would look down on the floor the whole time and not make any comments. Andrea Marcovicci and Julie Kirgo comment on the scene with Zero Mostel is in the room with the Blacklist investigator, whey they say, “they weren’t looking for names, because they had all the names they needed, but instead, what they were looking for was an opportunity to exert their power and to humiliate, and to debase yourself and to prove you are willing to anything and that is what is so crushing about the whole setup, and honestly, we feel the film told the story better than almost anything could and says it all.” They also say that the Blacklist has remained, in many ways, an untouched topic, because it is so painful, and it is so very personal, and there may have been political motives for it, but in the end, people were hurt so profoundly, and especially affected everyone in the film industry at the time, and not being allowed to do the very thing that made then who they were. When Andrea Marcovicci turns up at Woody Allen’s apartment, informs us on that very day of the shoot for that scene had turned 25 years of age on the 18th November and when the camera stopped rolling, they brought out a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday and has contact prints of that moment. When we see Woody Allen driving Zero Mostel to a gig and the owner of the establishment pays him less than what they had agreed, even though it was a much lower price originally agreed in the office, and you see Zero Mostel completely loses his temper and attacks the manager, well this actually happened to Zero Mostel in real life, so I feel this is quite a poignant and upsetting scene in the film, especially what happens to Zero Mostel near the end of the film in the hotel room, and they give great praise towards Zero Mostel’s very modest and totally brilliant performance, especially not knowing beforehand what happens to Zero Mostel in that hotel room, and showing what damage the Blacklist cause to so many Americans in the entertainment industry. As we get near to the end of the film where find Woody Allen in handcuffs and is being taken off to jail, they all think that Woody Allen’s performance was totally brilliant throughout the film and also feel that it is one of his all-time best performance. Also Andrea Marcovicci is very proud of her performance in the film and also felt it was a great honour to be part of a totally brilliant and poignant film. Andrea Marcovicci and Julie Kirgo also praises many of the cast members, names various locations, and discusses how the film was so very difficult to market and that Columbia Pictures completely washed their hands of it, because it wasn't as funny as the previous films that Woody Allen and Zero Mostel typically made. Julie Kirgo recalls with the film ‘THE FRONT’ about "a blacklist fairy tale with a happy ending," which I personally found that a very confusing comment as the ending is not a very happy event, as the blacklist was a stain on a civilised American society and how it destroyed so many people’s lives, and Julie Kirgo also provides plenty of historical context for that period. When we see Woody Allen with the three screenwriters in the Hammer’s Restaurant, who two of them admit they are card carrying Communists, who are playing the real life screenwriters who were actually card carrying Communists, and Andrea Marcovicci and Julie Kirgo pointed out that it was not illegal at the time to be affiliated to the Communist Party in America, which you must admit is quite ironic, and they also pointed out that the Russians helped the allies to eliminate the Nazis in the Second World War and also mention this fact in that restaurant scene in the film. But what really liked about this audio commentary is how I found the trio's relaxed rapport draws us into their conversation, and fans of the film will find their remarks insightful and revealing, and especially that there was total solidarity from the cast and crew about the devastation effect relating to what the blacklist did and its career-destroying power games played by those who enforced expressed here and is totally genuinely inspiring and is well worth listening to and definitely gets a five star rating from me.
Special Feature: Behind The Front: Director of Photography Michael Crawford Chapman on ‘THE FRONT’ [2004] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:14] Here we get to view a rare interview with the acclaimed director of photography Michael Crawford Chapman and talks very proud to of been involved with the film ‘THE FRONT’ and says that it was the only film that Woody Allen did not direct, because he felt very strong on the subject matter and his acting performance and felt it would be better to have another person to direct the film. Michael Crawford Chapman talks about all the severely blacklisted people that worked on the film and Woody Allen was very keen to make the film because of the injustice done to the said people in the American entertainment business and there has never been another film made on the specific subject. It's here that we learn that Michael Crawford Chapman consciously did the lighting for the film in the manner of a 1950’s TV show, and also what he feels is far and away the film's greatest strength: "What's amazing in it is not Woody Allen, and not the story, which is OK but rather perfunctory in a rather jokey way, but Zero Mostel's performance," which Michael Crawford Chapman also discusses the choreography of Zero Mostel's single-shot final scene, which he worked out with Zero Mostel, with seemingly little input from director Martin Ritt, who was far more interested in the actors than camera setups. Michael Crawford Chapman was very proud to get the film ‘THE FRONT’ released onto the DVD format and enjoyed watching it, especially as it was the first time he had viewed the film since seeing it when released in the cinema and of course really enjoyed Zero Mostel’s last ever performance in the film. Michael Crawford Chapman also like seeing all the names of the blacklisted people with the end credits.
Special Feature: Isolated Score: Here you get to experience the amazing Dave Grusin's original soundtrack music that is in 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio. The nuances and shadings of Dave Grusin's composed film score can be more fully appreciated by listening to this isolated music track. The only downside, is that you experience a lot of silent gaps in-between the film score.
Theatrical Trailer [1976] [1080p] [1.85:1] [1:53] This is the original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘THE FRONT.’ It is a really great trailer and certainly gives you a good flavour of what the film is all about and the dark days of America in the backlist witch hunt.
Special Feature: Image Gallery [1976] [1080p] [1.37:1] Here you get to view 21 amazing colour and black-and-white on-set behind-the-scene images and original promotional photography material related to the film ‘THE FRONT.’ Use the skip function < > to navigate the image gallery. Press MENU or TOP MENU to leave.
Finally, ‘THE FRONT’ is a straightforward and absorbing look at the far-reaching and devastating effects of the film and television blacklist in the 1950’s. ‘THE FRONT’ hammers home some important points as it deftly mixes comedy and drama. Don't expect a raucous Woody Allen farce; despite some well-placed jokes and a bit of tomfoolery, Martin Ritt's penetrating film is serious stuff, and Allen, Zero Mostel, Andrea Marcovicci, Michael Murphy, and the rest of the cast respect the material. Though Allen didn't write or direct the picture, it still bears his stamp, and in a change-of-pace part, he asserts himself well. Powerhouse Films Blu-ray presentation features a top-notch image transfer and a good solid audio experience, and some good special features that you get more here than with most Woody Allen productions. ‘THE FRONT’ is definitely for me, one of Woody Allen's signature films, and his loyal legion of fans will appreciate this limited to 3000 Blu-ray release, which earns a hearty five star rating from me. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
