During the 1950s and the Red Scare period in the States, the country began to turn in on itself and looked for conspiracies where none existed, fearing the rise of a Fifth Column it sought the Enemy Within. Into this dreadful paranoia rode the "Red Baiting" self-appointed saviour Senator Joe McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
A film that beautifully portrays an aspect of that era, namely the blacklisting of writers, actors, and artists, is The Front, starring Woody Allen and Zero Mostel whose birthday it would have been today.
Zero Mostel was a fantastic actor who was in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Waiting for Godot, and of course The Producers.
The Front explores the important issue of what is best for the country versus individual freedom, which is pertinent given the recent case of Binyam Mohamed. The film has classic quotes like, "To be a spy on the side of freedom is an honour" and implies that true patriots are willing to spy on their friends.
It does have a "happy ending" though, and shows that even an amoral character can see through the vileness of groups like HUAC.
What it reminds us however, is that the awful noise of ignorance can sometimes be deafening.
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